The Adventures of the Wilderness Family

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stewart Raffill
Produced by	Arthur R. Dubs
Written by	Arthur R. Dubs Stewart Raffill
Starring	Robert Logan Susan Damante-Shaw George Buck Flower
Music by	Gene Kauer Douglas M. Lackey
Cinematography	Gérard Alcan
Distributed by	Pacific International Enterprises
Release date	December 19, 1975
Running time	100 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$31,223,000

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (a.k.a. The Wilderness Family) is a 1975 family movie that stars Robert Logan, George Buck Flower and Susan Damante-Shaw. The film had two sequels: The Further Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1978, a.k.a. Adventures of the Wilderness Family 2) and Mountain Family Robinson (1979, a.k.a. Adventures of the Wilderness Family 3). The filming location was the Gunnison National Forest in the state of Colorado, although the film is set in Canada.

Skip Robinson is a construction worker who lives with his family in Los Angeles, California. Concerned about his daughter's health and the welfare of his family, as well as despising his job, Skip grows tired of the city life and decides to move his family to the Rocky Mountains with no plans to ever return due to the smog and congestion. After moving his wife Pat and two children, eleven-year-old Jennifer and seven-year-old Toby to the wilderness and then building their own cabin near a large lake, they settle in to find out that their new environment isn't always as peaceful as it may appear.

From the start, the Robinson family seemed to be adjusting to their new life in the Canadian wilderness. A few days after finishing building their new cabin, Toby and Skip go out hunting one morning with their dog, Crust and succeed in catching a grouse for the family dinner. Later that day, while climbing along the rocky slopes of a large hill, Skip and his son almost get caught in a deadly landslide. They later find a pair of young grizzly bear cubs who have lost their mother to the same landslide they got caught in. The cubs are quickly adopted into the Robinson family, but Pat and Skip tell their children that sooner or later the cubs would have to be released back into the wild when they are fully grown.

During the next few weeks, the Robinson family slowly adapt to their new life in the mountains. In addition to the two young bear cubs and their family dog, Skip and his family also befriend a raccoon that they find living near their cabin and name him Bandito. While Jenny and Toby are collecting flowers, they encounter cougar cubs near their den. The family receive numerous letters and packages from friends and family back in Los Angeles. Pat receives several letters from her mother and Jenny and Toby are given numerous schoolbooks from the Los Angeles schoolboard. Skip continues hunting for small game and fishing in the nearest creek to provide food for his family, while his wife works around the house and their two children work on their schoolwork.