History Film / EscapeToWitchMountain

* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Tia can communicate telepathically with animals.

'''''Escape to Witch Mountain''''' is a 1975 [[Creator/WaltDisneyPictures Disney]] film starring Kim Richards, Creator/IkeEisenmann, Creator/RayMilland, and Creator/DonaldPleasence, directed by John Hough. It is the FilmOfTheBook of the same name, about siblings Tony and Tia Malone (Eisenmann and Richards). We are introduced to them as they are admitted to an orphanage/school. They have no memory of where they came from before they were placed in foster care, and try to conceal the fact that they have PsychicPowers. When Tia sees an accident before it happens, it draws the attention of a wealthy businessman, Aristotle Bolt (Milland), who wants to exploit the siblings' powers. They try to remember where they came from, guided by Tia's "star case", a leather box on a strap with a curious double star design on the lid, which she has had as long as she can remember, and which contains a hidden map to a place called Witch Mountain.

* ProperlyParanoid: Tony and Tia's people are careful not to directly expose themselves to the public. The map gives the siblings just enough information to find them, but not enough for someone unscrupulous as there's no context. The Misty Valley Cooperative office in Stony Creek is clearly a front as there are no personal effects or indication of anyone manning the place nor frequent visitors. Instead, you are meant to a three-digit number listed in the office's phone book on the desk phone to establish contact. There's also a back door that leads directly to the rear of the building that comes in handy.

* ProperlyParanoid: Tony and Tia's people are careful not to directly expose themselves to the public. The map gives the siblings just enough information to find them, but not enough for someone unscrupulous as there's no context. The Misty Valley Cooperative office in Stony Creek is clearly a front as there are no personal effects or indication of anyone manning the place nor frequent visitors. Instead, you are meant to call a specific number listed in the office's phone book to establish contact. There's also a back door that leads directly to the rear of the building that comes in handy.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Uncle Bene reveals that Tony and Tia aren't the only children that were lost and there are others with the same cases and maps. Now that Jason knows what to look for, he offers to help find those children and bring them home. The last scene we see is of him smiling knowing that Tony and Tia are home safe. Happy and with a purpose--and the perfect cover as he's a widower traveling around the country in an RV--it's made clear he and Winky are going to do just that.]]

* ChekhovsGun: During their escape, Thunderhead and the gate guard's cat allergies. Winky the cat disables the guard by his very presence, and Tia calls on Thunderhead the horse to be their means of escape.

* CuteKitten: Winky.

** The first sign that Jason is more than a GrumpyOldMan is when he pets Winky the cat and promises to give him some canned tuna.

* DeadpanSnarker: As impressed as the kids are by the luxury of Mr. Bolt's mas mansion, Tia can't hold back when Lucas says that he owns everything in sight.

* DistractedByTheLuxury: Downplayed. Although Tia and Tony are first amazed at their new rooms (and Winkie's)at Mr. Bolt's mansion and excited at the prospect of riding horses, in the end of the first day they feel sad because having everything they always wanted (at least concerning to material things) makes them feel empty. And they quickly realize that Mr. Bolt and Deranian just want to use them.

* GrumpyOldMan: Jason O'Day. Becomes a CoolOldGuy

* MapAllAlong: When [[TheBully Truck]] snatches Tia's case, Winkie knocks it off his hand. The fall makes the pannel with two stars at the top of the case get partially losen of its tackles, revealing a map underneath. Tia and Tony use it as a guide after they escape from Mr. Bolt's mansion ([[spoiler: The map marks the place where her people, an alien race, is living isolated from humans.]]).

-->(She proofs he is dead wrong by making friends with the fierce Thunderhead, a horse that "never was tamed". And she rides him barebacked.)
* SuperHumanTrafficking: Tony and Tia are chased by Mr. Bolt, who wants to use their powers for his personal gain and a mob of people on a literal WitchHunt. Not that they know what they'll ''do'' with the super-powered kids once they catch them.

* ProperlyParanoid: Tony and Tia's people are careful not to directly expose themselves to the public. The map gives them just enough information to find them, but not enough for someone unscrupulous. The Misty Valley Cooperative office in Stony Creek is clearly a front as there are no personal effects or indication of anyone manning the place nor frequent visitors. Instead, you are meant to call a specific number listed in the office's phone book to establish contact. There's also a back door that leads directly to the rear of the building that comes in handy.

* CrazyPrepared: The Misty Valley Cooperative office in Stony Creek is clearly a front as there are no personal effects or indication of anyone manning the place nor frequent visitors. Instead, you are meant to call a specific number listed in the office's phone book to establish contact. There's also a back door that leads directly to the rear of the building that comes in handy.

* StayInTheKitchen: Downplayed during the riding lesson. The teacher can't teach only Tony because he was paid to teach both children, but he clearly thinks that Tia is too delicate to handle a horse.

In 1978, it was followed by ''Film/ReturnFromWitchMountain'', with Richards and Eisenmann reprising their roles. A third episode, ignoring the second and featuring none of the original cast, was titled ''Beyond Witch Mountain'', made as a pilot for a TV series and shown as an episode of ''The Magical World of Disney'' in 1982. Two remakes were made, a first one in 1995 under the same title that starred Creator/RobertVaughn and Creator/BradDourif and a second in 2009 called ''Film/RaceToWitchMountain'' and starring Wrestling/DwayneJohnson.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The owner of the orphanage in this movie is a kindly older lady while in the book, it was more of a home for orphaned juvenile delinquents run by a former police woman who took no gruff from anyone.

* TrustPassword: When Tony calls the number in the phone book for the Misty Valley Cooperative from their front office, he specifically states he's trying to reach the "Castaway" family. The caller on the other end asks if he's looking for "Mr. Castaway".

* CrazyPrepared: The Misty Valley Cooperative office in Stony Creek is clearly meant as a front as there are no personal effects or indication of anyone manning the place nor frequent visitors. Instead, you are meant to call a specific number listed in the office's phone book to establish contact. There's also a back door that leads directly to the rear of the building that comes in handy.

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Tia, who can talk to animals.

* DeadpanSnarker: As impressed as the kids are by the luxury of Mr. Bolt's mas mansion, Tia can't hold back when Lucas says that he owns kilometers of everything around.
--> '''Tia:''' You can't buy the sky.

* DistractedByTheLuxury: Downplayed. Although Tia and Tony are first amazed at their new rooms (and Winkie's)at Mr. Bolt's mansion and excited at the prospect of riding horses,in the end of the first day they feel sad because having everything they always wanted (at least concerning to material things) makes them feel empty. And they quickly realize that Mr. Bolt and Deranian just want to use them.

* StayInTheKitchen: Downplayed during the children's riding lesson. Although the teacher doesn't keep Tia from riding, he clearly thinks she's too delicate for that.

* MapAllAlong: When [[TheBully Truck]] snatches Tia's case, Winkie knocks it off his hand. The fall makes the pannel with two stars at the top of the case get partially losen of its tackles, revealing a map underneath. Tia and Tony use it as a guide after they escape from Mr. Bolt's mansion ([[spoiler: The map marks the place where her people, an alien race, is living isolated from humans.]]).

* MapAllAlong: When [[TheBully Truck]] snatches Tia's case, Winkie knocks it off his hand. The fall makes the pannel with two stars at the top of the case get partially losen of its tackles, revealing a map underneath. Tia and Tony use it as a guide after they escape from Mr. Bolt's mansion ([[spoiler: The map marks the place where her people, an alien race, is living isolated from humans.]]).

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Tony and Tia save Lucas' life and as result they are hunted like criminals

* BaldOfEvil: Lucas Deranian, played by Creator/DonaldPleasence.

* ''UngratefulBastard'':