  escape to witch mountain is a science fiction novel written by alexander h. key in 1968. it was adapted into a film of the same name by walt disney productions in 1975, directed by john hough. a remake directed by peter rader was released in 1995. race to witch mountain, a new telling directed by andy fickman, opened theatrically march 13, 2009. == novel == the novel written by alexander key is about two orphaned siblings, tony and tia, who have paranormal abilities. tony possesses the ability of telekinesis, which he can access most readily through playing music, particularly his harmonica. tia's powers include the ability to unlock any door by touch and communicate with animals. both siblings can communicate via ultrasonic speech audible only to each other; but tia cannot speak normally and is regarded as strange because of this. it is later revealed that tia is not unusual in this respect, but tony is; few of their kind have the ability to speak out loud. after their foster guardian, mrs. malone, dies, they are placed by social services in a juvenile detention home under grim, unwholesome conditions, where tia befriends a black cat, winkie. both have suppressed memories of their past, but discover a clue in an old road map hidden along with a cache of money in tia's "star box", a leather purse-like box with a double-star design on it. in a chance encounter with a nun who is an art teacher, the nun reveals that she once received a letter on stationery with an identical design. the writer, a blue ridge mountains resident with "a name like caroway, or garroway, or hideaway" sought information on students who had "unusual aptitudes". when a man claiming to be the brother of their deceased father shows up at the detention center to take custody of them, they instinctively know he is not their uncle and has ulterior motives. unfortunately, when they attempt to reach the nun they find that she has died. with the assistance of an inner-city roman catholic priest, father o'day, the pair run away, following the map's route leading towards the blue ridge mountains. as their memories begin to return, they realize that they are actually of extraterrestrial origin, their people having come to earth because their own planet was dying. through a series of hardships, tony and tia find their way to their own people. when their would-be captor, lucas deranian (who o'day earlier in the novel had likened to the devil), attempts to interrogate father o'day, the priest speaks to the effect that god is capable of creating many worlds and many peoples; that there are "mysteries far beyond [deranian's] narrow dreaming"
1960s_science_fiction_novels 1968_novels 1982_television_films American_novels_adapted_into_films American_science_fiction_novels American_television_films Children\'s_science_fiction_novels Films_directed_by_Robert_Day Novels_about_orphans Television_pilots_not_picked_up_as_a_series Television_sequel_films Witch_Mountain_films