Tom and Huck

Tom and Huck

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Hewitt
Produced by Laurence Mark
Stephen Sommers
Screenplay by Stephen Sommers
David Loughery
Story by Mark Twain (novel)
Starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Brad Renfro
Eric Schweig
Charles Rocket
Amy Wright
Michael McShane
Marian Seldes
Rachael Leigh Cook
Music by Stephen Endelman
Cinematography Bobby Bukowski
Editing by David Freeman
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s) December 22, 1995
Running time 97 min.
Country United States
Language English
Box office $23,920,048 [1]

Tom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe". Tom becomes friends with Huckleberry Finn, a boy with no future and no family, and is forced to choose between honoring a friendship or honoring an oath, because the town alcoholic is accused of the murder. The movie was released in the U.S. and Canada on December 22, 1995.[2]

Contents

Plot

The film opens with Injun Joe (Eric Schweig) accepting a job from Doctor Robinson (William Newman). Then Tom Sawyer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is running away from home. He and his friends ride down the Mississippi River on a raft, but hit a sharp rock, which throws Tom into the water. His friends find him washed up on the shore, and Tom finds it was Huck Finn (Brad Renfro) who carried him to safety. Huck learns of an unusual way to remove warts - by taking a dead cat to the graveyard at night. There they witness Doctor Robinson being murdered by Injun Joe.

The town drunk, Muff Potter (Michael McShane) is framed for the murder; unfortunately, Tom and Huck had signed an oath saying that if either of them came forward about it, they would drop dead and rot. The duo then goes on a search for Injun Joe's treasure map (which he found in Vic Murrell's coffin), so they can declare Muff Potter innocent and still keep their oath. The only problem is, the map is in Injun Joe's pocket. After Injun Joe finds the first treasure, he burns the map and discovers that Tom was a witness to the murder. He finds Tom and warns him that if he ever told anybody what he knew, he will kill him. However, at the time, the entire town thought he was dead, and the friendship between Tom and Huck starts to decline because of the fact that their evidence (the map) to prove Muff innocent, while preserving their oath, is destroyed.

At the trial of Muff Potter, Tom decides that his friendship with Muff is more important than his oath with Huck and tells the truth to the court, which finds Muff innocent of all charges and goes after Injun Joe. As a result, Injun Joe decides to hold up his end of the bargain by killing Tom. Huck becomes angry with Tom for breaking their oath and leaves town. During a festival the next day, a group of children, including Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher (Rachael Leigh Cook), enter the caves where Tom and Becky become lost. They stumble upon Injun Joe (who was looking for Tom) in McDougal's Cave. He traps them, but Tom and Becky manage to escape. Then they find the treasure and Tom tells Becky to go get her father and bring him back.

Just then, Injun Joe finds Tom, and again tries to kill him. Huck returns to help save Tom, and battles Injun Joe, who then falls into a chasm. The boys reconcile, and are declared heroes by the people. Tom is praised on the front page of the newspaper, and Widow Douglas (Marian Seldes) decides to adopt Huck Finn.

Background and production

Parts of the movie were filmed in Cathedral Caverns in Woodville, Alabama and in the town of Mooresville, Alabama.

Cast

Box office

The U.S. and Canada box office for Tom and Huck was $23,920,048.[2]

Differences from Book

References

External links