| Based On: | The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss |
| Director: | Stewart Raffill |
| Starring: | Jane Seymour David Carradine James Keach John Mallory Asher Blake Bashoff Jamie Renée Smith |
| Music: | John Scott |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Producer: | Patricia T. Green Diane Kirman |
| Editor: | Terry Kelley |
| Cinematography: | Willy Kurant |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Company: | Gross Receipts Inc. Total Films Walt Disney Television |
The New Swiss Family Robinson is a 1999 American adventure film directed by Stewart Raffill. The film is based on the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, and stars Jane Seymour, David Carradine, James Keach, John Mallory Asher, Blake Bashoff, and Jamie Renée Smith.[1]
When Jack Robinson (James Keach) gets a new job in Australia, he decides to take his wife Anna (Jane Seymour), sons Shane (John Mallory Asher) and Todd (Blake Bashoff) and daughter Elisabeth 'Lizzy' (Jamie Renée Smith) by sailing a yacht from Hong Kong to Sydney. Elisabeth begins keeping an online journal of their trip. Jack's employer Sheldon Blake (David Carradine) gives him a gun for protection before the trip. The first part of the journey goes smoothly and the family is enchanted by the beauty of the sea (except for Anna who is violently ill).
However, one night they find themselves followed by a strange ship. It turns out that Sheldon is the leader of a band of modern day pirates who are using Jack and his family to smuggle a cache of money and jewels. They order the Robinsons to turn over the yacht and leave in the lifeboat. A fierce gun battle ensues and the family manages to escape. However, a storm causes them to run into a reef and they find themselves shipwrecked and marooned on a deserted island
Salvaging parts of the boat, the Robinsons learn survival skills and build a shelter. Shane also discovers Francoise (Yumi Iwama), a French-speaking Asian girl who is also living on the island. She captures him and the two soon fall in love. Francoise is an airplane crash survivor who has been living on the island since her airplane crashed and lives a semi-feral life with two orangutans. Upon the Robinsons being formally introduced to Francoise, she later teams up with the family where Anna gives her a shower and some new clothes. Francoise has a maturing effect on Shane who wishes to marry her. The family even adopts an orangutan to whom they give first aid. The pirates return in one final showdown. Using their newly learned skills, the Robinsons are able to outwit them and escape back to civilization.