Swiss Family Robinson

"THE ADVENTURE OF ADVENTURES!"

1960 2h 6m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 377🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★7.1IMDB · 19,751

AdventureFamily

Synopsis

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After being shipwrecked, the Robinson family is marooned on an island inhabited only by an impressive array of wildlife. In true pioneer spirit, they quickly make themselves at home but soon face a danger even greater than nature: dastardly pirates.

“THE ADVENTURE OF ADVENTURES!”

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Cast

John Mills
Father
Dorothy McGuire
Mother
James MacArthur
Fritz
Janet Munro
Roberta 'Bertie'
Sessue Hayakawa
Kuala, Pirate Chief
Tommy Kirk
Ernst
Kevin Corcoran
Francis
Cecil Parker
Captain Moreland

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ken Annakin
Writers: Lowell S. Hawley
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

Made its money back 8.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ken Annakin, shot by Harry Waxman. 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 William Alwyn. 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 Peter Boita 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

John Mills and Dorothy McGuire and James MacArthur carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THE ADVENTURE OF ADVENTURES!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Annakin directs. Harry Waxman behind the camera. William Alwyn scores. Peter Boita cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.1× over at the box office.
266 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Ken Annakin, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by William Alwyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter Boita shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Mills and Dorothy McGuire and James MacArthur carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "THE ADVENTURE OF ADVENTURES!".
9IMDB entry: tt0054357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "island", "based on novel or book", "shipwreck", "tree house".

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Waxman
Original score: William Alwyn
Editing: Peter Boita
Production design: John Howell
Costume design: Julie Harris
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $40,356,000
Return: 807% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 61/100
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 19,751 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

Ken Annakin

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-06-27
★ 7/10
A lesser sense of danger and a more family friendly vibe, but that doesn't hinder 1960's <em>'Swiss Family Robinson'</em> as it manages to surpass the original film adaptation of Johann David Wyss' novel. That's mainly thanks to the conclusion, a thing that I criticised the earlier film for. Here, the character motivations are much more consistent and the ending is no longer nonsensical. The finale also has a very watchable event occur, which helps too. I thoroughly enjoy the cast here. John Mills is as good as William (aka Father) as Thomas Mitchell is, though Dorothy McGuire fronts a much improved Elizabeth (aka Mother) who is more developed; still not perfect, but certainly better. Elsewhere, you have three of the Disney resident youngsters teaming up in James MacArthur (Fritz), Tommy Kirk (Ernst) and Kevin Corcoran (Francis). They might not be the greatest actors, yet after seeing them in so many other films (together, in Kirk and Corcoran's case) I can't help but like them. Janet Munro (Roberta) is also decent. The humour is more noteworthy in this one also, I chuckled more times. There's still room for improvement when it comes to this story, perhaps the next potential remake will do so, but I still felt very much entertained by this.

Production companies