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Indian In The Cupboard
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although not among the best, "Indian in the Cupboard" was one of the more enjoyable family films to come out in the mid-1990's, combining strong special effects with a story that contains a nice, but unforced or "preachy" message. Although director Frank Oz was not looking to do another children's film at the time (and he certainly isn't doing children's films at the moment, with the director's heist thriller "The Score" set to come out a few weeks after this review), but Oz became interested in the material (based on the novel by Lynne Reid Banks) and decided that he would be able to make something entertaining and worthwhile from them for the big screen.
The film stars Hal Scardino as Omri, a young boy who gets a cupboard for his birthday. Although getting a cupboard would not exactly be the most exciting birthday present for a kid, this is no ordinary cupboard. When Omri puts his toys into the cupboard, they come to life - as little, living characters (thanks to some fairly nicely done effects). When they do come back to life though, they are actually characters from different periods of history that Omri has to take care of and be responsible for, mainly Little Bear, an Indian who becomes Omri's friend.
Omri's other child friend brings in a cowboy and brings it to life. Although Omri warns that this isn't a game, the cowboy stays. With the combination of bringing a cowboy into a place where the Indian currently lives though, things start to go wrong. Oz shows the ways that Omri is learning and growing up in subtle, light ways and does a fine job at showing the friendship between the two and the dramatic aspects without being heavy-handed about it.
Scardino does a fine job making Omri a realistic child character who has a lot to learn about life and gets some of those lessons from Little Bear. Scardino also had to act against nothing for some of the special effects sequences, and does quite a nice job at that. Supporting actors like Lindsay Crouse and others provide fully realized characters and enjoyable performances. At 96 minutes, the movie also moves along at a fairly rapid clip. Overall, a very entertaining film that's good for the "in-between" age - not younger kids or older kids - right in the middle.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Indian in the Cupboard" is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, with a full_frame version available on the flip-side of the DVD. The anamorphic transfer is another very pleasant effort from Columbia/Tristar, but a few little blemishes are in the way of it being quite as exceptional as it could be. Ace cinematographer Russell Carpenter ("Negotiator", "Titanic") has given the movie a slightly soft look throughout - not soft enough to be hazy or blurry, but a slightly safe, light feel. Sharpness and detail therefore remain pleasant, but unexceptional throughout.
There were a few small problems that I noticed here and there throughout the movie, but nothing that I found to cause much of a distraction. A couple of light print flaws appeared infrequently, and soe scenes displayed a relatively minor amount of grain. The movie remains free of pixelation and edge enhancement, though.
Colors looked very pleasing, appearing well-saturated and smooth throughout the movie, never looking smeared or otherwise problematic. Overall, this certainly isn't reference quality, but it's nicely above average nonetheless. English, French and Spanish subtitles are included.
SOUND: I was suprised that, for a 1995 picture, "Indian In The Cupboard" only sports a Dolby 2.0 (not 5.1) presentation. Still, this manages to suit the material nicely, as there really isn't a great deal of action going on during the movie anyway, or at least action on any grand scale. Audio quality remained solid throughout the movie, with both effects and score sounding warm and natural and dialogue sounding clean and clear. English, Spanish and French 2.0 presentations are included.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Frank Oz. The director provides a mostly interesting perspective on the making of the movie, discussing how the "special effects" were produced. Otherwise, he points out details about the story, characters and other tidbits like locations. Rarely - but occasionally, he falls back to simply talking about what's currently going on in the story. Overall though, I liked Oz's discussion - he's enthusiastic about the film and seems to enjoy sharing information and praising others who helped him achieve the goals on the movie.
Trailers: Trailers for "Fly Away Home," "Hook," "Jumanji," "Madeline," and "Muppets in Space" are included.
Also: Photo gallery, filmographies.
Final Thoughts: "Indian In The Cupboard" is a very enjoyable movie for children who are at that "in-between" age. Tristar's DVD provides fine audio/video quality and an interesting extra in Oz's commentary. Recommended.
