Exiled from England for political reasons in 1809, Pastor David Robinson (Liam Cunningham) and his family are being transported to a penal colony in Australia. The rest of the family consists of his wife Lara (Brana Bajic), sons Fritz (Jesse Spencer), Ernst (Neil Newbon), and Jacob (Charlie Lucas as a child, Andrew Lee Potts as a teenager), and daughter Sarah (Bonnie Wright as a child, Emma Pierson as a teenager). When the convict ship is overtaken by a storm, Jacob is separated from the other Robinsons, and he's subsequently raised by pirates, who are led by Thomas Blunt (Roger Allam) and Pickles (Francis Magee). The rest of the family, meanwhile, is shipwrecked together on a small tropical island.
Not to be confused with the Direct to Video action movie Stranded released in the same year.
This film has the examples of:
- Adaptational Nationality: The family is now English instead of Swiss, which is probably why they didn't use the title The Swiss Family Robinson this time. Despite this, the two oldest boys still have the very un-English names of Fritz and Ernst. Granted, the name Robinson is equally un-Swiss and was never meant to be the family's actual last name, despite what many adaptations would have you think.
- Burial at Sea: Jacob performs one for Molly's dead baby.
- Canon Foreigner: The native islander Namatiti is original to this version.
- Death by Materialism: Blunt would have lived if he hadn't gone back for the gold.
- Evil Mentor: After being separated from the rest of his family at the start of the film, Jacob is raised and mentored by the villainous pirate captain Thomas Blunt.
- From Dress to Dressing: Lara tears off part of her petticoat to create a bandage for David.
- Gender Flip: In the novel, the family has four boys. For this version, Francis is made a girl, Sarah.
- Inspired by…: The film is "inspired by" The Swiss Family Robinson.
- Lost in Imitation: Like the Disney version, there are villainous pirates and a climactic battle against them. There are no pirates in the original novel.
- Named by the Adaptation: Unnamed in the original novel, the parents are here called David and Lara Robinson.
- Sentenced to Down Under: At the start of the film, the Robinsons are being sent to a penal colony in Australia due to David's refusal to pledge allegiance to George III during The Napoleonic Wars, which could obviously only mean that he's a Bonapartist. Of course, the ship transporting them is overtaken by a storm, and the real story kicks off from there.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Sarah complains that only the boys are ever sent off on missions, arguing that she could manage it as well.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: After stumbling upon the Robinsons at the end, the pirates impose on them, with the implied threat of killing them if they refuse.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Charlie Lucas and Bonnie Wright grow up into Andrew Lee Potts and Emma Pierson respectively.
- Tragic Keepsake: During his years separated from the rest of the family, Jacob carries Sarah's doll with him.
