on the island, and the family waves goodbye to Ernst as he, the captain, and the ship's crew set out for England. The film ends when the elephant runs to the sea, catching Ernst, as Francis tries to bring him back. Cast John Mills as Father Robinson Dorothy McGuire as Mother Robinson James MacArthur as Fritz Robinson Janet Munro as Roberta Sessue Hayakawa as Kuala, the pirate captain Tommy Kirk as Ernst Robinson Kevin Corcoran as Francis Robinson Cecil Parker as Captain Moreland Andy Ho as Auban, a pirate Milton Reid as Big Pirate Larry Taylor as Battoo, a pirate Production Development The film is based upon Der Schweizerische Robinson (translated as The Swiss Family Robinson), a book written by Johann David Wyss. RKO Pictures had previously made an adaptation in 1940, directed by Edward Ludwig. After watching that movie, Walt Disney and Bill Anderson decided to produce their own version of the story. Anderson talked with director Ken Annakin during filming of another live-action Disney picture, Third Man on the Mountain, near Zermatt (Switzerland). Ken Annakin had also worked with Disney in the 1953 adventure film The Sword and the Rose. During his stay in Switzerland, Annakin read the book and he wondered why Disney wanted to make a story so outdated. There were several meetings to decide filming locations. There was talk of making the film in a studio in Burbank, California or filming on location in a natural environment. Annakin wanted to film in Ceylon, and the associate producer Basil Keys, in East Africa. Bill Anderson stressed that they should examine the Caribbean. They visited Jamaica and Trinidad, but it was not what they wanted. Somebody in Trinidad told them of a nearby island, Tobago. When they saw the island for the first time, they "fell instantly in love", and they sent a telegram to Anderson, who traveled to Tobago and found it fitted to their needs. However, one of the drawbacks of this choice was that the island had no local wildlife. Once Walt Disney accepted, cast and crew got their shots and passports for a stay of six months in Tobago. Filming began in August 1959 and was a wrap just before Christmas 1959. The closeups of the stars on the animals—to complete the animal race scene around the treehouse—was done in January of the new year. Filming Richmond Bay was featured prominently as the