Now You See Him, Now You Don't

Now You See Him, Now You Don't
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Butler
Produced by	Ron Miller
Written by	Joseph L. McEveety
Starring	Kurt Russell Cesar Romero Joe Flynn Jim Backus William Windom
Music by	Robert F. Brunner
Cinematography	Frank V. Phillips
Edited by	Cotton Warburton
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date	July 12, 1972 (1972-07-12)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$4,610,000 (US/Canada) (rentals)

Now You See Him, Now You Don't is a 1972 Walt Disney Productions film starring Kurt Russell as a chemistry student who accidentally discovers the secret to invisibility. It is the sequel to the 1969 film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and was followed by 1975's The Strongest Man in the World .

Now You See Him, Now You Don't was the first Disney film to be shown on television in a two-hour time slot, in 1975. Previous television showings of Disney films had either shown them edited or split into two one-hour time slots.

At Medfield College, science buff Dexter Riley and his friends, including Richard Schuyler and Debbie Dawson, eavesdrop via a hidden walkie-talkie on a board meeting led by Dean Eugene Higgins, discussing the small college's continuing precarious finances. Later that afternoon, Professor Lufkin shows Higgins around the science lab where Dexter is working on an experiment with invisibility and another student, Druffle, explores the flight of bumblebees. That night, unknown to anyone, during a powerful thunderstorm, the roof of the lab is struck by lightning, sending a current of electricity down a metal beam and through Dexter's complex experiment components. The next day, as Dexter examines his burnt equipment with dismay, Higgins meets with A.J. Arno, a recently released prisoner, who had also purchased Medfield's mortgage. When Dexter accidentally drops one half of his glasses into a container of his experimental formula, it appears as if the substance destroys them, but upon closer examination, Dexter realizes the frames are merely partially invisible. After several excited tests, Dexter boldly places his fingers in the liquid and they disappear. Schuyler and Debbie arrive and are horrified to see Dexter with a partial hand, but Dexter insists Schuyler test the substance as well, admitting only afterward that he does not yet have an antidote.

Just then, Higgins brings Arno to visit the lab, stunning the students, as only two years earlier, Dexter was instrumental in exposing Arno's crooked gambling scheme. Although distracted by the condition of their partially visible hands, Dexter and the others notice that Arno is more concerned with the campus architecture than Higgins' curriculum speech. After Arno and Higgins depart, Dexter and Schuyler try washing their hands to remove the formula. Curious about Arno's behavior, Dexter convinces Schuyler to use the invisibility formula to sneak into Arno's office that night to look around. Although they are nearly discovered when Schuyler steps into a puddle, making his tennis shoes visible, the boys get inside Arno's office where they find a model of Medfield College redesigned as sprawling gambling establishment. After taking photos of the model, the boys flee with Debbie's help.