A Kid in King Arthur's Court
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| A Kid in King Arthur's Court | |
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 A promotional poster for A Kid in King Arthur's Court |
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| Directed by | Michael Gottlieb |
| Produced by | Peter Abrams J.P. Guerin Robert L. Levy |
| Written by | Michael Part and Robert L. Levy |
| Starring | Thomas Ian Nicholas Joss Ackland Art Malik Paloma Baeza Kate Winslet Daniel Craig |
| Music by | J.A.C. Redford |
| Cinematography | László Gárdonyi |
| Editing by | Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and Michael Ripps |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 11, 1995 (USA and UK) |
| Running time | 89 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | N/A |
| IMDb profile | |
A Kid in King Arthur's Court is a 1995 film directed by Michael Gottlieb, produced by Trimark Pictures, and released by Walt Disney Studio Entertainment. It is based on the famous Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, transplanted into the twentieth century.
The short cartoon Runaway Brain was included in the film's original theatrical release.
Trimark later released a direct-to-video sequel, A Kid in Aladdin's Palace, in 1997, but without the Disney label.
Taglines: Joust Do It.
- Calvin Fuller is about to break curfew... by 1500 years.
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[edit] Plot summary
Calvin Fuller is a nerdy young adolescent living in Reseda, California. The gangly, unsure youth is first seen at a baseball game, standing at bat, ready for yet another strike out. Suddenly a terrible earthquake hits; as the others run for safety, the hapless Calvin is swallowed by a gaping chasm. He falls and falls until he finds himself landing on the head of a 6th-century black knight. Upon hearing of his miraculous appearance, the elderly King Arthur, seeing him as the savior whose appearance Merlin has predicted, dubs the boy Calvin of Reseda and invites him to dine with the court.
Calvin begins his knight training to help Arthur retain his crown. When the earthquake hit, Calvin was lucky enough to grab his knapsack, a fact that enables him to wow the Arthurians with his futuristic 'magic', including an introduction to rock and roll via CD player, and a wonderful Swiss Army knife. The young wizard also shows them how to make inline rollerskates. His work wins him adulation and renown; but it also rouses the jealousy of the wicked Lord Belasco, who will use any means to take over the throne. Meanwhile, Calvin finds himself falling for young Princess Katey. After he helps Arthur keep the crown, he is returned to the 20th-century moments just before he struck out and steps up to the plate: this time, he is ready and hits a home run.
[edit] Cast
- Thomas Ian Nicholas .... Calvin Fuller
- Joss Ackland .... King Arthur
- Art Malik .... Lord Belasco
- Paloma Baeza .... Princess Katey
- Kate Winslet .... Princess Sarah
- Daniel Craig .... Master Kane
- David Tysall .... Ratan
- Ron Moody .... Merlin
- Barry Stanton .... Blacksmith
- Michael Mehlnan .... Shop owner
- Melanie Oettinger .... Peasant woman
- Rebecca Denton .... Washer woman
- Michael Kelly .... Apprentice
- Louise Rosner .... Lady in waiting
- Paul Rosner .... Peasant boy
- Béla Unger .... Head guard
- Shane Rimmer .... Coach
- Tim Wickham .... Ricky Baker
- Daniel Bennett .... Howell
- Debora Weston .... Mom
- Vincent Marzello .... Dad
- Catherine Blake .... Maya
- J.P. Guerin .... Umpire
[edit] Production
- Most of the 6th-century portion of the film was shot in Hungary, while the majority of the 20th-century portion was filmed at the softball field of London Central High School (LCHS), an American institution at RAF Daws Hill, High Wycombe, England. Dozens of LCHS pupils sought to participate in the project; those with permission from their teachers were allowed to venture to the shooting location, where they were auditioned and costumed. The "Ventilate 'em, Calvin" line spoken by one of the protagonist's teammates was originally offered to upperclassman Shane Bursae, but was instead given to freshman Jerome Brumby after he was heard advising Bursae on his delivery. Shane Bursae later went on to be the stunt double of the pitcher, providing all of the pitching scenes in the movie.
[edit] Trivia
- The concept of a person from the 20th century travelling back in time to King Arthur's Camelot – and impressing the inhabitants with technology from the distant future – echoes that of Walt Disney's earlier movie adaption of Mark Twain's novel, Unidentified Flying Oddball (also known as The Spaceman and King Arthur and A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court) from 1979.
