So what did you think when you found out there was going to be a new Witch Mountain movie?

Andy [the director Andy Fickman] called me from the get go... And said, "We're doing a continuation, I would like to get your thoughts on it. I've been a big fan of yours,I loved this movie I loved it when I first saw it. Can you come in and talk to me about this?" So I said, "sure" and I went in and he showed me the original script they gave him. And he started writing some more ideas and that's what we came up with. It's really exciting and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. [Richards has a decent cameo in the new film.]

Did you have any stipulations for the new movie, like it must include this or that from the originals?

Yes, I did. I wanted to make sure that people knew somehow there was a connection to me to them in some way. Which I think you see in the film. I think you kind of get that when Anna Sophia walks away. I think you can kind of feel that. I just wanted the audience to somehow know that not everybody helps these kids get away. I wanted there to be something in that time, in that space, some sort of connection between me and them. That was pretty much me. Andy said to me at one point, "Do you want to be hovering around in a spaceship overseeing everything?" and I didn't want that because wanted to speak, I wanted to talk. I didn't just want to walk in and walk out either. I wanted something between the kids and I. It worked out just the way I wanted.

What was it like teaming up with your alien brother Ike Eisenmann (who is also in the movie with you) again?

That was really fun. It was great seeing him. It felt like we hadn't not done it in a long time, if that makes sense.

Did you two teach the new aliens Sara and Seth any alien tricks?

They didn't have the same kind of powers as us. Their powers were a little more advanced. I was showing them how we used our fingers. And yeah, they didn't need to do any of that, they're more advanced. We used our hands, the harmonica...

There was no harmonica in the new movie, I was sad, did a miss a reference to it somewhere?

No but I did notice that along the way and I told Andy and we were so far into the film and I started thinking: Wait, shouldn't she be carrying something? Or, where's the harmonica? And we were like, "Oops, it's too late now." But I know that Andy would have thought of that if it was important, because he didn't miss a thing. I actually mentioned an animal, and he was like, "we're bringing in a dog." Because I thought there has to be an animal in this thing somewhere. It's a Disney movie!

What memories did shooting this film bring back for you?

Well my favorite movie out of the old movies was Escape To Witch Mountain. We were working with horses and bears, and when you have a great friend like Ike and a great director... it was a great experience. Working in that castle, they told us that there was an ape living downstairs, and I still believe that it's there. And I'm still scared of that basement. Making that movie was so much fun, from the animals to the marionettes.

Are you OK with the updates that were made in the movie? There are a lot more chase scenes and explosions.

It's 2009, things change. I'm a creature of habit, so in the beginning I wanted it to be as much like the original as possible, but that's not reality. And reality is, this is a new generation, and people want to see Witch Mountain again. And they also want to see a big Tron character and explosions. But Andy knows what he's doing. I know my kids want to see it. And if you want to see the originals, they've been rereleased on DVD, you can have the best of all three worlds.

What about the decision to keep the kids powers in their minds, no finger-pointing or purple lights?

I love the movie the way it is, but I liked the little hand stuff. But, as I said, Andy knows what he's doing. But hey, there's always a continuation on for the next Witch Mountain. Who knows what's coming out next. Maybe there could be another movie, with purple lights coming out of kids fingers.

Has there been talk of putting out another Witch Mountain after this one?

You never know.

What's one thing that you noticed that audience members should keep their eyes out for, that references that past Witch Mountains?

Oh I'm not going to tell...there's a camper. Look for me and Ike and look for the Camper.

Race to Witch Mountain is out in theaters on March 13 and the original DVDs Escape To Witch Mountain along with Return To Witch Mountain are on shelves now.

First off, there's Escape to Witch Mountain, where we meet the bug-eyed orphans Tia (Kim Richards) and Tony Malone (Ike Eisenmann). The two kids are lured by an evil rich guy (whose character always made my skin crawl with his obsession over the children) into his big mansion (seriously post-Neverland this would never happen) where he wants to harness their alien abilities for his own personal gain.

Then they make a bunch of puppets dance and my child self cries for days, DAYS. The DVD commentary is really sweet and full of little observations from the director, John Hough, and the kids (now adults) chime in here and there about their memories from filming. The special features include the Pluto cartoon that was screened in theaters before it was shown (which is also another sweet touch). But the best part are the wacky time capsule features from the 70s which show a 1975 Disney Studio Album, including the opening of Mission to Mars and Space Mountain which has one vintage Mickey in a space suit.

Escape to Witch Mountain Clips:

Way Back

Escape

Flashback

Uncle Lucas

The second release is the far creepier Return from Witch Mountain. The film takes place three years after the original, and the two kids are dropped off in L.A. - sure, why not? Poor Tony falls victim to yet another creepy old guy, Dr. Victor Gannon, and falls totally under his control. Meanwhile, Tia meets a wisecracking L.A. gang called The Earthquakes. Together the happy gang and Tia attempt to rescue poor Tony, which is pretty similar to what L.A. gangs are up to as you read this. I strongly recommend checking out the "The Gang's Back In Town" special feature which reunites this rough and tumble crew, many of which have defected and gone over to the Bloods or the Crips. Here's what they look like now:

Return from Witch Mountain Clips:

Telepathy

Locating Tony

Separated

The Chase

Overall, it's a great walk down memory lane, and a fun gift for an adult who wants to look back fondly on the predominately gun-free scifi of Disney's past. It's a very endearing collection that kids today should be made aware of before seeing the latest addition to the series, Race To Witch Mountain this Friday. Oh, and there's a "Disney Sci-Fi" round up and a "Disney Kids With Powers" feature you can't miss - try naming all the movies, I bet you can't.

