A seemingly normal young boy is found abandoned on a mountain road and adopted by a family who are increasingly amazed by his abilities before discovering the secret behind his real identity... Read allA seemingly normal young boy is found abandoned on a mountain road and adopted by a family who are increasingly amazed by his abilities before discovering the secret behind his real identity.A seemingly normal young boy is found abandoned on a mountain road and adopted by a family who are increasingly amazed by his abilities before discovering the secret behind his real identity.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
Ed Grady
- Mr. Bergen
- (as Ed L. Grady)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe scenes with all of the computers at the military base were filmed in the backstage computer rooms at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center.
- Goofs(at around 36 mins) When Joyce teaches D.A.R.Y.L. how to play the piano, D.A.R.Y.L. demonstrates his grasp of the piece's rhythm by saying, "Whole note, two half notes, and four quarters to a measure", a perfect description of 4/4 time. However, they play a piece in 6/8 time.
- Quotes
Dr. Ellen Lamb: General, a machine becomes human when you can't tell the difference anymore.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: D.A.R.Y.L./Cocoon/Return to Oz (1985)
- SoundtracksSomewhere I Belong
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Performed by Teddy Pendergrass
Produced by Nile Rodgers
Available on Elektra/Asylum Records & Tapes
Featured review
Eighties sci-fi fun!
'D.A.R.Y.L.' is an adorable little sci-fi children's film from the Eighties and will certainly conjure feelings of nostalgia in those who watched it as children. The film revolves around ten-year-old Daryl, who is found wandering alone in the wilderness and is fostered by childless couple Joyce and Andy Richardson. He quickly befriends their neighbours' son Turtle and goes from strength-to-strength in his new home. However, it soon becomes apparent that Daryl isn't quite normal. His intellect is vast, he has excellent sporting reflexes and acts in an oddly adult manner. Then, when two military scientists turn up at the Richardsons' home to retrieve him, it turns out Daryl is not a human child but a Data Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform, created in a science lab to serve the military. When the military orders that Daryl be destroyed, the fight to save him and return him to the family home where he was loved is on...
Barret Oliver plays the title character of Daryl, gives an effective performance and nicely depicts his character gradually changing from being odd and awkward to acting like a typical boy of ten. Mary Beth Hurt and Michael McKean, as Joyce and Andy, also give good depictions of foster parents desperate for a child, uncertain about the strange nature of Daryl yet coming to love him as if he were their own. Josef Sommer plays the scientist who begins to question the boundaries of what is considered human once he starts to know Daryl, the robot he created, properly. And Ron Frazier, as General Graycliffe who is intent on seeing Daryl destroyed, depicts his character in a suitably loathsome light!
Besides the nostalgia factor for those in their twenties and early thirties, this film will not only be enjoyable for children of today but, as we live in the computer age, brings up very relevant issues that they can consider such as what being a human means and why blood relations doesn't always matter when it comes to family. Daryl, for younger viewers, is the equivalent of Data from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' so perhaps making this film a good choice for parents wishing to introduce their young kids to the sci-fi genre.
This is definitely an Eighties kids' classic but also one for all the family.
Barret Oliver plays the title character of Daryl, gives an effective performance and nicely depicts his character gradually changing from being odd and awkward to acting like a typical boy of ten. Mary Beth Hurt and Michael McKean, as Joyce and Andy, also give good depictions of foster parents desperate for a child, uncertain about the strange nature of Daryl yet coming to love him as if he were their own. Josef Sommer plays the scientist who begins to question the boundaries of what is considered human once he starts to know Daryl, the robot he created, properly. And Ron Frazier, as General Graycliffe who is intent on seeing Daryl destroyed, depicts his character in a suitably loathsome light!
Besides the nostalgia factor for those in their twenties and early thirties, this film will not only be enjoyable for children of today but, as we live in the computer age, brings up very relevant issues that they can consider such as what being a human means and why blood relations doesn't always matter when it comes to family. Daryl, for younger viewers, is the equivalent of Data from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' so perhaps making this film a good choice for parents wishing to introduce their young kids to the sci-fi genre.
This is definitely an Eighties kids' classic but also one for all the family.
helpful•131
- cosmic_quest
- Oct 19, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- DARYL
- Filming locations
- 716 Euclid Avenue, Orlando, Florida, USA(house: home of Andy and Joyce Richardson)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,840,873
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,649,832
- Jun 16, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $7,840,873
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content