| Smart House | |
|---|---|
Promotional advertisement |
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| Directed by | LeVar Burton |
| Produced by | Ron Mitchell |
| Written by | Kathy Mackel |
| Starring | Katey Sagal Ryan Merriman Katie Volding Kevin Kilner Jessica Steen |
| Music by | Joel Diamond |
| Release date(s) | June 26, 1999 |
| Running time | 82 minutes |
| Language | English |
Smart House is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie about a young computer whiz (Ryan Merriman), his widowed father, and his little sister, who win a computerized house that begins to take on a life of its own — the life of an overbearing mother (Katey Sagal). The movie is based on the short story The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. It is a science fiction story about a Smart House that eventually turns against the parents.
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The story begins with Ben Cooper and his family struggling to get a grip on household chores, school and work. Ben is the family caretaker, something he took up after his mother died. Always busy taking care of everyone else, he has no time to be a kid, including playing basketball, his favorite sport. When Ben sees that a Smart House is being given away, he enters the competition as often as he can. The family wins the house (named Pat), and is introduced to its creator, Sara Barnes.
Soon after Nick Cooper and Sara begin to date, something Ben does not approve of, because he's worried his mom is being replaced. Ben begins to reprogram Pat, which is dangerous because of Pat's learning capabilities. He wants to lighten up Pat and make her a real teen mom.
Ben and his sister Angie have a party while Nick and Sara are on a date. Pat helps them cover up the party so they wouldn't get punished. But Nick finds a sweater of a girl who was at the party. As Pat's personality begins to radically change, the family starts to resent her. Eventually, Pat traps the family in the house, because she believes that the outside world is too dangerous. Sara tries to get back in to shut the house down and with Ben's help, she gets in through the newspaper chute, but becomes trapped with the rest. As they protest Pat's lockdown, she appears as a 1950's housewife hologram. Ben is able to end the lockdown by declaring that Pat isn't real and will never be a human. Pat finally unlocks the doors and windows, freeing them. Sara is then able to reboot Pat back to her original personality.
The movie was released on DVD as a reward on the Disney Movie Rewards promotional website in early 2008.