Directed by veteran Robert Stevenson who also directed the fine 1937 version of King Solomon's Mines, Disney's Island at the Top of the World (1974) is an appealing fantasy adventure set in the Edwardian era, based on Cameron Ian's novel issued in the UK as The Lost Ones (1961) & in the USA as Island at the top of the World (1968).

Oddly enough the novel did not have a period setting, but was contemporary. The change for the movie adds a layer of believability since at the end of the Victorian age there were still uncharted regions of the world.

David Hartman plays a Nordic history professor from America, Donald Sinden is the stiff-upper-lip British explorer, Jacques Marin is the French airman, & Academy Award winning actor Mako is the Eskimo Oomiak. They make up the team who discovers a polar lost colony of Vikings when they reach a temperate polar zone via dirigible.

This is a worthwhile treatment of the Lost Race theme, having had an Academy Award nomination for art design. Despite a limited budget for FX, there are moments of gorgeous imagery. Though mainly a children's film, it is involving enough to sustain interest from older members of the family too.

copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl