Review of Swiss Family Robinson (1960) by Scott R — 09 Jan 2015

"Swiss Family Robinson" is the classic tale of a shipwrecked family who relies on their resourcefulness to survive on a deserted island. If you have no other reason, watch this film to enhance your experience on the Swiss Family Treehouse at Disney World or Disneyland.

I can't wait to go back to Disney (for many, many unrelated reasons), but now I can add this to my to-do list! This film hasn't fared well in the lineage of Disney films that are still known by kids today; however, in its day it outperformed "Psycho" and "Spartacus" to be the highest grossing film of 1960.

I believe that it can be attributed to its cast who was popular at the time (Danno from "Hawaii Five-O" and Sir John Mills) but aren't still icons today (like Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke from "Mary Poppins").

The production of the film is rather incredible, being filmed completely on an island with a 200-foot treehouse build on location. The treehouse is in a smaller percentage of the film than I expected, but it is probably the most memorable part.

The story is filled with dangerous animals, pirates, and strong male figures like so many of the Disney classics. The competitive love story is fun and of course it is up to the Robinson family to save the day (several times)! "Swiss Family Robinson" might not be the most popular Disney classic but put it on your list for a timeless story with Walt's traditional family-friendly fun.