Race to Witch Mountain

"The race is on."

2009 1h 38m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 1,875

AdventureFamilyFantasyScience FictionThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A taxi driver gets more than he bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways. Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they're also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets.

“The race is on.”

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Cast

Dwayne Johnson
Jack Bruno
AnnaSophia Robb
Sara
Alexander Ludwig
Seth
Carla Gugino
Dr. Alex Friedman
Ciarán Hinds
Burke
Tom Everett Scott
Matheson
Christopher Rodriguez Marquette
Pope
Billy Brown
Carson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andy Fickman
Writers: Matt Lopez, Mark Bomback, Matt Lopez
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

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Witch Mountain Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andy Fickman, shot by Greg Gardiner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dwayne Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The race is on.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andy Fickman directs. Greg Gardiner behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. David Rennie 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

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 17 years ago.
3Part of the "Witch Mountain Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Andy Fickman, shot by Greg Gardiner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David Rennie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Dwayne Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The race is on.".
9IMDB entry: tt1075417 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "spacecraft", "teleportation", "mountain", "laser".
11Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Greg Gardiner
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: David Rennie
Production design: David J. Bomba
Costume design: Genevieve Tyrrell
Makeup / hair: Rachel Solow
Sound: Randle Akerson
Stunt coordinator: Mike Justus
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $106,387,141
Return: 213% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Race to Witch Mountain (2009)

Part of

Witch Mountain Collection

Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 film based on the novel Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and directed by John Hough. Return from Witch Mountain is a 1978 sequel. A made-for-television sequel called Beyond Witch Mountain was made in 1982. The series then had a reboot legacy sequel called Race to Witch Mountain made in 2009.

Also by

Andy Fickman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

RalphRahal2025-03-03
★ 4/10
Race to Witch Mountain starts off with an interesting setup, but the plot doesn’t go much further than a straightforward chase. It feels like a movie made for a younger audience, with a lot of running, action, and not much depth. The directing is decent, keeping the pace fast, but it doesn’t leave much room for character development. The cinematography is serviceable, nothing too creative, though some action scenes are well-framed. The alien soldier design tries to be intimidating, but it comes off as inconsistent, one moment he’s unstoppable, the next he’s getting tossed around. Dwayne Johnson does what he always does, playing the tough guy with either a serious or comedic expression and not much in between. AnnaSophia Robb stands out as the only character with real presence, but it’s a shame she didn’t get bigger roles after this. The script is predictable, filled with generic dialogue that doesn’t add much personality to the characters. The score does its job, keeping up the energy, but nothing stands out as memorable. The dog, surprisingly, ends up being one of the best parts of the movie. Overall, it’s watchable if you go in expecting a simple, fast-paced adventure, but it’s not something that sticks with you.

Production companies