SnoopyStyle It's 1978 Florida. 12 year old David Freeman (Joey Cramer)'s parents are Helen (Veronica Cartwright) and Bill (Cliff De Young). He falls down a ravine in the woods behind his house and hits his head. He wakes up to find 8 years have passed but he hasn't aged a single day. His little brother Jeff (Matt Adler) is now 16. Meanwhile Dr. Louis Faraday (Howard Hesseman) is investigating a crashed UFO. David seems to have a connection to the ship. Faraday convinces the family to allow David to go with him by his lonesome. Carolyn McAdams (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a low level worker at the secret facility who befriends David.There is a moment where this movie goes off the tracks a little. Faraday is able to convince David and his family to allow him to go off to a secret base with strangers all by himself. It's crazy unbelievable. No parents would ever do that without guns pointed at their heads especially for a 12 year old who's been missing for 8 years and presumed dead. I get the appeal of having the kid by himself in a strange environment. It raises the tension but does it in an unreasonable way. The core of the movie is a fascinating children's sci-fi fantasy. Joey Cramer is an endearing child actor. There are a lot to like in this movie but that turn keeps bugging me.

glass-spider90 When I was a kid I always loved this film. I'm 23 now and I still love it, especially as I am a fan of science fiction. If you are a fan of science fiction you will love this film. The film is about a 12 year old boy called David who, one night while looking for his younger brother in a wood, slips and loses consciousness. When he wakes up he thinks only a few hours have passed but its eight years later and his family had left him for dead. David hasn't changed but everyone and everything else has. David and his family try to uncover the truth, but little do they know that doing so will take David on a great adventure. This film has everything, it is well written, has good dialogue, has humour and what's more the acting is good. It is very subtle and sophisticated for a family/kids film and doesn't talk down to its younger viewers. This makes it easily accessible for adult viewing. Even though this film is nearly 30 years old, it has stood the test of time and is definitely a much watch.

Atreyu_II There is a reason for the words I put in my summary. That's because I found elements in common with the films in question. Not the most original movie, then...While not tremendous, I prefer this anytime over that mediocrity called 'Grease'. This comparison only takes place because both were directed by the same person.This is the story of David Scott Freeman (decently but not greatly played by Joey Cramer, a Henry Thomas look-alike), an American 12-year-old boy who lives in 1978. In one Summer night, he mysteriously ends up in the year 1986 after a fall. Naturally, he finds out that everything around him is no longer the same. He panics and falls in despair because he doesn't understand what is going on. Although he is taken to his family, he is the only one who hasn't aged at all.David is taken to medical examinations to find out why he has the same age after 8 years but is forced to stay more 48 hours, to which he reluctantly agrees. Meanwhile, he finds out that he has to stay longer than the promised 48 hours and he can't take it anymore and that's when his journey to return to his family begins... with the help of a talking time-machine nicknamed "Max" by him.Overall, it's an okay movie although a little sappy. Despite its faults, it gives a feeling of nostalgia. A movie like this could have been made in no other time but the 80's.

johnstonjames omg. omg. every time i watch stuff like this i feel like 'StarSearch' is back on television and it's the 80's all over again. this movie is even better than i remember it. as usual, another under-appreciated Disney classic from the much maligned period of the Disney 80's films.the Disney films from the 1980's are usually thought of by most critics and audience fans as underwhelming and forgettable. i'm starting to think that belief couldn't be further from the truth. i've always really liked Disney movies from the 1980's and have tried to defend them to detractors whenever i could. 'The Black Cauldron' and 'The Black Hole' are two of my all time Disney favorites along with the long under-appreciated 'Tron'. i actually would have liked to have given 'Navigator' ten stars since it was so quirky and entertaining, but given the lightness of the approach and subject matter, i felt a eight was probably more realistic. i'm not sure if i'm even right on this because the Disney films of the 1980's just seem to get better and better with each passing time period. i mean heck, if you're a true Disney fan, some of the 80's Disney films were some of the last produced at the Disney studio in Burbank.'Navigator' makes for imaginative children's sci fi and excellent Disney. much of this movie is down right hilarious with a lot of the quirky humour aided and abetted by the fabulous Paul Reubens who strangely is listed as Paul Mall here. the sci fi FX also compete with some of the best CGI to date.if you haven't seen this delightful little Disney gem, then i don't want to spoil the clever fun by revealing to much about it. part of the film's impact is it's element of surprising originality.this really is memorable stuff. and classic Disney. in our recent times when so much seems to have gone to waste morally, it's always a breath of fresh air to see something as wholesome and unoffensive as this in mainstream, media entertainment. there is no swearing, no hint of sexual suggestion, no substance use, and no violence. that prospect might bore most kids today, but their parents would be smart to at least encourage them to try a little with this kind of thing. man does not live by cynicism alone. a little true optimism and wholesome thinking can't hurt. not when times get as morally bankrupt as these. God Bless.