''The Little Kidnappers'' is a 1990 Canadian/American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

made by Testar Productions, Margellos-Resnick and Jones 21st Century for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

. It tells the story of orphans Harry and Davy MacKenzie (Leo Wheatley and Charles Miller), who are sent to live with their stern grandfather, James MacKenzie (

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

). Based on the short story "Scotch Settlement" by Neil Paterson ( previously filmed in 1953), set in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

in 1903, the film was shot in several locations throughout Nova Scotia with dockside scenes being filmed aboard the CSS ''Acadia'' at the

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The museum is a member institution of the Nova Scotia Museum and is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada with a collection of ...

in Halifax."CSS Acadia Filmography", ''Maritime Museum of the Atlantic''
/ref>

Plot

Coralee Elliott Testar Coralee Elliott Testar UE (born February 1946 in Prince Edward Island) (died September 2023 in Vancouver British Columbia) was a Vancouver based producer and screenwriter. She was a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Her many cred ...

's version of the story revolves around letters written by James' son to his wife and children. Harry and Davy have brought them in a box James had carved for his son many years before. Through these letters, James begins to find healing from his grief over the death of his son at the hands of Dutch soldiers in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in South Africa, deliverance from the hatred in his heart for neighboring Dutch farmers, and acceptance of his daughter's love for the village doctor who is also of Dutch heritage. The movie's title refers to the discovery and rescue by Harry and Davy of the neighbor's baby briefly left unattended on a beach and their decision to hide and care for it themselves rather than risk their grandfather's harsh and unmerciful reaction to it.

Awards

The 1990 film received broad international distribution and has been nominated for numerous awards, winning the prestigious

Banff World Media Rockie Award Banff may refer to: Canada * Banff, Alberta, a town in Alberta, Canada ** Banff Airport ** Banff station ** Banff National Park ** Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity ** Banff (provincial electoral district) ** Banff-Cochrane, another provincial ...

References

External links

* 1990 films 1990 television films 1990 drama films English-language Canadian films Disney Channel original films Films scored by Mark Snow Films about orphans Films based on short fiction Films directed by Donald Shebib Films set in 1903 Films set in Nova Scotia Films shot in Nova Scotia Canadian drama television films American drama television films 1990s American films 1990s Canadian films {{tv-drama-film-stub