The Indian in the Cupboard [20th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray]

Director: Frank Oz Frank Oz

Overview

Based on the popular children's book by Lynne Reid Banks, this fantasy concerns a young boy who discovers that his toys are developing lives of their own -- which presents him with unexpected responsibilities. Omri (Hal Scardino), a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, receives an odd variety of presents for his birthday: a wooden cabinet from his older brother, a set of antique keys from his mother Jane (Linsday Crouse), and a tiny plastic model of an Indian from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). Putting them all together, Omri locks the Indian inside the cabinet, only to be awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Omri opens the cabinet to discover that the tiny Indian has come to life; it seems that he's called Little Bear (Litefoot), and he claims to have learned English from settlers in 1761. Omri hides this remarkable discovery from his mother but shares it with Patrick; as an experiment, Patrick locks a toy cowboy into the cupboard, and soon Little Bear has a companion, Boone (David Keith), though predictably, the cowboy and the Indian don't get along well at first. Omri comes to the realizations that his living and breathing playthings are also people with lives of their own, and he begins to wonder how much control he should really have over their lives. The Indian in the Cupboard was directed by Frank Oz, best known as one of the original puppeteers for The Muppets and the voice of Miss Piggy.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2015
UPC:	0043396460744
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	PG
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	21,881

Special Features

From the cast of Goosebumps: ; Goosebumps sneak peek; Reflections on The Indian in the Cupboard; Little Bear: a return to The Indian in the Cupboard; Archival making-of featurette; Original theatrical trailers; Commentary with director Frank Oz

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Hal Scardino	Omri
Litefoot	Little Bear
Lindsay Crouse	Jane
Richard Jenkins	Victor
Rishi Bhat	Patrick
David Keith	Boone
Steve Coogan	Tommy
Sakina Jaffrey	Lucy
Vincent Kartheiser	Gillon
Nestor Serrano	Teacher
Ryan Olson	Adiel
Leon Tejwani	Baby Martin,Baby Martin
Christopher Conte	Purple Mohawk
Cassandra Brown	Emily
Christopher Moritz	Sam
Beni Malkin	Ramon
Juliet Berman	Tina
Stephen Morales	Kiron
George Randall	Indian Chief
Gia Galeano	Yard Teacher
Kevin Malaro	School Kid
Tom Bewley	`Darth Vader'
Keii Johnston	`G.I. Joe'
J.R. Horsting	`Robocop'
Michael Papjohn	`Cardassian'
Eric Stabnau	`Firengi'

Technical Credits

Frank Oz	Director
David Blitstein	Special Effects
Eric Brevig	Special Effects
Anne Calanchini	Special Effects
Robert Harris	Executive Producer
Martin Keltz	Executive Producer
Kathleen Kennedy	Producer
Michael Lanteri	Special Effects
Frank Marshall	Producer
Lynn Salvatori	Stunts
Dennis R. Scott	Stunts
Margery Simkin	Casting
Jane Startz	Producer
Ginger Theisen	Special Effects
Bernie Williams	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

The second-best movie about toys coming to life released in 1995, although not by the margin one might think, The Indian in the Cupboard is one of the least pandering and most socially progressive children's films ever released. While it may lack Toy Story's sense of carefree fun, in deference to a warm multicultural message about resolution of differences and respect for heritage, it makes up for that in sheer earnestness of purpose. Frank Oz's return to children's fare after a string of adult comedies is actually very much an adult entity in its own right. Rarely has a children's movie dealt so honestly with issues of death and the consequences of violence; instead of playing it soft, Oz astutely transforms these challenging topics into unobtrusive lessons. The film may be square in spots, but they are few. Not only does veteran special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri handle the miniaturization with subtle efficiency, but Oz coaxes an absolutely true performance from doe-eyed child actor Hal Scardino as a seamless complement. Native American actor Litefoot also brings real feeling to a role that could have been one-dimensional in less skillful hands. The narrative agenda of author Lynne Reid Banks -- namely, her challenge of cultural generalizations -- is evident in even the most minute design details. For example, the Caucasian boy is named Omri, while his Asian-Indian friend goes by the WASPish name Patrick (and also refers to his friend's mother by her first name). It's a joy to watch the film move from something so apparently basic toward something so effortlessly multi-textured.

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