Tagline: A Return to Witch Mountain
For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when Las Vegas cab driver Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson) encounters two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can’t explain. Working together, Jack and his young passengers discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, and the race begins.
For many moviegoers in the 1970s, “Escape to Witch Mountain” and its sequel, “Return from Witch Mountain,” were popular science-fiction adventures that became warmly recalled touchstones of youth as those audiences grew from children to adults. The central duo of both films, alien children Tony and Tia, became icons of sorts, their adventures fondly recalled by scores of viewers who introduced the films to their own children by watching television, videotapes or DVDs.
Such was the popularity of these films that Gunn Films’ founder, producer Andrew Gunn, asked to attempt a new version of the “Witch Mountain” story once he made a deal to operate his company at Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. He had found success with his remake of the studio’s “Freaky Friday” in 2003 and wanted a chance to create something new for “Witch Mountain.”
But this re-imagined version would be a much more action-filled story, complete with breathtaking sequences and state-of-the-art special effects. “It is no accident we ended up with the title `Race to Witch Mountain,’” says Gunn, “because once this film starts, it takes off like a shot. We wanted it to be a ride that, once you got on, you weren’t getting off until the end.”
Read the Full Production Notes
Race to Witch Mountain
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Ludwig
Directed by: Andy Fickman
Screenplay by: Matt Lopez, Mark Bomback, Andy Fickman
Release Date: March 13, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements.
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $65,940,861 (66.6%)
Foreign: $33,063,629 (33.4%)
Total: $99,004,490 (Worldwide)