Disney+ is picking up a classic 1980s movie this month — Adventures in Babysitting. The original film will be available to stream starting on Friday, June 25, according to Disney‘s latest batch of announcements. The 2016 remake is available on Disney+ already.
Adventures in Babysitting originally came out in 1987, written by David Simkins and directed by Chris Columbus in his directorial debut. It stars Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp and Maia Brewton in a comedic take on the idea of a babysitting job gone completely out of control. Shue plays Christina, a 17-year-old babysitter who takes a job caring for 8-year-old Sarah (Brewton) reluctantly after her boyfriend stands her up. Sarah’s 15-year-old brother Brad (Coogan) and his friend Daryl (Rapp) hang around in order to spend time with an uninterested Chris, and the four of them are whisked away on an ill-advised coming-of-age adventure.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The movie was successful in its time, earning about $34.4 million at the box office and more on home video in the years to follow. It was reasonably well-received by critics as well, with a 72 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. The critical consensus reads: “Sweet and spry, Adventures in Babysitting gets by on its amiable tone.”
Adventures in Babysitting was adapted for TV in 1989 as well, though the pilot was never sold. It was under consideration by CBS, with Jennifer Guthrie taking the starring role as Chris. However, the remake did come to be made after a long development starting in 2010. Early on, Raven-Symoné was rumored to be the star of the remake, but according to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times she had other projects to work on.
Ultimately, the remake came out on the Disney Channel, with a different storyline from the original. This time, Sabrina Carpenter and Sofia Carson starred as Jenny Parker and Lola Perez, competing babysitters who wind up sharing a job babysitting the Andersons through a phone mixup. Again, they and their charges are swept away on a dangerous adventure of self-discovery.
Adventures in Babysitting was momentous at the time because it was the 100th Disney Channel original movie, so the network aired a marathon of all 99 other movies before the premiere. It lasted all Memorial Day weekend in 2016, and culminated in decent ratings for the reboot.
Now, fans can watch both movies any time thanks to Disney+. The original movie joins the streaming service on Friday, June 25, and new users can get a free trial here.
