the year: 1960
the genre: adventure
the cast: John Mills (Father); Dorothy McGuire (Mother); James MacArthur (Fritz); Tommy Kirk (Ernst); Kevin Corcoran (Francis); Janet Munro (Roberta/Bertie)
the plot: A family in route to New Guinea is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. They are forced to remain on the island because of the damage to the ship and the pirates that are roaming the islands. Adventure ensues as the family deals with issues of survival, pirates, and the brothers must learn how to live on the island with an uncertain future.
check out: the treehouse. I mean, come on – let’s be honest. Who DIDN’T want one of those?
count: how many coconut bombs Francis sets off before the pirates arrive.
listen for: “Do you read a lot, Fritz?” “Who, him? He practically doesn't ever read at all!” “Never really needed to. Sooner or later, Ernst tells me everything he knows.”
don’t miss: the Pirate King’s color-changing coat. It alternates between red and blue in shots of the same scene. Think that’s in homage to Sleeping Beauty?
did you know: Duke, one of the Robinson’s Great Danes, stars in a later Disney film as Brutus, the Ugly Dachshund.
extra bonus points: if you can name what animals Turk, Rocky, Lightning, Clementine and Duchess are.
