The Indian in the Cupboard (film)
Encyclopedia
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...

 based on the children's book of the same name
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard is a children's book by British author Lynne Reid Banks, and illustrated by Brock Cole. It was first published in 1980, and has received numerous awards, as well as being made into a film in 1995....

 by Lynne Reid Banks
Lynne Reid Banks
Lynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults.She has written forty books, including the best-selling children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard, which has sold over 10 million copies and has been successfully adapted to film. Her first novel, The L-Shaped Room, published...

. The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday. He later discovers that putting toy figures in the cupboard, after locking and unlocking it, brings the toys to life.

The film starred Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino is an American former child actor best known for having played the leading role in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard...

 as Omri, Litefoot
Litefoot
Gary Paul Davis , better known by his stage name Litefoot, is a Native American rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard.-Personal life:...

 as Little Bear, Lindsay Crouse
Lindsay Crouse
-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...

, Richard Jenkins
Richard Jenkins
Richard Dale Jenkins is an American stage, film, and television actor. After beginning his career in theatre, Jenkins made his film debut in 1974, and appeared in supporting roles in numerous film productions in the 1980s and the 1990s. His breakthrough came in the 2000s for playing the deceased...

, Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat is a former child actor and internet entrepreneur. He co-starred alongside Hal Scardino and Litefoot in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard, for which he received a Young Artist Award nomination...

 as Omri's friend Patrick, Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...

 as Tommy Atkins, and David Keith
David Keith
David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...

 as Boone the Cowboy. It was directed by famous Muppetteer Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...

. The movie was distributed by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

 (US theater release and TV broadcast rights and US home video release) and Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 (Non-US theater release and Non-US video release).

Plot

On his ninth birthday, Omri (Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino is an American former child actor best known for having played the leading role in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard...

) receives an old cupboard from his brother and a little Indian figure made of plastic from his best friend (Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat is a former child actor and internet entrepreneur. He co-starred alongside Hal Scardino and Litefoot in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard, for which he received a Young Artist Award nomination...

). 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 afterwards, 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 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
Litefoot
Gary Paul Davis , better known by his stage name Litefoot, is a Native American rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard.-Personal life:...

). During Little Bear's stay with Omri, Omri learns a lot about the Iroquois. Omri also learns that Little Bear has a deceased wife.

Eventually, Omri reveals his secret to his friend Patrick who immediately wants to get in on the fun. Ignoring Omri's protests, Patrick brings to life a cowboy from 1879 called Boone (David Keith
David Keith
David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...

). Boone and Little Bear are initially unfriendly towards one another, but are forced to behave themselves when Omri reluctantly agrees with Patrick to bring them to school. Their cover is nearly blown when Patrick almost shows Boone and Little Bear (now friends) to some classmates and he and Omri began arguing in the hallway.

Back home, Omri shows a female Indian figure to Little Bear which he intends to bring to life to give Little Bear a new wife. Just as he is about to lock the figure in the cupboard, he and Patrick (who is spending the night) are shocked to find the cupboard is missing. Omri's brother confesses he hid the cupboard in the downstairs closet as means of getting back at Omri for hiding the ball his brother keeps his pet rat in. When Omri retrieves the cupboard, he discovers that the key is gone.

That night, Omri and Patrick, along with Little Bear and Boone, watch a program on TV that shows a relentless slaughter of Indians by cowboys. Boone is enthusiastic at the sight of his 'boys' killing the helpless Indians while Little Bear watches in terror at the sight of his 'people' being massacred. Out of confusion and hearing Boone fire his revolver into the air with delightful cheering and applause, Little Bear fires an arrow into Boone's chest, knocking him unconscious. Making matters worse is when Omri's mother warns that Omri's brother's pet rat has escaped and is hidden somewhere under the wooden floors.

Later that night, Omri and Patrick find the key jammed between two floor boards and accidentally push it down out of sight while trying to retrieve it. Little Bear goes under the floor and manages to return the key to Omri just before he is nearly killed by the pet rat. With the key back, Omri brings to life Tommy Atkins (Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...

), a British Army medic to treat Boone's wounds. While the still unconscious cowboy is being examined, Omri realizes it is time to return Little Bear and Boone to their respective time periods where they belong. Shortly after Omri locks Tommy Atkins back in the cupboard, Boone awakes and forgives Little Bear.

The next morning, Omri and Patrick say their goodbyes to their little friends before locking them back in the cupboard. Just before saying goodbye Omri has a vision of a life sized Little Bear telling him that when he returns to his real time he will take Omri on as his nephew. The film ends with Omri at school reading a journal entry where he assures everyone that although he will never know where or how Little Bear may be he does not worry about him anymore and knows deep down that Little Bear will continue to look after his people.

Cast

  • Hal Scardino
    Hal Scardino
    Hal Scardino is an American former child actor best known for having played the leading role in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard...

     as Omri
  • Litefoot
    Litefoot
    Gary Paul Davis , better known by his stage name Litefoot, is a Native American rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard.-Personal life:...

     as Little Bear
  • David Keith
    David Keith
    David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...

     as Boone
  • Lindsay Crouse
    Lindsay Crouse
    -Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...

     as Jane
  • Richard Jenkins
    Richard Jenkins
    Richard Dale Jenkins is an American stage, film, and television actor. After beginning his career in theatre, Jenkins made his film debut in 1974, and appeared in supporting roles in numerous film productions in the 1980s and the 1990s. His breakthrough came in the 2000s for playing the deceased...

     as Victor
  • Rishi Bhat
    Rishi Bhat
    Rishi Bhat is a former child actor and internet entrepreneur. He co-starred alongside Hal Scardino and Litefoot in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard, for which he received a Young Artist Award nomination...

     as Patrick
  • Steve Coogan
    Steve Coogan
    Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...

     as Tommy Atkins
  • Vincent Kartheiser
    Vincent Kartheiser
    Vincent Paul Kartheiser is an American actor known for playing Connor in Angel and Pete Campbell in Mad Men.-Early life:Kartheiser was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Janet Marie and James Ralph Kartheiser...

     as Gillon
  • Nestor Serrano
    Nestor Serrano
    Nestor Serrano is an American film and television actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law.Serrano began his acting career in off-Broadway plays in the late 1970s. His first film was the 1986 Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit...

     as Teacher
  • Ryan Olson as Adiel
  • Michael Papajohn
    Michael Papajohn
    Michael Papajohn is an American actor, stuntman and former college baseball player for the LSU Tigers baseball team.-Early life:...

     as Cardassian
  • Frank Welker
    Frank Welker
    Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

     as Special Vocal Effects

Production

Special effects created the illusion of three-inch tall characters such as Little Bear, Boone, and Tommy the Medic. One scene had Boone being thrown from his horse and Boone falls to the floor but is captured in Omri's hands. Another has a teacher asking Patrick to show what he and
Omri were quarreling about; Boone and Little Bear pose as inanimate toys on Patrick's hand so as not to give themselves away.

A mock up of a giant sneaker was used during a fight scene involving Little Bear and Boone. One early scene shows Little Bear cautiously walking onto Omri's hand and stand in (Christopher James), and the boy marvels at how "real" the Indian looks. The Chief was played by 75-year-old Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

y actor George Randall.

Reception

The film currently secures a 68% rating of "Fresh" on the movie review scaling site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

.

Additionally, both Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat
Rishi Bhat is a former child actor and internet entrepreneur. He co-starred alongside Hal Scardino and Litefoot in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard, for which he received a Young Artist Award nomination...

 and Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino is an American former child actor best known for having played the leading role in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard...

 received Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

 nominations.

Box Office

The movie debuted at number six. However, the film made only $35 million on a $45 million budget.

External links

  • The Indian in the Cupboard
  • "Animated Indians: Critique and Contradiction in Commodified Children's Culture" by Pauline Turner Strong
    Pauline Turner Strong
    Pauline Turner Strong is an American anthropologist specializing in literary, historical, ethnographic, media, and popular representations of Native Americans. Theoretically her work has considered colonial and postcolonial representation, identity and alterity, and hybridity...

     discusses Pocahontas (1995 film)
    Pocahontas (1995 film)
    Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...

    and The Indian in the Cupboard
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