This loveable and engaging movie is based on a book by Jules Verne, published in 1867. It follows the adventures of two children, Mary and Robert, who are searching for their father, Captain Grant. They are assisted by Professor Paganel (who found their fathers' note in a bottle) and Lord Glenarvan (who facilitates their journey). They sail to South America, ride horseback through the Andes mountains, survive an earthquake, an avalanche, and slide through a giant ice cave. Likely? no. Fun to watch? certainly. In fact, I always thought they should make a ride out of this movie. Anyway, just when you think it can't get any more crazy, Robert flies off a cliff and is snatched out of the sky by a giant condor. The condor is strategically shot by a gorgeous Patagonian named Thalcave. He agrees to take them to a village with "white prisoners," but it is a long journey.
Then comes my favorite part of the movie... Thalcave hears a flood coming, and leaves the group in a huge tree while he rides for help. The flood comes not in the form of rain, but in a giant tsunami! The next morning the trunk is completely surrounded by water, and Professor P is cooking breakfast while whistling (adorable). A jaguar rides a log and joins them in the tree, complicating things. Lord G puts a message in a bottle, but alas, it is eaten by a crocodile. Then the tree is struck by lightning and catches fire. They'd swim out of the tree to safety, but the water is swarming with crocodiles. Then, a giant waterspout comes to the rescue, putting out the fire and leaving the crew to stand among the burnt leftovers of the tree to wait for Thalcave. They are rescued, but when they get to the prisoners, their father is not among them. However they do not give up, and search next in New Zealand.
Mutiny ensues and they are dumped overboard at the same spot their father was, by the same treacherous man, and are taken prisoners by the maoris. This is where they meet the charming gentleman "Old Bill Gaye" who has a plan of escape but has been waiting for someone small to squeeze through a small window. After a narrow escape and a run-in with an erupting volcano, the crew stages a theatrical rescue of the ship and the children are reunited with their father. A very happy ending...
Most of my favorite life lessons in this movie come from Professor P.
"Whatever you want to do, don't be afraid to do it for fear of failure." We can't let our fears keep us from attempting amazing things. We need to be more intent on trying and less intent on succeeding. As the saying goes, "You only fail at trying if you fail to try."
"We're travelers on life's highway, enjoy the trip." He sings a charming song about using your imagination to make the best of life, even the bumps and dips. In the end, we'll learn that everything we endure is for our benefit and learning.
Hailey Mills also offers some wisdom in this song "Castaway." I know her voice is kind of strange, but the message of the song is really good. Bill Gaye also quotes many verses from the Bible, but you have to wipe the crazy off before you take them in. At the end they find out that their father didn't even write the note, Bill Gaye did. They marvel at how the sequence of events lined up perfectly to bring them all together in the end. I think at the end of our own lives, we will also find that to be true.
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