The Sugar Creek Gang

If you are looking for some good, clean, fun family films, be sure to check out the “Sugar Creek Gang.” This DVD series is based on a set of books published in the 1940’s to 1960’s by Paul Hutchens, which in turn were based on the author’s own childhood experiences. These nostalgic stories tell about a group of children growing up in 1950’s rural America along the banks of Sugar Creek. Published by Moody, the books remain popular with homeschoolers today because of their Christian values.

Georgia-based production company Kalon Media did a great job bringing the beloved Sugar Creek series to life. Filmmakers Joy Chapman and Owen Smith wrote, produced, and directed all five episodes of the gang’s live-action adventures. The movies contain lots of picturesque Georgia scenery including woods, fields, farms, creeks, rivers, waterfalls, an old cabin and a quaint one-room schoolhouse. They really capture the sense of innocent old-fashioned adventure from the books, and the child actors are very genuine and fun to watch. You can tell that everyone involved had a blast making these movies!

Titles (in order) include: “Swamp Robber,” “The Great Canoe Fish,” “Revival Villains,” “Secret Hideout,” and “Teacher Trouble.” Each episode in the series can stand on its own, but the story lines are also interrelated. So it would be best to have the complete collection, but if you only get one of them it should definitely be “Revival Villains.” Although the title may not sound quite as exciting as the other ones, it is by far their finest masterpiece. The hauntingly beautiful music, creative photography, symbolic imagery, touching storyline and powerful Biblical message will stay with you long after the movie is over.

Parents wishing for some good wholesome family entertainment will appreciate this series. The Sugar Creek Gang movies contain absolutely nothing to offend anyone. There is one tense scene where a husband and wife are arguing and the husband storms off in a fury with his son running after him calling for his dad to come back. However, this all-too realistic situation is handled gently and it is resolved satisfactorily.

All ages will enjoy these movies, from young children to senior citizens. We have the whole set of DVDs and we like watching them together as a family, while our 7- and 12-year old boys also like viewing them over and over again by themselves. The Sugar Creek Gang is truly a family movie in more ways than one. Whole families in real life got together to film this series, with parents of the child actors participating behind the scenes.

Just so you know, the Sugar Creek Gang movies are faithful to the original stories, but they also contain some plot and character changes as is usually the case when bringing a book to the big screen. The most extreme difference was casting Circus as a girl instead of a boy which was a bit disconcerting at first, and Charlotte Ann is 7 years old in the movie but she was a baby in the books. Nevertheless, fans of the books will enjoy these films, and fans of the movies will want to get the books.

The five episodes of The Sugar Creek Gang were released at regular intervals throughout 2005 - 2006. The DVDs include additional special features such as photo galleries, behind the scenes documentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, trailers, interviews, full length audio commentary, and the fifth episode has footage of the red carpet premiere at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta which took place on November 19, 2004. Movie fans will have fun watching this! In addition, anyone who pre-ordered the DVDs got to see their names at the end of the credits. Look for ours in "Revival Villains." For more information and to view the movie trailers, visit www.TheSugarCreekGang.com.

P.S. If you enjoy The Sugar Creek Gang movies, you will like Owen Smith's newest film, My Christmas Soldier. It's already become a Christmas classic at our house. See: www.mychristmassoldier.com.

These pages are a continuous work in progress.
Copyright © 2000- by Teri Ann Berg Olsen
All rights reserved.

WWW Search This Site

Visit my other website - www.ArizonaEdventures.com - click here to explore Arizona!

Help Support this Site

ATTENTION: Advertisers, Publishers, Site Owners, and Home Businesses! Place Your Ad Here

LK Want to see YOUR ad here? Click for details

Google ad content
may not necessarily
represent the views
or endorsement of
Knowledge House.