Main Cast: Rishi Bhat, Steve Coogan, Hal Scardino, Litefoot, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins
Release Year: 1995
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Based on the popular children's book by Lynne Reid Banks, this fantasy concerns a young boy who discovers that his toys are developing lives of their own -- which presents him with unexpected responsibilities. Omri (Hal Scardino), a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, receives an odd variety of presents for his birthday: a wooden cabinet from his older brother, a set of antique keys from his mother Jane (Linsday Crouse), and a tiny plastic model of an Indian from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). Putting them all together, Omri locks the Indian inside the cabinet, only to be awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Omri opens the cabinet to discover that the tiny Indian has come to life; it seems that he's called Little Bear (Litefoot), and he claims to have learned English from settlers in 1761. Omri hides this remarkable discovery from his mother but shares it with Patrick; as an experiment, Patrick locks a toy cowboy into the cupboard, and soon Little Bear has a companion, Boone (David Keith), though predictably, the cowboy and the Indian don't get along well at first. Omri comes to the realizations that his living and breathing playthings are also people with lives of their own, and he begins to wonder how much control he should really have over their lives. The Indian in the Cupboard was directed by Frank Oz, best known as one of the original puppeteers for The Muppets and the voice of Miss Piggy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The second-best movie about toys coming to life released in 1995, although not by the margin one might think, The Indian in the Cupboard is one of the least pandering and most socially progressive children's films ever released. While it may lack Toy Story's sense of carefree fun, in deference to a warm multicultural message about resolution of differences and respect for heritage, it makes up for that in sheer earnestness of purpose. Frank Oz's return to children's fare after a string of adult comedies is actually very much an adult entity in its own right. Rarely has a children's movie dealt so honestly with issues of death and the consequences of violence; instead of playing it soft, Oz astutely transforms these challenging topics into unobtrusive lessons. The film may be square in spots, but they are few. Not only does veteran special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri handle the miniaturization with subtle efficiency, but Oz coaxes an absolutely true performance from doe-eyed child actor Hal Scardino as a seamless complement. Native American actor Litefoot also brings real feeling to a role that could have been one-dimensional in less skillful hands. The narrative agenda of author Lynne Reid Banks -- namely, her challenge of cultural generalizations -- is evident in even the most minute design details. For example, the Caucasian boy is named Omri, while his Asian-Indian friend goes by the WASPish name Patrick (and also refers to his friend's mother by her first name). It's a joy to watch the film move from something so apparently basic toward something so effortlessly multi-textured. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Michelle Wright - Associate Producer, Arthur Repola - Associate Producer, Margery Simkin - Casting, Deborah L. Scott - Costume Designer, Michele Panelli-Venetis - First Assistant Director, Frank Oz - Director, Ian Crafford - Editor, Bernard Williams - Executive Producer, Robert Harris - Executive Producer, Randy Edelman - Composer (Music Score), Art Rochester - Musical Direction/Supervision, Randy Edelman - Songwriter, Felicity Bowring - Makeup, Leslie McDonald - Production Designer, Russell Carpenter - Cinematographer, Kathleen Kennedy - Producer, Frank Marshall - Producer, Jane Startz - Producer, Erin Kemp - Set Designer, Michael Lantieri - Special Effects, James M. Halty - Stunts, Pete Antico - Stunts, Eric Brevig - Supervisor/Manager, Melissa Mathison - Screenwriter, Alex Funke - Visual Effects
Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall
Jane Startz - Executive Producer -
Robert Harris
Marty Keltz
Bernard Williams
Deborah Forte (uncredited) - Associate Producer -
Arthur F. Repola
Michelle Wright
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995film based on the children's book The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks.[2] The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday. He later discovers that putting toy figures in the cupboard, after locking and unlocking it, brings the toys to life.
It starred Hal Scardino as Omri, Litefoot as Little Bear, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins, Rishi Bhat as Omri's friend Patrick, Steve Coogan and David Keith, as Boone the Cowboy.[3] It was directed by famous Muppetteer Frank Oz. The movie was distributed by Columbia Pictures (US theater release and TV broadcast rights and US home video release) and Paramount Pictures (Non-US and UK theater release and Non-US video release).
Special effects created the illusion of three-inch tall characters such as Little Bear, Boone, and Tommy the Medic. One scene had Boone being thrown from his horse and Boone falls to the floor but is captured in Omri's hands. Another has a teacher asking Patrick to show what he and Omri were quarreling about; Boone and Little Bear pose as inanimate toys on Patrick's hand so as not to give themselves away.
A mock up of a giant sneaker was used during a fight scene involving Little Bear and Boone. One early scene shows Little Bear cautiously walking onto Omri's hand, and the boy marvels at how "real" the Indian looks. The Chief was played by 75-year-old Ojibway actor George Randall.
The film is rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) for mild language and brief images of violence and a scene of provocative dancing (Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls") from a music video (while Omri is watching television with his friend).
Tributes
In one scene added for the movie, Omri places several toys into the cupboard, including RoboCop, Darth Vader, Rebel Officer Admiral Ackbar, a Ferengi, a Cardassian and a Tyrannosaurus. They all come to life for a few brief seconds, and immediately start fighting, before Omri quickly closes the door and returns them to normal.
Reaction
The film currently secures a 65% rating of "Fresh" on the movie review scaling site Rotten Tomatoes.[4] Additionally, both Rishi Bhat and Hal Scardino received Young Artist Award nominations. However, the film made only $35 million on a $45 million budget.[5]
