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Friends Turn Up in the Most Unlikely Places!

[CONTAINS SPOILERS] Today is Omri's 9th birthday. He received a skateboard from his parents and an old cupboard from his brothers Gillon and Adiel. The cupboard looked interesting. Omri's friend Patrick gave him a little Indian figurine. The cupboard was missing a key but Omri's mother had a ton of keys. Omri selected a shiny gold one. His mother's grandmother gave it to her on her death bed. That evening, Omri placed the Indian figurine in the cupboard and locked it with the key, then he unlocked it and to his surprise, the small toy Indian had become a small alive Indian! His name was Little Bear and at first he was afraid of Omri who locked the cupboard and went to bed. In the morning, he unlocked the cupboard to find that Little Bear had become a figurine again. Omri was distraught. After dinner, he unlocked the cupboard again and Little Bear was alive again! The two soon became friends. Omri put a plastic teepee in the cupboard and it became real. Omri then got a bunch of his toys, including a Darth Vader figurine, a T-Rex, RoboCop figurine and G.I. Joe, placed them in the cupboard, locked and unlocked the door and saw them fighting with one another. He quickly transformed them back to toys and in the morning he took Little Bear outside. He wanted to build a Long House because his tribe didn't sleep in teepees. Little Bear was attacked by a bird and was hurt pretty bad. Omri snatched his brothers' toy WWII medic figurine and put him in the cupboard. The medic, Tommy Atkins, soon came alive and fixed Little Bear. He was then placed in the cupboard again and became a figurine again. Omri then left for school while Little Bear began work on his Long House. At school, Omri snatched an elderly Indian figurine with a bow and arrow. He brought it home and brought it to life in the cupboard. The elderly Indian took one look at Omri and keeled over dead. It was then that Little Bear found out Omri was only a kid and became angry with him for using magic he did not understand. Omri's dad wanted him to run an errand for him and when he returned, Patrick came over and gave him a cowboy on a horse figurine. Patrick puts it in the cupboard and the cowboy and horse come to life. The cowboy was named "Boo Hoo" Boone because he had a tendency to cry. He and Little Bear begin fighting so they were separated. Patrick wanted to keep Boone so he made Omri promise to bring them to class tomorrow so walking very carefully, Omri brought Little Bear and Boone to class in a pouch. When Little Bear heard Boone was going to school, he wanted to come too. Omri and Patrick fight over them and nearly gave it all away. Omri asked Patrick to spend the night but when they returned home, Omri found his cupboard was gone. Gillon and Adiel had taken it. He found it in the crawl space but the key was missing! That night, Omri, Patrick, Little Bear and Boone watch a film about Indians being shot at. Little Bear was confused and fired his bow and arrow--right at Boone! He desparately needed help but without the key, they couldn't get Tommy. Suddenly, Omri and Patrick noticed the key stuck under the floor boards. Little Bear wanted to go get it but had to be cautious because Gillon and Adiel's rat was loose under there. Little Bear successfully returned with the key so Tommy could come to Boone's aid. He fixed him up as best as he could and Boone would be okay. Little Bear and Boone wanted to return to their own times and Omri decided it was time for them to go. So they were placed in the cupboard, Omri locked and unlocked it and Little Bear and Boone were figurines again but Omri would never forget his friends and I'm sure they will never forget him either. Pretty good movie. Although I think a backstory on why the cupboard and key are magical would've been nice. Although this film looks like Spielberg's work, this film was directed by Frank Oz. We all know him as the puppeteer behind such memorable characters as Yoda, Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, etc. So if you're looking for a nice family film, I recommend The Indian in the Cupboard. A pretty popular scene is the one where Omri places figures of Darth Vader, RoboCop, G.I. Joe and a T-Rex in the cupboard and they fight with one another. In conclusion, I recommend The Indian in the Cupboard!-

I'll get straight to the point

*racist

Unless a parent is going to use the book/movie as a learning tool to show explain racism to their child don't buy it.

beautiful book, horrible movie

I remember rushing out to watch this movie when it first appeared in theaters, since I was an enormous fan of the Lyn Reed Banks books. Alass, this movie took what could have been a wonderful adaptation, and turned it into a dumbed-down pile of insipid script and mostly forced acting. When I first saw it, I loved everything about it and immediately fell in love with the boy playing Omri, but now, I realize that his acting is horrible, but it's not his fault. The script is below mediocre; it's pitifully babyish. Lyn Reed Banks's stories had a charm of old-fashioned nostalgia to them, not so with this film. It has been completely modernized, including a few curse words, a relocation to the US, and a total emphasis on stereotyping the characters and making as many comical gags at their expense as possible. I will admit that there are several very touching moments, and even a little educational value to this, since Litefoot plays his character perfectly, and Frank Oz did feel inclined to at least include a song and a few sundry bits of the Iroquois language here. But overall, I would recommend the books over this.

An excellent film exploring complex themes lightheartedly

This film was special. It's not to say it ranks high amongst the worlds films technically (which is not to say it fails in this regard – it simply does not depend upon special effects), but the underlying theme is gentle and beautifully presented. The child actors' performances are solid. Especially the lead 'Omri', and his friend (whom I really liked and really disliked respectively - (hence his acting ability)). It's an innocent story with great imagination, and doesn't take itself too seriously. The relationship and growth that the main character develops with Little Bear (the Indian in the cupboard) is special. It eventually takes on a father/son dynamic after a role reversal or sorts from the Creator/created dynamic the boy has with Little Bear at first. I was touched by this relationship and by Omri's innocence. Frank Oz imagination is conveyed well through this work. I can easily imagine being in Omri's shoes and enjoy this film each time I watch it. Whether you watch this with kids or not, odds are you'll enjoy it.

entertaining fantasy

Omri (Hal Scardino), a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, receives an odd variety of presents for his birthday, a wooden cabinet from his older brother, a set of antique keys from his mother Jane (Linsday Crouse), and a tiny plastic model of an Indian from his best friend Patrick (Rishi Bhat). Putting them all together, Omri locks the Indian inside the cabinet, only to be awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Omri opens the cabinet to discover that the tiny Indian has come to life; it seems that he's called Little Bear (Litefoot), and he claims to have learned English from settlers in 1761. Omri hides this remarkable discovery from his mother but shares it with Patrick; as an experiment, Patrick locks a toy cowboy into the cupboard, and soon Little Bear has a companion, Boone (David Keith), though predictably, the cowboy and the Indian don't get along well at first. Omri comes to the realizations that his living and breathing playthings are also people with lives of their own, and he begins to wonder how much control he should really have over their lives. I liked this movie it was well done, good story, and good acting. Indian In The Cupboard should keep the kids and adults entertained, overall a good film.

I Love This Film!

I first saw the film on my 10th birthday, and to this day, when Omri sends Little bear and Boone back to their plastic-fantastic lives, it still makes me well-up. The on-screen friendship between Omri and Little bear is amazing, and is seen as loving and trusting.I have often sat in bed when i have felt under the weather and watched this film over and over again. It's simply a heartfelt and highly original story and i will continue to enjoy watching it, now and forever.I am in the process of reading the trilogy in paperback, and am thoroughly enjoying it. It will be so nice to one day read it to my own children, and i hope they, and others enjoy it as much as i am right now.If you get a chance to see the film or read the book, please do - I know you'll love it as much as i do.

rat jumps out as if from nowhere!

The only redeeming part of this movie is after he rescues the Indian from under the floorboards with the key, and then the rat jumps out, as if from nowhere!! I always rewind it at least 4 times. But only that part. This movie is very strange though, because this would never happen. I did always like the movie box when i was a child though, because you could switch it from the picture of the little boy to the fake cupboard door, and i got a key with it. How delightful. All in all, I would not recommend this movie for you to watch, because there are many better movies available for your viewing pleasure. A movie that I would recommend that still has a magical feel to it would be the 1976 version of Freaky Friday. Because magical things happen in this movie as well as that movie, but the Freaky Friday movie is much more enjoyable.

Never received

This was ordered on 5/27/09 and never received/billed. Not sure why or what happened, but not impressed.

Who wants us to make sequels?

Long before Harry Potter and his magic wand came along, there was a little kid called Omri with an ordinary cupboard and a magic key that could bring plastic toys to life -- The Indian in The Cupboard sold millions the world-over and captured the imagination of an entire generation...Now, the chance has come to revisit the original material and make another movie that more closely follows the book. Followed by movies of the other inspirational books in the series.Perhaps even a television series that will continue on where the films leave off...that way Omri will be able to bring toys to life over and over again in some really amazing, sometimes hair- raising adventures with Little Bear and Boon sometimes arguing, but always there to help...If any of fans of the book would like to see this happen, let us know right here. Who knows, it might help us make the project a reality very soon. Thanks!

Toy Story Comes To Life....

This video made it to our family library long ago. Entertaining, enjoyable for adults and children, with relatively little violence (there are some battle scenes), it opens up avenues for dinner time conversation about reality, fantasy, Native Americans, friendship and bullies. In addition, watching this movie led us to the book series, which my then 6 year old listened to intently.

What we liked - fantasy mixed with reality, much like Small Soldiers or E.T. (though not nearly as good as E.T.) With the help of a magical key and cabinet, our hero, Omri, brings a figurine, Little Bear, to life (in miniature form). He watches Little Bear build a home and finds a wife for him. Omri's best friend, Patrick, doesn't quite understand the difference between play and real lives, and brings Boone, a cowboy and his horse to life, setting off a small battle between the two people.

Boone brings a touch of comic relief to the film, which deals with some serious issues. Death is lightly touched on, when Omri's first attempt to find a friend for Little Bear pushes an elderly figurine into cardiac arrest, with serious effects on Omri's comprehension of his 'toys.' War, too, is addressed slightly when he brings a tiny World War I medic back to care for a miniscule character's real life wounds.

Parallel to this story is Omri's move into a new neighborhood, away from his best friend and into some slight confrontations with bullies (further developed in the sequel to this video).

We started with the video, which led us to the book series (by Lynne Reid Banks). The video is almost as good as the book, with convincing special effects, good acting, entertainment and more meaningful after-movie talk than most children's. A good view, and if you get the version(s) with the figurines, they are very close to the movie miniatures!

Thumbs up from all of our family members - hope you enjoy it (and read the books!!!)

an interesting movie with childish characters

Even though I rated this plucky movie a 4, it doesn't mean I hate it, my dear friends. I liked it but it doesn't have the stuff to make it to my higher favoritism of movies. Frank Oz is so imaginative (Yoda, Miss Piggy... love them!), but I have to say that this film to me is not so Frank Oz, and movies that are adapted from books are quite impressive, but I can only say I was slightly impressed. For one thing, the cast is inadequate, I never heard of David Keith and Litefoot (David Coogan, however, was in Around the World in 80 Days).This story follows Omri, an extremely childish youngster who, for his birthday, receives a MAGICAL (ooh!) cupboard. The Cupboard lacks its key so Omri's mother (actress Lindsay Crouse, never heard of her), gives him her collection of keys, and guess what…? He finds the certain key on his second try! That part always took me aback. He puts in an antique Iroquois figure in the cupboard, and later in the morning he opens it to find the figure alive as a small Iroquois man. The pair has many tedious adventures, some including an idiotic rat ball and a down-right scruffy cowboy who was a toy figure too (the cupboard MAGICALLY (ooh!) turns plastic (plaz-teck!) things into their real life counterparts, only smaller). The pair soon learns that every boy must become a man (a typical, yet true moral).Omri's character really is childish, yet endearing; his parents seem to pamper him, he's afraid of the dark, and he has lame 90's action figures; but he does mellow out in the end of the movie. I liked the acting, but it was no To Kill a Mocking Bird, even at moving parts. The Iroquois man was different from other Indian movies; he was a guru in a way. The music was just moderate and odd, though with one exception you'll know when you hear it.Be warned, my dear readers, this movie contains slight profanity (embarrassing really); simulative killing and some ladies do a loathsome dance on TV at one point (they call this a kid movie, how embarrassing. Let's hope Omri was sleeping at that adultish scene). And no the kid does not play God (duh, no one can play the Lord Almighty, my foolish friends), its just a story, have fun. Other than the 3 points I pointed out, the movie is plucky and it has a rather moving ending. It's an OKAY movie >: )

