Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

A Swiss family on their way to New Guinea are shipwrecked on a desert island after pirates chase their ship into a storm. Not knowing how long they'll be stranded there, they make the best of it. Based on the classic 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss, this Walt Disney production is a first class affair all the way from its cast to the production values. The film updates the Wyss novel and the results are excellent. It's colorful with pirates, lush landscapes (it was filmed in the Caribbean island of Tobago), an assorted collection of wild animals and a nice mixture of action and humor with just enough sentiment, never going saccharine on us. The only downside is Kevin Corcoran's "adorable" kid brother that we're supposed to find so cute when all I could think of is, "This kid needs a spanking!". Good family fun and the film remains one of the most popular of Disney's live action films. The fine cast includes John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Sessue Hayakawa, Tommy Kirk and Janet Munro (DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE).