Summaries

A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.

A recently orphaned young boy is taken to a seaside hotel in England by his grandmother, who is recuperating after an illness.. Also staying at their hotel is a group of witches who have gathered to prepare a plot to rid England of all children.—Rob Hartill

Recently orphaned Luke Eveshim spends a holiday in a hotel with his grandmother Helga, who taught him a lot about witches. He befriends fat glutton Bruno Jenkins and they lurk around a convention of women and discover that it's a cover for witches' convention. The International Grand High Witch Eva Ernst instructs the 'soft' Englsh witches on how to dispose of all children. They are discovered and transformed into rodents, but they escape and determine to stop the evil plan at any cost.—KGF Vissers

Young Luke and his parents visit his grandmother Helga in Norway during vacation, and she tells stories of evil witches, such as how her best childhood friend was kidnapped by a witch. After Luke's parents die in a car accident, Helga becomes his guardian and they move to England. One day a woman approaches Luke, but he recognizes that she's a witch. When Helga falls ill and her doctor diagnoses diabetes, she and Luke travel to a seaside hotel, where Luke befriends plump Bruno Jenkins and has problems with hotel manager Mr. Stringer over his pet white mice. Meanwhile, a group of women from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children arrive for a convention, led by Miss Eva Ernst. But soon Luke learns that Eva is indeed the Grand High Witch and their convention is to distribute a magic potion to turn boys in England into mice. When the Grand High Witch sees Luke, she turns him into a mouse. What will he do?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Directed by Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now) and based on Roald Dahl's book about a little boy and his kindly grandmother thwarting a coven of witches who want to rid Britain of children by turning them into mice. Vacationing at a seaside hotel with his grandmother, a young boy discovers that a convention of witches is also staying there and finds out about the evil plans of their Grand High Witch (Huston).

Details

Keywords
  • mouse
  • transformation
  • witch
  • hotel
  • child hater
Genres
  • Adventure
  • Comedy
  • Fantasy
  • Mystery
  • Horror
  • Family
Release date May 24, 1990
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) PG
Countries of origin United States United Kingdom
Language English
Filming locations Headland Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall, England, UK
Production companies Jim Henson Productions Lorimar Film Entertainment The Jim Henson Company

Box office

Gross US & Canada $10360553
Opening weekend US & Canada $2221402
Gross worldwide $10363364

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 31m
Color Color
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

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