Angels in the Outfield Marks 30th Anniversary
Now Streaming on Disney+ to Mark the Milestone Anniversary
Angels in the Outfield—one of a few baseball films about kids in the early 1990s—marks the 30th anniversary of its 1994 theatrical release.
As the film hits Disney+ to celebrate the anniversary, it’s easily the weakest of the bunch (The Sandlot, Little Big League, Rookie of the Year). Until the 30th anniversary, it really had not been made available on streaming services. In short, the only options were the library or physical media, if at all. Anyway, the theatrical release came just over a month before the MLB strike. As you know, this led to a premature end of the 1994 season. The film’s release came just a few short weeks after Little Big League opened in theaters, before developing as a cult classic with frequent airings on the MLB Network.
A pair of foster children, Roger Bomman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his friend, J.P. (Milton Davis Jr.). Roger doesn’t have much contact with his father (Dermot Mulroney). When he does see him, he asks when they’ll be a family again. To which his dad responds, “From where I’m sitting, I’d say when the Angels win the pennant.” Roger does want any kid wanting to reunite with their parents would do. He prays to G-d for the Angels to win. Next thing you know, Roger attends an Angels game with JP and sees angels on the field, led by Al (Christopher Lloyd). Nobody else can see them, not even manager George Knox (Danny Glover).
Both Roger and J.P. soon become regulars at Angels games at the request of Knox. After all, Roger knows when there are angels on the field and they develop a signal. As far as baseball action goes, some of it is just not realistic. But again, that's the fantasy of it all. Still though, there’s no way that the baseball could do any of that during a game!
Because of their heavenly help, the Angels start making a run at winning the division. However, there are some who have grudges and will do anything to get Knox fired, including broadcaster Ranch Wilder (Jay O. Sanders) but Knox’s players defend him. Owner Hank Murphy (Ben Johnson) ultimately keeps Knox at the helm. While the Angels aren’t able to win a championship with the aid of angels, there’s still a happy ending: Murphy loses his job and Knox adopts both kids.
A key reason for utilizing the then-California Angels is because of The Walt Disney Company being a minority owner at the time. That was back when the company invested in sports teams, including the Anaheim Mighty Ducks! In any event, using the Angels also allowed for more punny dialogue. Imagine a kid saying that they see an angel on the field—any adult would surely thing that they were just talking about one of the 25 players and the coaching staff. Right?
Angels in the Outfield otherwise does its best and despite the slapstick comedy of it all, it really is the weakest baseball film of the early 1990s.
DIRECTOR: William Dear
SCREENWRITERS: Dorothy Kingsley & George Wells and Holly Goldberg Sloan
CAST: Danny Glover, Tony Danza, Brenda Fricker, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Johnson, Jay O. Sanders, Taylor Negron, Milton Davis Jr., and Christopher Lloyd, Tony Longo, Neal McDonough, Stoney Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Adrien Brody, Tim Conlon, Israel Juarbe, Albert Alexander Garcia