The title makes one wonder: are the Robinsons really a family from Switzerland? Yeah, Ernst and Fritz are German names, that's true. We don't know the parents's names but Robinson and Francis do not sound swiss at all, they do sound like americanos or even British.
As for the movie, I admit that at first I was doubtful about it, but it's a watchable family movie. It's an okay adventure/family movie. I mean, of all the live-action Disney films, I wouldn't say this is my favorite or one of my favorites, but it remains faithful to the traditional ones in many ways, even if it isn't as good as the best.
Many people say this movie looks very dated, but I disagree. Sure, looking at it we know immediately this is an old movie. What I'm trying to say is that, considering its age, it doesn't look that dated. It doesn't look as old as it is. For example, "The Ugly Dachshund" was made a few years after this and looks way more dated. "Popeye" is another perfect example of this: it came out 20 years after this and looks much more dated than this.
The story of this is a kind of story very familiar in numerous adventure films, taking place in a desert island after a ship sinking or getting stuck on rocks (in this case, it gets stuck on rocks). It's a humble yet sympathetic plot, with comedy and lots of adventure.
One of the things that bug me in this movie is the pirates. Those pirates can be quite annoying. And yet, the final battle with them is one of the movie's most hilarious moments, especially when little Francis Robinson throws them coco-nut bombs.
The cast features 3 familiar actors from "Old Yeller": Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran. Like in "Old Yeller", Dorothy McGuire plays the mom, while Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran play brothers. It's amazing that they played brothers in 5 films. Extraordinary, isn't it? The main actors play well their roles. John Mills and Dorothy McGuire as the parents, James MacArthur as Fritz, Tommy Kirk as Ernst and Kevin Corcoran as Francis. Here both Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran are as good as in "Old Yeller". Tommy's voice, however, sounds a bit different here and he looks taller too (well, he was 3 years older, right?). Kevin Corcoran got a bit chubbier here, didn't he? (no complaints at all, just an observation)
I've noticed that many people complain about the character Francis, they seem to consider him annoying and obnoxious. I don't think so: I think he's a cute and smart kid. He also loves animals and he has some great ideas, such as the tiger's trap and the coco-nut bombs.
One of the movie's best things is its exotic sceneries and landscapes. What we see is real, pure and beautiful nature: trees, forests, green places, mountains, beaches, sea, lots of sun and some sunset moments, among other things. We also get to see some wild animals, such as a giant turtle, a tiger (magnificent animal), an elephant calf and others. Elephants are not really beautiful, but they are cute, magnificent and majestic creatures. I think exactly the same about hippos: they're simply fantastic animals.
Since this is a movie about Robinsons, maybe the song "Mrs. Robinson" (by Simon & Garfunkel) would be good for the movie's Mrs. Robinson - lol. Just kidding. It's a great song, but wouldn't fit well in this kind of movie. Besides, the song is from 1968 and the movie came out 8 years before.
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