Tom and Huck (1995)

Being a good friend can be difficult, but the rewards are great. Two unruly boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, pledge their friendship to one another in anticipation of days filled with fun and laughter. Instead, the two witness a graveyard murder and swear an oath of silence to protect their own lives. Treasure hunting and Tom's budding friendship with his classmate Becky pale when the boys' silence threatens to allow an innocent man to hang for the crime, and Tom must choose between keeping his pact with Huck and justice for his friend Muff Potter. This 1995 Disney presentation of Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, featuring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom and Brad Renfro as Huck, reaffirms the notion that "When a friend's in trouble, you can't just run away." (Ages 5 and older) --Tami Horiuchi Amazon.com

Fun family movie

I ordered this as a replacement for a worn out copy. It's great to find a family movie the kids will watch more than once. January 6, 2009

Why did they have to ruin a great classic movie by saying G--D---

I was excited to watch this movie with my daughter who just completed the book. And very excited to see how she had retained so much of the book, and was really enjoying this classic--------SO DISAPPOINTED to find the unnecessary language in a CHILD's classic-------What was/is Disney thinking---why did they feel they had to place G--D--- in an otherwise wonderful movie. October 1, 2008

Tom and Huck

The product was everything I expected. The delivery was great - I really needed it here quickly and that worked perfectly. August 28, 2008

Fun but Flawed Star Vehicle

Tom Sawyer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is being best friends with fellow orphan Huckleberry Finn (Brad Renfro). Against his Aunt Polly's (Amy Wright) wishes, Tom spends every moment he can with Huck.

And that leads to trouble. When they sneak into a cemetery late one night, they witness Injun Joe (Eric Schweig) kill Doc Robinson (William Newman) and frame drunk Muff Potter (Michael McShane) for it. Knowing that Injun Joe will come after them if they squeal, they take a vow of silence.

There is plenty of fun around town, especially when pretty new girl Becky Thatcher (Rachael Leigh Cook) is around. But Tom can't get the murder out of his mind, especially when Muff goes to trial. Will he do the right thing?

It's funny that this movie is called Tom and Huck since it is obviously based on Twain's Tom Sawyer and just as obviously created as a star vehicle for Jonathan Taylor Thomas during the height of his popularity. They try to clean up his character, which is a shame because he would have been brilliant as the quick thinking, trouble causing Tom of the book. Instead, here he is more Huck's follower, and there seems a bit of hero worship to their relationship, with Huck being too cool for the younger Tom.

This movie does include many of the famous scenes from the novel. And there is plenty of fun along the way. The funniest scene is the scene in the church. The novel still pulls it off best, but this one comes close.

But this movie is also scarier than many takes on the story. Injun Joe is down right creepy, and there are several scenes that might scare the younger members of the viewing audience.

Despite the fun, I just can't get over how they've changed the characters. This isn't a bad version of the Twain classic, but it isn't good either. July 2, 2008

TWISTED TWAIN

Any fan of Mark Twain's writing will be appalled at what this particular Disney version has done to it. This one takes liberties with the classic characters never before dared. A perfect example of the complete disregard for Twain's authentic sense of time and place is the laughable fact that neither Tom or Huck ever once are seen barefoot, an absolute hallmark of the characters! The old David O. Selznick production is far superior! April 4, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...