The re-imagining is set to star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, with a supporting cast of Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, Billy Brown and Cheech Marin. The only awesome thing about Race so far, is the other bit of casting news. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, the original kid stars of the Escape movies have been cast in the movie as well. Eisenmann will play the local sheriff and Richards will play a waitress at a Roadhouse where the two will help The Rock's cabbie and his two paranormal-powered passengers. While it's always cool to see a nod thrown to original work when something is redone -- especially when it comes to casting -- it always warms the cockles of my heart when child actors get work again as adults. It may be the studio version of a pity-fuck, but at least you know they're not face down in a gutter somewhere or hanging out with Corey Haim.

Aside from the fact that Disney is once again re-doing a favorite movie from my childhood (they had varying degrees of success, in my opinion, with Freaky Friday (thumbs up!) and The Parent Trap (thumbs down!)), already I'm irritated with the name change. For one thing Escape to Witch Mountain was ironic in its own cool way, as any self-respecting young cine-phile knows that one should want to escape FROM a place called Witch Mountain, not TO it, and "Race" makes it sound like a movie about some kind of dumb scavenger hunt that two siblings (without paranormal powers or anything) are forced to do on a camping trip in which lame hijinks ensue. For another, Escape's original sequel, Return to Witch Mountain starred not only Christopher Lee, but Bette Effing Davis as a villainess who was so scary my inner 8 year-old has still not yet recovered.