Taglines: Adventure comes to life.
The Indian in the Cupboard movie storyline. On his ninth birthday, Omri receives an old cupboard from his brother Gillon (Vincent Kartheiser) and a little Native American “Indian” figure made of plastic from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). That night, Omri goes through his mom’s box of old keys and finds that a gold-colored key with a red ribbon tied to it (given to his mother by her grandmother) actually fits the keyhole of his cupboard. He then looks for an object to lock in the cupboard and settles for the Indian figurine.
The next morning, he hears a small tapping noise coming from the cupboard. Omri opens the cupboard and finds a small living person hiding in the corner. It is actually the Indian figure who has magically come to life in human form. Frightened by his large acquaintance, the Indian pulls out a dagger and points it at Omri. Shortly afterward, Omri’s father comes in the room to help Omri get ready for school, forcing Omri to lock the cupboard and keep the Indian a secret.
When Omri arrives home from school, he is upset to discover that the Indian has returned to its original toy form. When he goes to bed, Omri once more hears the tapping noise he heard that morning. He opens the cupboard to find the Indian alive once more. The Indian is again initially frightened of Omri but warms up to him, thinking Omri is a great spirit in a child’s form, as the two begin talking, slowly forming a friendship.
The Indian reveals himself as an English-speaking, 18th-century Iroquois Indian named Little Bear (Litefoot) who was fighting in the French and Indian War on the side of the British. During Little Bear’s stay with Omri, Omri learns a lot about the Iroquois. Omri also learns that Little Bear has a deceased wife. Then Omri takes Little Bear outside, but Little Bear gets hurt by a pigeon, forcing Omri to bring to life his brother’s First World War British Army medic named Tommy Atkins (Steve Coogan) to treat Little Bear’s wound.
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American adventure fantasy film directed by Frank Oz and written by Melissa Mathison, based on the children’s book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. The film starred Hal Scardino as Omri, Litefoot as Little Bear, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins, Rishi Bhat as Omri’s friend Patrick, Steve Coogan as Tommy Atkins, and David Keith as Boone the Cowboy.
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
Directed by: Frank Oz
Starring: Hal Scardino, Litefoot, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins, Steve Coogan, David Keith, Sakina Jaffrey, Vincent Kartheiser, Cassandra Brown, Christopher Conte
Screenplay by: Melissa Mathison
Production Design by: Leslie McDonald
Cinematography by: Russell Carpenter
Film Editing by: Ian Crafford
Costume Design by: Deborah Lynn Scott
Set Decoration by: Chris L. Spellman
Art Direction by: Tony Fanning
Music by: Randy Edelman
MPAA Rating: PG for mild language and brief video images of violence and sexy dancing.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures (USA anr Canada), Columbia Pictures (International)
Release Date: July 14, 1995
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