Review #872: The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)

Title: The Indian in the Cupboard
Year: 1995
Director: Frank Oz
Country: US
Language: English

Adapted by screenwriter Melissa Mathison (E.T. the Extraterrestrial) from Lynne Reid Banks' popular children's book, and directed by ex-Muppeteer Frank Oz (The Little Shop of Horrors), Indian in the Cupboard seems to be best left in the 1990's, when the world wasn't so fixated on political correctness in children's movies. I can't imagine this film (or it's title) actually making it to theatres in the 2010's, not that it's has racist overtones, but race in general nowadays is a subject one would has to walk on eggshells with. 

On his ninth birthday a boy receives many presents. Two of them first seem to be less important: an old cupboard from his brother and a little Indian (Indigenous, aboriginal etc.) figure made of plastic from his best friend. The cupboard turns the (insert correct wording) toy into a living person (albeit same size) 

Indian in the Cupboard works best when focused on the enticing mystery at the center-point of the picture. This film's real-world characters are never as interesting as, say, a shootout in which tiny arrows make the lights flash on a boy's gigantic running shoe. It's a gimmick that can remind one of Toy Story, albeit that had far more energy and its gimmick didn't lose my interest halfway through the picture.

Frank Oz, who injected most of his pictures with humor and vivacity, seems to have dropped that here. Even the music is banal and lacks any sense of place. Oz does a good job at treating the Iroquois man with dignity, but he is so focused on making a poignant statement about racism that he seems overly cautious and treads a bit too lightly. 

The special effects wizardry is unique no doubt, albeit the many uses of close-ups suggest Oz and his cinematographer were limited in skill. Indian in the Cupboard is a clean, family-friendly, somewhat whitewashed picture about race relations that unfortunately is a bit dated compared to other films from the 90's. I enjoyed it as a kid, tolerated it as an adult.