Radio Flyer (1992)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two brothers attempt to build a flying machine to escape their abusive stepfather's home.
The story
In 1969, 11-year-old Mike and 8-year-old Bobby relocate from New Jersey to Novato, California, after their father leaves. They move in with their mother, Mary, and her new husband, Jack MacKenzie. Unbeknownst to Mary, Jack is an alcoholic who frequently beats Bobby. To cope with the abuse, the boys seek adventures and explore their surroundings. After an incident involving an anti-monster potion leads to Bobby's hospitalization, the brothers begin to devise a plan to help Bobby escape Jack's reach permanently.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1969, Mike and Bobby move to California with their mother, Mary, and her new husband, Jack MacKenzie. Jack is an abusive alcoholic who beats Bobby. The boys spend their time exploring and seeking adventures to escape the reality of their home life. After Bobby is hospitalized by Jack, the brothers decide to build a flying machine based on an urban legend about a boy who flew off a cliff. They scavenge parts and use Jack's tools to build a plane in their shed. When Jack discovers their plan and tries to stop them, the boys take the device to a cliff. Bobby speeds down the hill, knocking out Jack and soaring into the air while Mike and Shane watch. Mary arrives with a police officer who arrests Jack. In the present day, an older Mike tells his sons this story to emphasize the importance of keeping a promise.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Richard Donner
- Writers
- David Mickey Evans · writer
- Cast and characters
- Lorraine Bracco · Mary Marshall; John Heard · Officer Jim Daugherty; Elijah Wood · Michael “Mike” Marshall; Tom Hanks · Older Mike / Narrator (uncredited); Joseph Mazzello · Robert “Bobby” Marshall; Adam Baldwin · Jack "The King" MacKenzie (Jack's face is barely seen throughout the film); Ben Johnson · Bill "Geronimo Bill"; Garette Ratliff · Chad
- Genres
- drama; fantasy
- Themes
- child abuse; brotherhood; escapism
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; harrowing; saccharine
- Setting
- Novato, California in 1969
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy drama; aviation; domestic violence
- Content notes
- domestic abuse
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $4.6 million against a $35 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 35% · review count: 40
- Production trivia
- The film was the first Columbia Pictures production under Sony ownership.; The original ending featured a present-day coda at the National Air and Space Museum.; A video game adaptation was being developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…