The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 family fantasy film directed by Frank Oz and written by Melissa Mathison, based on the 1980 children's book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks.

The next day, the living toy eventually reveals himself as an English-speaking, 18th-century Iroquois (specifically Onondaga[5]) man named Little Bear (Litefoot) who was fighting in the French and Indian War on the side of the British.

That night, Omri and Patrick, along with Little Bear and Boone, watch a program on TV, the movie The Last of His Tribe that shows a relentless slaughter of Yana people by cowboys.

[6] The filming was marred by the death of technician Pat Tanner, who fell while riding a motorized hoist used to lift scenery on the sound stage at Sony Pictures in Culver City.

[8] Tanner's death led to a change in motion picture safety rules on IATSE union film sets to prevent similar accidents.

The site's consensus states: "The Indian in the Cupboard gussies up its classic source material in modern effects without losing sight of the timeless themes at the heart of the story.

[10] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times applauded the film for its themes of trust and cooperation, writing that it "is intent on teaching lessons [...] with a welcome lack of pretension.

"[13] Rafael Munsi of Common Sense Media gave the film five stars, with the summary "Classic, heartwarming fantasy will rivet kids.

"[14] Brian Lowry of Variety Magazine said it is "one of the most over-scored movies in recent memory, with Randy Edelman's soundtrack swelling to huge crescendos in even the smallest moments."

"[16] Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle rated the film three stars out of five, saying that the special effects "bring the character to life wonderfully, though much of the credit here goes to the remarkably well-chosen cast from Litefoot (in his acting debut) on down."

"[17] In 2015, DVD Talk's William Harrison, reviewing the film for 20th anniversary Blu-ray release, called it "clunky and repetitive" and that it "hits a few dramatic high notes, but lacks an adventurous spark to make it truly memorable.