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A Kid in King Arthur's Court is a 1995 film directed by Michael Gottlieb, produced by Trimark Pictures, and released by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States. It's based on the famous Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, transplanted into the twentieth century.

The short cartoon Runaway Brain was included in the film's original theatrical release.

Trimark later released a direct-to-video sequel A Kid in Aladdin's Palace in 1998, which had no involvement with Disney.

Plot summary[]

Calvin Fuller is a nerdy young adolescent living in Reseda, California. The gangly, unsure youth is first seen at a baseball game, standing at bat for his team, the Knights, ready for yet another strike out. Suddenly an earthquake hits; as the others run for safety, the ground opens up under Calvin's boots and he falls through the chasm. Eventually he lands on the head of a 6th-century black knight. Upon hearing of his miraculous appearance, the elderly King Arthur, seeing him as the savior whose appearance Merlin has predicted, dubs the boy Calvin of Reseda and invites him to dine with the court.

Calvin begins his knight training to help Arthur retain his crown. When the earthquake hit, Calvin had just grabbed his knapsack, a fact that enables him to wow the Arthurians with his futuristic "magic", including an introduction to rock and roll via CD player, and a Swiss Army knife. The young wizard also shows them how to make inline rollerskates. His work wins him adulation and renown; but it also rouses the jealousy of the Lord Belasco, who will use any means to take over the throne. Meanwhile, Calvin finds himself falling in love with young Princess Katey. After he helps Arthur keep the crown, he is returned to the 20th century just before the moment when he struck out, and he steps up to the plate: this time, he is ready and hits a home run. He is greeted by his teammates - including a girl who looks like Katey - and is looked on by spectator who looks like Arthur, who is whittling a piece of wood with a pocketknife - the same knife Calvin gave King Arthur.

Cast[]

  • Thomas Ian Nicholas as Calvin Fuller
  • Joss Ackland as King Arthur
  • Art Malik as Lord Belasco
  • Paloma Baeza as Princess Katey
  • Kate Winslet as Princess Sarah
  • Daniel Craig as Master Kane
  • David Tysall as Ratan
  • Ron Moody as Merlin
  • Barry Stanton as Blacksmith
  • Michael Mehlnan as Shop owner
  • Melanie Oettinger as Peasant woman
  • Rebecca Denton as Washer woman
  • Michael Kelly as Apprentice
  • Louise Rosner as Lady in waiting
  • Paul Rosner as Peasant boy
  • Béla Unger as Head guard
  • Shane Rimmer as Coach
  • Tim Wickham as Ricky Baker
  • Daniel Bennett as Howell
  • Debora Weston as Mom
  • Vincent Marzello as Dad
  • Catherine Blake as Maya
  • J.P. Guerin as Umpire

Production[]

Most of the 6th-century portion of the film was shot in Budapest, Hungary, while the majority of the 20th-century portion was filmed in late September 1994, at the softball field of London Central High School (LCHS), an American institution at RAF Daws Hill, High Wycombe, England.[1] Dozens of LCHS pupils sought to participate in the project; those with permission from their teachers were allowed to venture to the shooting location, where they were auditioned and costumed. The "Ventilate 'em, Calvin" line spoken by one of the protagonist's teammates was originally offered to upperclassman Shane Bursae, but was instead given to freshman Jerome Brumby after he was heard advising Bursae on his delivery. Bursae became the double for the pitcher, performing in all of the pitching shots in that portion of the film. Years after the green dug outs were taken down and were replace with a more modern look. The green dug outs were put in a local wood and broken up by LCHS'ers Mike Poore and Mike Fobes in 2000.

Gallery[]

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