Synopsis: Young Mary Grant (Hayley Mills) has found a note in a bottle written by her father, who was lost at sea and presumed dead! She is sure that he wrote it, so, she finds a ship and a crew, and they travel around the world in search of Captain Grant...only to face one peril after another. Between earthquakes, a flood that leaves them stranded in a tree, and getting marooned, finding Mary's father will be tough! Will they succeed?
Based on a book by Jules Verne.
The Good: Like the previous film I reviewed, this is the kind of old-school cinema adventure they don't make anymore: clean-cut, and with plenty of thrills. I love Disney's live-action productions, and this is a perfect example of why; it stands the test of time very well.
The Bad: One quibble, and it's a bit of a spoiler: A character who quotes the Bible left and right is not only crazy, but is revealed to be a forger--aka a criminal--by the film's end. Though I was glad to hear quotations from the Word of God, I didn't care for the fact that the character uttering them was nuts.
Conclusion: Lately, I've really been delving into Disney's history! Thanks to the library I work for and garage sales, I've been able to find these older films from the House of Mouse. They really stand the test of time, more so than some of the studio's most recent releases will. Fans of Mickey's live-action productions will have a blast with this.
Score: 4.5/5
Shout by r96skBlockedParent2020-07-16T14:25:28Z
Maurice Chevalier and Wilfrid Hyde-White are very good, but 'In Search of the Castaways' didn't quite capture my imagination.
I mostly like the adventure elements, as they cross land and sea in search of castaways. Despite that, I never properly felt attached to the story as the aforementioned isn't stitched together well with the characters and their motives/feelings. It's also paced too slow, at least for me.
As noted, Chevalier (Paganel) and Hyde-White (Lord Glenarvan) are solid in their respective roles, if only due to their amusing moments both together and on their own with the younger cast members; who aren't all that memorable, Hayley Mills (Mary) is the standout if I had to pick one.
The film hasn't aged beautifully in regards to the effects, a load of the scenes look rather awful nowadays but I can always let that pass in these older films; it's still worth noting, that's all. Away from that you have a few musical numbers, the ones featuring Paganel are pretty good.
I feel giving it less than this rating would be harsh, I definitely didn't enjoy it but I can see how others might.