''Under Wraps'' is a 1997 American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Greg Beeman Greg Beeman (born 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American film and television director and producer and winner of the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. He is well known for his work on the television ser ...

and starring

Bill Fagerbakke William Fagerbakke ( ; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the animated series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom ''Coach (TV series), Coach''. He also appeared in 12 ep ...

(in a dual role),

Adam Wylie Adam Augustus Wylie (born May 23, 1984) is an American actor, magician and a former Crayola spokesman. Wylie is known most for playing Zack Brock, the youngest son of Doctor and Sheriff Brock's children, on ''Picket Fences'' from 1992 to 1996. Ea ...

, Mario Yedidia, and Clara Bryant, and the first

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner na ...

(DCOM) by Disney Channel. This television film was shot in

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, reflecting an increase from 86,18 ...

. It was included by the network in its 100 DCOMs celebration from May–June 2016.

Plot

Marshall (Mario Yedidia) is a monster movie-obsessed preteen, and he's not crazy about his divorced mom's boyfriend Ted (Bill Fagerbakke), because he misses his dad. His friends Amy (Clara Bryant) and Gilbert (Adam Wylie) aren't as enthusiastic about his interest, but the three friends are still very close. They discover an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

(also played by Bill Fagerbakke) in the basement of a "dead" man's house. Because of an ancient amulet and the moonlight being in the right place at the right time, the mummy rises from the dead. The kids are initially afraid, but with time they discover he means them no harm; he's simply clumsy and confused. Marshall in particular bonds with the mummy, naming him "Harold" (explaining that the mummy reminds him of his Uncle Harold). The group decides they need to hide Harold, and attempt to find a way to help him now that they are becoming friends. After paying a visit to Bruce, a local shop owner who has a vast collection of monster-related items and knowledge of mythological/supernatural facts, they discover that if the mummy is not put back in his sarcophagus before midnight on Halloween, the mummy will cease to exist. However, the sarcophagus is in the hands of the "dead" man, known as Mr. Kubat, who feigned his death to avoid paying his taxes. He's also involved with several illegal schemes, some involving ancient Egyptian artifacts- which is why he had a mummy hidden in his basement. Upon finding out that the mummy has "escaped" from the coffin, he orders his henchmen to look for it and bring it back in time, as he is selling it to an interested buyer. The children now have to keep Harold safe from attracting attention of local people in town, as well as protect him from the henchmen. As the Halloween deadline draws closer, the children also discover that in his previous life, Harold was in love, and wishes to be reunited with his lover. At a Halloween party, Harold can at least hide in the open since most people assume he is a normal person in costume. But when some of his bandages are pulled back from his face, it reveals he's not alive. Harold is captured, and his friends get Bruce to help them in their rescue plan (using some creative Halloween props, and Gilbert making both a dangerous and daring attempt by driving a car through a wall). After several incidents, the group finally figures out how to work together, foiling the plans of Mr. Kubat, as well as bringing Harold and his beloved back together before they return to their rest peacefully. Meanwhile, Marshall decides to accept his mom dating Ted and the movie ends with Marshall, Gilbert, and Amy going to the movies together, and Marshall starts having signs of having a crush on Amy.

Cast

as Gilbert Anderson *Mario Yedidia as Marshall * Clara Bryant as Amy *

as Harold, a mummy. **Fagerbakke also portrays Ted, Marshall's mom's boyfriend *

Ken Campbell Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre". Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...

as Bruce *

Ed Lauter Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years. Early life Lauter was born and ...

as Mr. Kubat, the main antagonist of the film. *

Corinne Bohrer Corinne Bohrer (born October 18, 1958) is an American film and television actress whose career has continued uninterrupted for four decades and includes regular roles in eight primetime series produced between 1984 and 2015: '' E/R'' (1984–8 ...

as Marshall's Mom *

Tom Virtue Tom Virture (born November 19, 1957) is an American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals ...

as Movie Dad *Laura Leary as Movie Mom * Penny Peyser as Amy's Mom * Telly Blackwood as Window Shopper *Trenton Gaucher as Movie Ben *Brooke Garrett as Movie Molly *Joshua Dennis as Leonard * Ryan Schofield as Todd *

Nakia Burrise Nakia Burrise (born October 21, 1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Tanya Sloan, the Yellow Zeo Ranger and later, the first Yellow Turbo Ranger on the television series ''Power Rangers Zeo'' and ''Power Rangers Turbo'' ...

as Paige *Velina Brown as Mother in Park * Robert Bailey Jr. as Boy in Park *Wilma Bonet as Desk Nurse *Atim Udoffia as E.R. Nurse * Greg Watanabe as Doctor *Linda Gehringer as Connie *Kenneth Fisher as Principal Phil Hammer *Anni Long as Jane *Louis Landman as Kubat's Goon *Sean McFarland as Goon at Window *Lance Brady as Art Dealer *Rueben Grundy as Cop *

Christina Patterson Christina Mary Patterson (born 1963) is a British journalist. Now a freelancer, she was formerly a writer and columnist at ''The Independent.'' Biography Patterson was born in Rome to a Swedish Lutheran mother and Scottish Presbyterian father wh ...

as Female Mummy *Joel McDonell as Doctor (uncredited) *Rusty Nelson as Doctor (uncredited)

Home media

The film was unavailable on home video until 2005, when Echo Bridge Entertainment released it on DVD. It is now available on iTunes and Amazon Video. As of 2022, Disney's streaming service has not added the film.

2021 remake & sequel

On November 13, 2020, it was announced that a remake of the film would premiere in October 2021 with Christian J. Simon, Malachi Barton, Sophia Hammons, and Phil Wright starring and

Alex Zamm Alexander Zamm (born in Woodstock, New York) is an American film director and screenwriter. Zamm has directed such films as ''My Date with the President's Daughter'', '' Tooth Fairy 2'', ''The Pooch And The Pauper'', '' Dr. Dolittle: Million Doll ...

directing and co-writing the remake with William Robertson. A sequel was announced on February 7, 2022. The sequel, titled ''Under Wraps 2'', was released on September 25, 2022.

References

External links

* {{Greg Beeman 1997 television films 1997 films 1997 comedy films 1990s monster movies American films about Halloween American comedy television films American monster movies Disney Channel Original Movie films Mummy films Films directed by Greg Beeman Films scored by David Michael Frank 1990s American films Films shot in California Children's horror films