THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1995 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: Generally fine special effects almost
bring to life this children's film with an
intriguing premise but with little idea what to do
with it. It finally needs some contrived plotting
to infuse some danger and excitement. The film has
nice moments and even some allegory, but not enough
of anything to make a great children's film.
Rating: +1 (-4 to +4)
Omri gets some unusual gifts for his ninth birthday. His (Asian) Indian friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat) gave him a toy (American) Indian. And his brother found a two-foot-high wooden cupboard and gave that to Omri. Neither is so great a gift by itself, but together they form a lot more than the sum of the parts. Omri locks the Indian in the cupboard and when morning comes he finds that strange noises are coming from the cupboard. When he opens it, there in place of the toy Indian is a real living Iroquois, just about three inches tall. Little Bear (played by Litefoot) is bewildered to find himself plucked from 1761 and the French and Indian Wars. Even stranger, he is so small and ina world he does not understand. Now Omri finds he has responsibility to do what is right for Little Bear, a miniature Indian who thinks Omri is a god. Omri quickly figures out that locking a toy in the cupboard an odd number of times brings the toy to life; an even number of times and the toy is just a toy. The boy wants to keep the magic cupboard a secret until he know better what to do with his new tiny friend. But he tells Patrick, and Patrick is quick to turn a toy cowboy into Boone (David Keith) a real, but somewhat goofy, cowboy. Now the two boys find they must protect the cowboy and Indian from the real world and from each other.
This is an adaptation of the popular children's book by Lynne Reid Banks but the screenplay by Melissa Mathison (THE BLACK STALLION, E.T.) needs more of a spark to get going. There is potential in this story for some interesting relationships. Omri is, after all, huge compared to Little Bear, while Little Bear is a warrior and a mature adult, albeit from another world. Each could draw on the other's strengths. But Omri never seems to profit much from the wisdom of Little Bear and the child remains father to the man. Little Bear is treated more an interesting pet than an intelligent adult. Instead the plot is tied up with the over-acted Boone, wild and weird, who never becomes much more than a caricature. The personalities of the solid and intelligent Little Bear and the silly Boone never mesh on the screen.
Seeing this film on the same day I saw the 1957 film THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, I found it clear that visual effects have come a long way since the 1950s. Most of the scenes combining characters of each scale are utterly believable. There is some problem with Little Bear being more in focus than his background, but I think Jack Arnold would have loved to have the effects technology for his film. Yet Arnold was able to give far more interest value to his characters than Frank Oz ever manages here.
THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD wastes opportunities to use its clever premise in any but the most superficial ways. This is a film that shows more technique than imagination. I give it a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mark.leeper@att.com
Copyright 1995 Mark R. Leeper
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