Although not among the best, "Indian in the Cupboard" was one of the more enjoyable family films to come out in the mid-1990's, combining strong special effects with a story that contains a nice, but unforced or "preachy" message. Although director Frank Oz was not looking to do another children's film at the time (and he certainly isn't doing children's films at the moment, with the director's heist thriller "The Score" set to come out a few weeks after this review), but Oz became interested in the material (based on the novel by Lynne Reid Banks) and decided that he would be able to make something entertaining and worthwhile from them for the big screen.
The film stars Hal Scardino as Omri, a young boy who gets a cupboard for his birthday. Although getting a cupboard would not exactly be the most exciting birthday present for a kid, this is no ordinary cupboard. When Omri puts his toys into the cupboard, they come to life - as little, living characters (thanks to some fairly nicely done effects). When they do come back to life though, they are actually characters from different periods of history that Omri has to take care of and be responsible for, mainly Little Bear, an Indian who becomes Omri's friend.
Omri's other child friend brings in a cowboy and brings it to life. Although Omri warns that this isn't a game, the cowboy stays. With the combination of bringing a cowboy into a place where the Indian currently lives though, things start to go wrong. Oz shows the ways that Omri is learning and growing up in subtle, light ways and does a fine job at showing the friendship between the two and the dramatic aspects without being heavy-handed about it.
Scardino does a fine job making Omri a realistic child character who has a lot to learn about life and gets some of those lessons from Little Bear. Scardino also had to act against nothing for some of the special effects sequences, and does quite a nice job at that. Supporting actors like Lindsay Crouse and others provide fully realized characters and enjoyable performances. At 96 minutes, the movie also moves along at a fairly rapid clip. Overall, a very entertaining film that's good for the "in-between" age - not younger kids or older kids - right in the middle.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Indian in the Cupboard" is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, with a full_frame version available on the flip-side of the DVD. The anamorphic transfer is another very pleasant effort from Columbia/Tristar, but a few little blemishes are in the way of it being quite as exceptional as it could be. Ace cinematographer Russell Carpenter ("Negotiator", "Titanic") has given the movie a slightly soft look throughout - not soft enough to be hazy or blurry, but a slightly safe, light feel. Sharpness and detail therefore remain pleasant, but unexceptional throughout.
There were a few small problems that I noticed here and there throughout the movie, but nothing that I found to cause much of a distraction. A couple of light print flaws appeared infrequently, and soe scenes displayed a relatively minor amount of grain. The movie remains free of pixelation and edge enhancement, though.
Colors looked very pleasing, appearing well-saturated and smooth throughout the movie, never looking smeared or otherwise problematic. Overall, this certainly isn't reference quality, but it's nicely above average nonetheless. English, French and Spanish subtitles are included.
SOUND: I was suprised that, for a 1995 picture, "Indian In The Cupboard" only sports a Dolby 2.0 (not 5.1) presentation. Still, this manages to suit the material nicely, as there really isn't a great deal of action going on during the movie anyway, or at least action on any grand scale. Audio quality remained solid throughout the movie, with both effects and score sounding warm and natural and dialogue sounding clean and clear. English, Spanish and French 2.0 presentations are included.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Frank Oz. The director provides a mostly interesting perspective on the making of the movie, discussing how the "special effects" were produced. Otherwise, he points out details about the story, characters and other tidbits like locations. Rarely - but occasionally, he falls back to simply talking about what's currently going on in the story. Overall though, I liked Oz's discussion - he's enthusiastic about the film and seems to enjoy sharing information and praising others who helped him achieve the goals on the movie.
Trailers: Trailers for "Fly Away Home," "Hook," "Jumanji," "Madeline," and "Muppets in Space" are included.
Also: Photo gallery, filmographies.
Final Thoughts: "Indian In The Cupboard" is a very enjoyable movie for children who are at that "in-between" age. Tristar's DVD provides fine audio/video quality and an interesting extra in Oz's commentary. Recommended.
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