Flight of the Navigator

"David Freeman is eight years late for dinner, and his family wants to know why. But David's got an absolutely fantastic excuse."

1986 1h 30m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 990

FamilyScience FictionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.

“David Freeman is eight years late for dinner, and his family wants to know why. But David's got an absolutely fantastic excuse.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Joey Cramer
David Scott Freeman
Paul Reubens
Max (voice)
Veronica Cartwright
Helen Freeman
Cliff DeYoung
Bill Freeman
Sarah Jessica Parker
Carolyn McAdams
Matt Adler
Jeff (16 years)
Howard Hesseman
Dr. Louis Faraday
Robert Small
Troy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Randal Kleiser
Writers: Mark H. Baker, Michael Burton, Matt MacManus
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Randal Kleiser, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeff Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Joey Cramer and Paul Reubens and Veronica Cartwright carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "David Freeman is eight years late for dinner, and his family wants to know why. But David's got an absolutely fantastic excuse.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Randal Kleiser directs. James Glennon behind the camera. Alan Silvestri scores. Jeff Gourson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Randal Kleiser, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jeff Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Joey Cramer and Paul Reubens and Veronica Cartwright carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "David Freeman is eight years late for dinner, and his family wants to know why. But David's got an absolutely fantastic excuse.".
8IMDB entry: tt0091059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "florida", "farewell", "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "flying saucer".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Glennon
Original score: Alan Silvestri
Editing: Jeff Gourson
Production design: William J. Creber
Costume design: Mary Lou Byrd
Makeup / hair: Diana Johnson
VFX supervisor: Peter Donen
Sound: Emile Razpopov
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $9,000,000
Box office: $18,564,613
Return: 206% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Flight of the Navigator (1986)

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Randal Kleiser

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-09-18
★ 7/10
Enjoyable enough. <em>'Flight of the Navigator'</em> features an interesting concept which they bring to life rather well. It isn't anything special and it could've probably been more thrilling, but it still produces a fine 90 minutes. The special effects haven't aged amazing, yet they still suitably serve the intended purpose. Joey Cramer is good in the lead role as David, while Paul Reubens is fairly amusing as Max. A young Sarah Jessica Parker (Carolyn) also appears. The film doesn't quite hit the intended heartfelt spots with the plot, but there is an element of care for David from me in there minorly; if only at the end. Decent Disney.
CinemaSerf2022-04-13
★ 7/10
This has stood the test of time remarkably well since it was released in 1986. Aside from a rather dated synthesised soundtrack, it's still quite a fun sci-fi adventure. When "David" (Joey Cramer) goes to meet his brother, he slips and bangs his head. Returning home he discovers that, well it isn't his home any more. The police soon reunite him with his parents but where has he been for the last eight years? Scientists decide to prod and poke him, and that's when he discovers they have a space ship - and that ship is calling to him. Once onboard, he realises that he was an experiment that went wrong for the ship's super computer - but can they sort it all out and get the youngster back to the correct timeline before the authorities catch up? There's no jeopardy here, so of course we now what's going to happen - but there are a couple of amiable efforts from the young Cramer, from his partner in crime at the lab "Carolyn" (Sarah Jessica Parker - no less) and Howard Hesseman makes for decent scientist "Dr. Faraday". The story is a simple family-friendly affair, with adequate visual effects as the ship changes shape, travels underwater, at high speed, etc. I like watching this every now and again - it has a inquisitive good-nature to it that makes for a good watch.