''The New Swiss Family Robinson'' is a 1998 American

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

film directed by

Stewart Raffill Stewart Raffill is a British writer and director. Biography Raffill was born in England and grew up near Stratford before immigrating to the US and working in the motion picture industry. His writing and directing work in film and TV spans ...

. The film is based on the 1812 novel ''

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwre ...

'' by

Johann David Wyss Johann David Wyss (; 28 May 1743 – 11 January 1818) was a Swiss author, best remembered for his book ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (''Der schweizerische Robinson'') (1812). He was born and died in Bern. It is said that he was inspired by Dan ...

, and stars

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...

James Keach James Keach (born December 7, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach Jr. and son of actor Stacy Keach Sr. Early life and education Keach was born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of Mary Cain ( ...

John Mallory Asher John Mallory Asher (born John Mallory, January 13, 1971) is an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his performance as Gary on the USA Network's series spinoff of the movie '' Weird Science''. Early life ...

, Blake Bashoff, and

Jamie Renée Smith Jamie Renée Smith (born April 10, 1987) is an American actress best known for her respective roles as Tara Westover, Margaret Rhodes and Lauren Wando in the films '' MVP: Most Valuable Primate'', '' Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering'' (199 ...

Plot

When Jack Robinson (

) gets a new job in Australia, he decides to take his wife Anna (

), sons Shane (

) and Todd ( Blake Bashoff) and daughter Elisabeth 'Lizzy' (

) by sailing a yacht from Hong Kong to Sydney. Elisabeth begins keeping an online journal of their trip. Jack's employer Sheldon Blake (

) 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

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

s. 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.

Cast

as Anna Robinson *

as Sheldon Blake *

as Jack Robinson *

as Shane Robinson * Blake Bashoff as Todd Robinson *

as Elizabeth Robinson * Simone Griffeth as Cynthia * Yumi Iwama as Francoise * Billy Bates as Halo Pirate * Rick Kahana as Ninja Pirate * Joe Isaac as Drunken Pirate * John Harnagel as Bartender Pirate * Jaime Irizarry as Nettle Spray Pirate * John Edmondson as Wheelhouse Pirate * Diane Kirman as Girlfriend Pirate

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:New Swiss Family Robinson 1999 films 1990s action adventure films 1999 television films American action adventure films American television films Films about families Films directed by Stewart Raffill Films scored by John Scott (composer) Films based on The Swiss Family Robinson Films set on islands Jungle adventure films Pirate films Disney television films 1990s American films