We've already told you about the fact that, because of NBC's plans to transmit the game in 3D, Chuck will be getting a special 3D episode, and during the game itself, upcoming animated flick Monsters Versus Aliens will be running a special 3D trailer, but those are just some of the treats lined up for us three weeks from now according to Variety:

Nearly every studio will push pics during the big game, airing on NBC Feb. 1, with the movie lineup naturally made up of summer tentpoles whose studios hope to appeal to the nearly 100 U.S. million viewers that tune in to the broadcast.

Expect to see brand new trailers for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (The first footage from the movie to be officially released), GI Joe, Star Trek and Land Of The Lost, in addition to the MvA trailer. And those are just from the studios that have already bought ad time. Still undecided are Fox (who could use the time to pimp X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Warner Bros. (Watchmen — well, maybe — Terminator: Salvation, and the new Harry Potter) and Disney (Race To Witch Mountain), meaning that it could end up being a very interesting afternoon's viewing for movie fans.

Of course, the sports fans may get some enjoyment out of the afternoon as well, but who cares about that?

Super Bowl push planned for film ads [Variety]

• The 1975 movie was based on the 1968 book of the same name by Alexander Key. Sadly, most of his novels, including Sprocket: A Little Robot and Bolts: A Robot Dog, are out of print. You can read and download some of these here.
• Don't let the name fool you, Escape To Witch Mountain isn't about witches at all, but about super-powered alien kids who don't know they're aliens.
• Remember the creepy and slightly spooky overture music? If not, you can hear it right here.
• In fact, want to watch the opening credit sequence? Well, here you go.
• Tony and Tia, the original Wonder Twins, both possess telekinesis, although Tony can only use it when he plays his harmonica. Tia can also telepathically speak to mammals, and to Tony. Looks like she got the lion's share of the cool stuff.
• Unlike Zan and Jayna, Tony and Tia have difficulty controlling their powers, which leads to several mishaps. Like Tia having to free every captive animal who can talk to her.
• Tony was played by Ike Eisenmann, who Trek fans will immediately recognize as Midshipman Peter Preston, who Scotty brings to the bridge of the Enterprise in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Perhaps if he'd taken the mortally wounded kid to sick bay, he might have survived.
• Kim Richards, who plays Tia, is the aunt of both Nicky and Paris Hilton, which isn't really that interesting, but more mind-boggling.
• Both Ike and Kim would be reunited as brother and sister in the extremely forgettable Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell TV movie in 1978.
• The Twins' Uncle Bene is played by Denver Pyle, better known as Uncle Jesse from The Dukes of Hazzard, which Kim Richards later appeared on as Cooter's daughter. Now that's just weird.
• They encounter Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert) who lives in a Winnebago and travels around the country. He ends up helping them out, and probably made kids everywhere think Winnebago's were cool. (I know it did for me, in fact my parents bought me a little scale model Winnie after I saw this movie).
• The bad guy in the movie, Aristotle Bolt, seems like a genial rich man who just want to save kids from the orphanage. Of course, he really wants the twins for their abilities. However, he does have a pretty cool name and lived in a replica of a Byzantine castle that was built by Templeton Crocker between 1926 and 1934 from lava rock from Mt. Vesuvius and materials gathered all over Europe.
• The twins eventually discover (via their little leather "star case") that they are actually aliens from a binary star system who fled to Earth because their own world was dying. They're reunited with others from their planet, and they fly off in their spaceship for the sanctuary of Witch Mountain, never to return.
• That is until Disney made a sequel, Return From Witch Mountain, in 1978. In this movie, Tony and Tia have been training hard to use their powers and to learn about their own kind. In fact, they've been working so hard that the elders let them have a vacation in Los Angeles. What, two superkids on a vacation in L.A.? Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
• If you want to see a movie trailer that says 1970s as loud of possible, then you're in for a treat. This trailer for Return features Christopher Lee, Bette Davis, andthe words "far out," "molecular mobilization," and "intergalactic energization." Is it me, or does that announcer sound like the guy from the old Batman TV show?
• In the sequel, Christopher Lee plays evil mad scientist Dr. Victor Gannon, and he uses a mind-control device he's invented on Tony, eventually pitting twin against twin in a battle of telekinesis. Bette Davis plays Letha Wedge (what a name), who has been financing the bad doctor's experiments.
• Sadly, there's no Eddie Albert in the sequel. It was also Jack Soo's final film, having been best known for playing Det. Sgt. Nick Yemana on Barney Miller. It was probably the coffee.
• In 1982 Disney made a television pilot called Beyond Witch Mountain, which featured a return of Eddie Albert as Jason and his Winnebago, but they recast everyone else, from the kids all the way to down to Aristotle Bolt. This was meant to become an ongoing series with the kids and Jason finding other alien kids and helping them get back home, but it never got that far and never went to series.
• Disney remade the original film back in 1995, with some major changes to the script. The twins are now named Danny and Anna, and they are separated as infants (who have full-fledged telekinesis), but are later reunited accidentally when they're older. Land developer Edward Bolt (the always evil Robert Vaughn) finds out about their powers, and plans to use them to blow up the entrance to Witch Mountain... without explosives. Way to use that power, Edward.
• It wasn't as charming as the original movie, and wasn't nearly as well received. You can find out why by watching the first 10 minutes right here.