Delayed Reaction: Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

Premise: A family in the 19th century wash up on a deserted island after a shipwreck and try to build a new life there.

At this point, the logic to my movie selections makes so little sense that I feel the need to explain myself for a lot of them. It's rarely ever one reason that I pick a movie. I have a giant spreadsheet that I maintain with all sorts of factors. Oscar nominees, high box office gross, assorted Best Of lists, recommendations (from friends and podcasts). I keep a sublist of 5 movies from every year (I start combining years pre-1930) that are my target movies to monitor for streaming availability. It's convoluted, but it works for me. So, I can point to some "legitimate" reasons for watching Swiss Family Robinson. It was one of the highest grossing movies of 1960. It's one of the Disney+ movies I haven't already seen. The main reason I chose it though is because of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse attraction at Disney World. I have an under-defined mission to see any movie that directly inspires or reflects some part of the Disney Parks. It's how I cope.

This movie is exactly what I imagine when you say "1960s Disney movie". It's a silly idea that shouldn't be examined too closely. It's a mixed bag of ideas. There are exotic animals that shouldn't exist in that location. The family get pursued by pirates. There's the treehouse, which is totally implausible, but I also want to live there. There are plot contrivances like the tiger pit or not immediately being able to tell that Janet Munro is a girl. You just can't take this movie too seriously. Watch it like you'd watch The Parent Trap or The Love Bug.

This isn't exactly a hidden gem of Disney's. Aspects haven't aged super well. Some plotting in particular is pretty juvenile or has been done so many times by now that it's lost all originality. It's only about 2 hours and it still felt like 20 minutes could've been cut out. I still have trouble adapting to the heightened acting style in most older movies.

This is a very easy movie to watch though. A throwback that moves at a more relaxed pace than virtually anything made now. Best of all. When the world goes out of quarantine, and I finally make my way back to Disney World, I'll have another bit of context for the park. What more could anyone want?

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend