The Indian in the Cupboard

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Dominic C It exists Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/08/25 Full Review Aaron A Having read this book as a child, I found this to be charming and full of heart. It really moved me and reminded me of much of what I loved about the book. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/12/25 Full Review SkyRo P "The Indian in the Cupboard," released in 1995, tells the enchanting story of a young boy who discovers a mysterious cupboard. With a special key, he brings his toys to life, including an Indian figure, which leads to a thrilling adventure filled with classic cowboy and Indian themes. The boy embarks on a journey to foster a connection between these two worlds. As a child, I cherished this film and believed it to be a timeless classic. It vividly captured the magic of toys coming to life, playing a significant role in shaping my childhood. Unfortunately, I feel that many modern viewers overlook its charm, dismissing it as cheesy or corny. The storyline, direction, and performances all contribute to making "The Indian in the Cupboard" a captivating experience. It held my attention completely as a child, and even as an adult, it evokes the same sense of wonder. I truly enjoy this tale and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone seeking a delightful adventure. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review Kevan G Where else can you watch a movie about an Indian in the cupboard? It was pretty neat when he uses the key in the closet to make the toys come alive and have Darth Vader fight a T-Rex! I loved it when I was 8! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/11/24 Full Review Jacob B I don't think this movie's bad at all. It's not some masterpiece of cinema and it definitely has its problems - the main child actor's performance isn't great and has a tendency to make the same big smile. I think it can be boiled down to director Frank Oz not being used to dealing with children instead of puppets and/or him having to spend a good chunk of the movie reacting to thin air. There's also the fact that the concept has some...alarming implications that seem to suggest the titular character, and others like him, have been inadvertently brought forward in time - but I found The Indian in the Cupboard to be surprisingly enjoyable. The visual effects, while occasionally wonky, have stood the test of time, the interactions between our protagonist with a one-of-a-kind name and the Native American are entertaining (while I pointed out his big goofy smile earlier, he does a good job getting specific reactions when the moment calls for it and the interactions between the big and small characters is all the more impressive when you consider that this was likely done with the same technique for Julia Roberts in Hook where greenscreen was used and may have never actually met each other during filming), the latter character also gets to go through some solid character development alongside a cowboy who's introduced halfway through as they bond over the trauma from their pasts, the film makes good use of its concept allowing for imaginative moments to shine, isn't afraid to deal with darker aspects like a child witnessing death in front of him for the first time (I mean, this is from the director whose biggest 21st-century success was a black comedy called Death at a Funeral and was also the man responsible for The Muppets Take Manhattan a.k.a. the one where Kermit gets hit by a car, so maybe this makes sense when you keep Frank Oz's filmography outside of puppetry in mind) without being too family-unfriendly and sends a decent message. It might not be breathtaking but, with how amazingly mediocre live-action family-oriented movies could be in the '90s and 2000's, it's always nice to find something that actually isn't painful to sit through. Maybe it's the fact that this isn't a comedy. Yeah, that's probably it. P.S. Another reason why perhaps people have treated this movie too harshly: in what other movie are you going to see Darth Vader fighting a dinosaur in a cameo? And, for that matter, seeing him and RoboCop on screen together and it's not a fan film or a spoof? And given how multiverse mania seems to be all the rage these days, what's not to love about that? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/01/23 Full Review Audience Member this is another one of my childhood favorites from way back in the day! oh what memories.... although the only thing I recall about it is the boy Omri played by Hal Scardino discovered that small figurines came to life in this magic cupboard when the doors closed and then opened again Directed by voice actor Frank Oz of ‘Star Wars’ fame it mainly focused on an Indian named Little Bear who befriends him and later they bring a cowboy named Boone into the mix, of course considering humanity's track record they don't see eye-to-eye the music was also very well orchestrated giving such an emotional beat to it this movie is actually based on the 5 part book series by Lynn Reid Banks which turns out holds a lot of discussions about race, stereotypes, colonialism, and the misunderstood teachings of history when it comes to cowboys and Native Americans there's great themes I was surprised this film managed to get across about tolerance, not using people, bringing up racial issues, understanding cultural diversity, not abusing any form of magic we might acquire, and letting things stay where they should stay Omri at one point shares this amazing cupboard with his friend Patrick, naturally he has to understand why they both can't misuse this remarkable power 'Indian in the Cupboard' is full of magic, warmth, amazing lessons for children when it comes to school teachings, not to mention that history is made of real people and not toys that are just made for enjoyment There's a lot we can take from this children's fantasy in many ways; all we can do to prevent this kind of dark history from recurring is to be honest about what happened and the pain it caused, if we can, perhaps the children who read about it will see things differently Truly this is a movie for all children and families to gain a better, more unique understanding of the many tribes this world inhabits learning to see past petty differences making friendship shine as powerful as any form of magic This is a real winner! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Indian in the Cupboard

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