Kidnapped [VHS]
Sold into shipboard slavery by his wicked uncle, the newly orphaned David Balfour turns his misfortune into adventure in this Disney adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Before he can get back to the Scottish Lowlands to claim his birthright, the young man experiences mutiny, shipwreck, clan wars, trickery, illness, and bagpipe playing. Most of this is at the side of the high-spirited Highlander Alan Breck. The Stewart clan leader crashes into his prison ship, jumps aboard, and commandeers both the ship and the boy's life, tutoring him in the ways of subterfuge, battle, and loyalty. Despite the relatively heavy subject matter, the tone is light and the action swift. Add the gorgeous--and genuine--Celtic scenery, and it makes for a quickly passed 95 minutes. Although this 1960 film has no graphic violence, a boy is killed aboard ship and other more anonymous characters die, making this tale more appropriate for gradeschoolers and up.--Kimberly Heinrichs