The book is great but the movie sucks!

I love fantasy movies like Hook, The Wizard of Oz, and The Neverending Story but fantasy movies like these are just awful when I saw this movie in the theater along time ago it was just too boring for me. It's a lot like the Toy Story movies but I thought Toy Story was way better than this. I think the story is great but the movie is just too slow. Probably a better idea to stick with the book the movie sucks itself.

Why?

Great idea, fine acting, but why do they have to take the Lord's name in vain? Ruins the whole thing for me.

Yet another movie gone astray...

I'll admit...when I first saw the movie, I thought it was the best movie ever. Then, I read the books. This movie strays very far from the book. The big problem is the fact that the books take place in England. And if you read the rest of the books, you'll know how important the location is to the entire story. The movie Americanizes Omri. The movie cuts out and replaces a lot of scenes as well. For instance, in the movie, Boone never sits in the art class drawing his microscopic sketch of his town...a scene that would play an big role in a book to come. Another scene they cut was the principal seeing Little Bear and Boone the way Omri and Patrick do...another big scene that follows them throughout the series. Perhaps they did this because there were no plans for sequels. However, it makes for a huge disappointment for viewers who had read the books before or ran right to the books afterward. The acting and casting for the time travelers, however, was wonderful. As I read the books, I picture Litefoot speaking all Little Bear's lines, Steve Coogan speaking all Tommy's lines, and David Keith speaking Boone's lines. I loved the special effects throughout the movie. The fact that all the others were Americanized causes me to realize they don't fit the Omri, Patrick, etc in the books. Overall, I say that if you enjoy it, then you enjoy it. But chances are, when you read the books, you'll find it a definite disappointment, as it is with so many other book-based movies.

"You Should Not Do Magic You Do Not Understand"

Omri receives a rather unusual gift from his older brother for his birthday, an old two-shelf cupboard he found in the trash. The cupboard has a lock, but no key. Fishing through a pile of keys belonging to his Mother, Omri finds one that fits the lock. It turns out to be a special key given to his Mother by her Mother just before she died. Omri iis allowed to keep it and so the adventure begins.

You see something special happens to any toy locked away in this strange little cupboard, they come to life once unlocked. Conversely, toys that have been brought to life can be returned to their inanimate state when returned to the cupboard.

At first it all seems great fun. Omri tests his magical box with various toys, a dinosaur and Darth Vader, but when he unlocks a small replica of an Iroquois Indian from the cabinet he discovers he's not just playing a game anymore. A living, breathing 19th century Indian warrior named Little Bear emerges. Little Bear is not just an animated toy, he is a real person with a real life that has been mysteriously plucked out of his 19th home and deposited in miniature form into Omri's twentieth century bedroom.

Little Bear teaches Omri the meaning of being a warrior and taking responsibility for your own actions, scolding him for tampering with the lives of others he tells the young boy, "You should not do magic you do not understand."


This is great family entertainment containing a message we should all take to heart. It's a message of tolerance and understanding towards cultures and people different from ourselves.

