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.

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: [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.[/spoiler]

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

_**Ridiculous set-bound Disney adventure with Hayley Mills**_

In Scotland, a sister (Hayley Mills) and her little brother team-up with a French professor (Maurice Chevalier), a shipping magnate (Wilfrid Hyde-White) and his son (Michael Anderson, Jr.) to search for the siblings’ missing father, a sea captain. Their journey first takes them to Patagonia, South America, where they have misadventures in the Andes of Chile and the Pampas of Argentina. But, eventually, they realize they must travel to Australia and New Zealand to find the missing castaways.

"In Search of the Castaways" (1962) combines Hayley Mills with a Jules Verne adventure, which made me expect a combination of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954) or “Mysterious Island” (1961) with “The Parent Trap” (1961). Wrong. This movie is nowhere near the same league as those great films, even though it’s a Disney production like “20,000 Leagues” and “The Parent Trap.”

One problem is the too-cutesy take on the material wherein the professor & others are beaming with giggly smiles during life-or-death situations. While this disappears for the most part after the first act it’s still an eye-rolling issue. Another hitch is that the whole flick is set-bound with F/X of the matte painting and miniature variety. Another problem is the preposterous nature of the journey and misadventures thereof, which I’m sure bears little resemblance to Verne’s original tale.

Lousy writing is reflected in how several minutes are blown on tediously discussing the dubious message in the bottle. This idiotic element of the script could’ve been thrown out altogether with no harm done.

On the positive side, bubbly Hayley Mills was 15 during filming and clearly blossoming into a winsome woman. She looks best in the first half with her semi-tight khaki pants. I liked the jaguar and Maoris too; and there are some fun moments but, otherwise, this is strictly for the 6-and-under crowd.

The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot at Pinewood Studios, just west of London, England.

GRADE: C-/C