The pirates locate the ship, but Father scares them off by putting up a quarantine flag, signaling disease aboard. Believing that her grandfather will return for her once ransomed, she intends to return to London; Ernst is interested in going to school there, while Fritz would rather go on to New Guinea to build a home of his own. [24] A movie was ultimately made based on elements of Swiss Family Robinson, titled After Earth, starring Will and Jaden Smith and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and released in 2013. [25], In 2011, actor Bill Paxton expressed serious interest in producing and starring in a live-action remake of the original film: "I talked to a very prominent producer/filmmaker about the idea of teaming up to do this. The film is based upon Der Schweizerische Robinson (translated as The Swiss Family Robinson), a book written by Johann David Wyss. A Swiss family must survive being shipwrecked on a deserted island. [16], Upon the film's initial release, New York Times film critic Howard Thompson lauded it by writing, "it's hard to imagine how the picture could be better as a rousing, humorous and gentle-hearted tale of family love amid primitive isolation and dangers. To relieve tension, Father declares a holiday to be held. Anticipating that the pirates will come looking for Roberta, the family scuttles their wrecked ship to hide their location. Annakin wanted to film in Ceylon, and the associate producer Basil Keys, in East Africa. Upon its release, Swiss Family Robinson was a major success with both critics and audiences and remains one of Disney's most beloved live-action feature films. The captain offers to help Ernst get into a London university, and to take the rest of the family back to Europe or on to New Guinea. | Making their way through the jungle, they learn that the cabin boy is really a girl named Roberta; the captain, who is her grandfather, dressed her as a boy to disguise her sex from the pirates. The vine-swinging/waterfall scenes were filmed at the Craig Hall Waterfalls. Other raft scenes were filmed at Pigeon Point and … [20], On December 12, 2004, Variety announced that a live-action remake of Swiss Family Robinson was in development at Walt Disney Pictures, with Mandeville Films co-producing the film. Youngest son Francis collects various animals including a young Asian elephant, a monkey, and an ostrich. Swiss Family Robinson is a 1960 feature film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, and Sessue Hayakawa in a tale of a shipwrecked family building an island home. Did you know Swiss Family Robinson was filmed on Tobago Island? No. I walk through; and if I'm not sucked in by a quick-sand, eaten alive by land crabs, or bitten by a snake, I reach the beach. The pirate captain demands that they hand over Roberta, while his men sneak up the cliff side and attack from the rear. [6] During his stay in Switzerland, Annakin read the book and he wondered why Disney wanted to make a story so outdated. Fritz and Roberta, having fallen in love, also decide to stay on the island. [6] Fourteen trainers looked after the animals. "[23], Production on the remake never began, and the film was believed to be shelved until early 2009, when it was announced by /Film that it was still in the works, had been renamed The Robinsons, and was to star Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their children Trey, Jaden and Willow. It earned $8.1 million in domestic rentals[13], making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1960. In 1960, the treehouse was listed for sale for $9,000, a fraction of its original cost, and later became a popular attraction among locals and tourists, before the structure was finally destroyed by Hurricane Flora in September 1963. Swiss Family Robinson is a 1960 American adventure film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran in a tale of a shipwrecked family building an island home. If there are no sharks or barracudas about, we get the shot and then do the whole thing in reverse, providing, of course, we haven't died of sunstroke in the meantime. As a matter of fact, not many people know of the film Swiss Family Robinson much less that it was filmed here in Tobago. It might depend on whether she's happy to be part of an ensemble, and not the headliner. [7] However, one of the drawbacks of this choice was that the island had no local wildlife. When they saw the island for the first time, they "fell instantly in love",[6] and they sent a telegram to Anderson, who traveled to Tobago and found it fitted to their needs. [21] In June 2005 it was reported that Jonathan Mostow would direct the remake, and David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman would produce. The brothers fight over what to do, the rugged Fritz insisting that they press on. As the family settles in, Father opines that by going back to nature they have found everything they need in life. It received generally positive reviews by critics and remains one of the most iconic live-action Disney films. Fritz and Ernst become rivals for Roberta's affections. [11] However, the tree still remains, and is located on the property of the Roberts Auto Service and Tyre Shop, located in Goodwood, just off of Windward Road. Tobago resident Lennox Straker says, "The tree has fallen into obscurity; only a few of the older people knew of its significance. Richmond Bay was featured prominently as the Robinsons' beach, while Mount Irvine Bay was used for the scene where the boys rescue Bertie from the pirates. Full Cast and Crew Father and Mother, however, decide that they would rather stay on the island and keep Francis with them for a few more years. I change on the beach, trying to avoid being devoured by insects, and walk into the sea. Mother, however, worries that her sons will never have the chance to raise families of their own if they are not rescued, and consents to allow Fritz and Ernst to circumnavigate the island in an outrigger boat they have built to map it and search for other settlements. It was the second feature film based on the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, a previous adaptation having been released by RKO Pictures in 1940. [4] After watching that movie, Walt Disney and Bill Anderson decided to produce their own version of the story. Gene Holter was one of the providers of animals from California and his trainers Ray Chandler and Fez Reynolds. "[17] In his Family Guide to Movies on Video, Henry Herx wrote: "[N]icely directed by Ken Annakin, much of the fun for children will come from the delightful and inventive conveniences the family builds and their relationships with the island's wildlife". Swiss Family Robinson is a 1940 American film released by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Edward Ludwig.It is based on the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss and is the first feature-length film version of the story. [6], After filming, the local Tobagonians convinced Disney, who had intended to remove all evidence of filmmaking, to let the treehouse remain, sans interior furnishing. Interesting? [9] Referring to the treehouse, Annakin said that "it was really solid-capable of holding twenty crew and cast and constructed in sections so that it could be taken apart and rebuilt on film by the family". [7] They visited Jamaica and Trinidad, but it was not what they wanted. Release Dates "The tree has fallen into obscurity; only a few of the older people knew of its significance. I just think it would be great to make a little bit more of a butch, PG-13 version of that story – and I know it's something that would appeal to an international audience. SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON FILM LOCATION – DO IT YOURSELF TOUR GUIDE MAPS: https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13146. The family makes their way ashore along with the captain's two Great Danes. [3] Anderson talked with director Ken Annakin during filming of another live-action Disney picture, Third Man on the Mountain, near Zermatt (Switzerland). (studio) (uncredited) 4 of 4 found this interesting. [citation needed] When re-released in 1969, the film earned an additional $6.4 million in rentals in North America. Directed by Ken Annakin and shot in Tobago and Pinewood Studios outside London, it was the first widescreen Walt Disney Pictures film shot with Panavision lenses; when shooting in widescreen, Disney had almost always used a matted wide screen or filmed in CinemaScope.[2]. [8], The script required animals, which arrived from all around the world. As the family is about to be overwhelmed, a ship captained by Roberta's grandfather appears and destroys the pirates and their ship with cannon fire. [18] Tommy Kirk, who played Ernst, said it was the film he was most proud of. [10] The trainers met with the director every day around 4 PM and went over attitudes or gestures that the animals should play the next day. The shipwreck scenes and some of the raft scenes were filmed at Belle Garden Bay. 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