The entire cast is terrific! The British medic (Steve Coogan) and the cowboy Boo-Hoo Boone (David Keith) were perfect in their supporting roles, while the two main characters Omri (Hal Scardino) and Little Bear (Litefoot) were absolutely magical together. Their goodbye scene is sure to bring tears to your eyes.

indian in the cupboard

i order this movie because my mom had order it years ago. and i ask her if i could take and watch it, she didnt have it anymore..so i went on line and searched it, and found it on amazon.. i really enjoyed the movie, i like all the special effect. when armory received the cupbroard for a birthday gift from one of his brothers.. and his friend came over and he gave armory a indian and armory put the indian in the cupbroad and when he closed the door the indian came alive... its just a wonderful movie for kids to set and watch.. i watch it at least 3 times sence i had it..

Magical Delight

The Indian in the Cupboard is a movie all kids should see. Based on the beloved children's book, the story is about a sweet boy named Omri who is given a small wooden cupboard for his birthday. He soon discovers that a magical key will bring any toy locked inside the cupboard to life. Omri selects an Indian brave from his large collection of figurines. This Indian brave is a REAL person named Little Bear. Little Bear at first believes that Omri is the Great Spirit. One of the best moments in the film is when Little Bear exclaims, "You are not the Great Spirit. You are a boy!" At that moment, the tiny warrior becomes a father figure to Omri.

All would be well except for Omri's insensitive chum Patrick. Patrick does not share his friend's caring side, and wants to use the cupboard without reverence for the people it brings to modern times. Little Bear is soon joined by a miniature cowboy - and horse. Boo-Hoo Boone does not like "Injuns."


This movie is so wonderful. Native American dancer Litefoot plays Little Bear with passion. I always cry at the end, at Omri's parting words to his friend.

The only thing I don't like about this film is that Omri's boorish older brothers call each other "butthead," and Omri kicks a rat in a play ball down the stairs.

The Best Beloved Movie Based On Book By Lynne Reid Banks

The Indian In The Cupboard Was The Best. I Rented The VHS From The Library And Watched It. The Setting Was Great And It Was A Really Lot Of Fun.The Spanish Version Of The Indian In The Cupboard Is Called La Llave Magica(Which Means The Magic Key). The Cupboard Was Really Magic When Omri Put The Indian It In And It Camed To Life.The Characters Were The Greatest And The Music Is Beautiful. The VHS Release Of The Indian In The Cupboard Was Released In January 16 1996 6 Months Apart From The Movie's Released Date In July 14 1995.The Indian In The Cupboard Is The Best Movie In 1995.

Great book dumbed down into sappy "morality play"

Having read the book with my children, and being delighted with its imagination, vivid characters and imagery, laugh-out-loud predicaments, and the subtle underlying story of a child's gradual emotional awakening and subsequent sense of human interconnectedness and responsibility -- I absolutely detested this movie. It was almost as if Mr. Oz had a "Humor-and-Depth Detector", pinpointed all of the book's worthwhile scenes and aspects, and then completely DRAINED the story. His characters are shallow and one-dimensional and the most engaging, as well as thoughtful, encounters in the book are missing entirely. THEN he goes and finishes with a beat-'em-over-the-head, ham-handed, condescending "lesson". Bad, bad, BAD. Needless to say, I was not only disappointed in Mr. Oz's film; I was disgusted.

To see this movie with young eyes again...

The movie about a boy who finds a cupboard, that once you put in an action figure or doll, they came to life. I searched high and low for one, and darn it, I never found it. I gave up, or did I? Lol, don't think I'm being serious. I use to love this movie. I still do. Sadly, our copy was sold at our garage sale when we moved out of our home in Canby. But, I'm not getting the DVD. Want to know why? Well, I saw it for the last time when I was 10, or so. I had to cover my mouth from restraining my laughter. I had never realized how bad the acting is. There is one scene where the lead character is panicking because his secrete is about to be exposed. I laughed. I laughed hard. I said goodbye to my copy, and I haven't looked back. I loved it, but I may only get it for when I start teaching. It's not really a movie I would want to watch by myself. At least, not anymore.