Treehouses have been loved by children (and adults) all over the world for centuries, but few were able to capture the imagination of the public like the multi-cabin shelter with running water, a primitive refrigerator, and even a pipe organ from the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson.
The film is based on a German book from 1812 about a shipwrecked family that has to survive the savage wilderness of an uninhabited island. The family is indeed Swiss, moving across the world to escape the Napoleonic Wars, but the ‘Robinson’ in the title is not the family name, instead it refers to Robinson Crusoe and the ‘Robinsonade’ genre the book inspired.
When Disney decided to make a version of the story, they knew it would be expensive. After considering filming locations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, they eventually settled on the small Caribbean island of Tobago as the primary filming location. Unfortunately, the huge variety of animals in the book had to be brought to the island by production, since it has no native animals of its own. Even more unfortunately, Disney demanded that only live animals be used in the film’s many action shots, which reportedly lead to the deaths of several animals.
Another famous saman tree called the Hitachi Tree in Honolulu – photo credit KeithH
The tree however, was native. The enormous tree was spotted by scouts from Disney from a nearby road and they immediately knew it was perfect. The 60 meter (200 ft) tall albizia saman had thick branches not too far off the ground, lending themselves perfectly to the magnificent structure they had planned.
Saman trees, also known as rain trees or monkey pod trees, are extremely common in Central and South America, and have been introduced widely throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. They are tropical trees, and Tobago’s apparent similarities to the script’s setting in New Guinea are likely what made the site so attractive.
An early concept sketch by John Hench – photo via Kevin Kidney
Once finished, the treehouse was truly a thing to behold. The sturdy limbs could hold as many as 20 crew members during filming, as well as the equipment itself weighing in at over 1 ton. The tree didn’t appear to be damaged by the construction, and its thick foliage limited the production’s filming time to just 3 hours a day. Outside of that window, it was just too dark beneath its canopy.
Although the movie feels extremely dated to modern viewers (it came out before concepts like environmentalism, animal rights, and women’s rights really took hold), it was a smashing success upon its release in 1960. The popularity of its iconic treehouse lead to new attractions being built in several of Disney’s theme parks.
The Swiss Family Treehouse in Disney’s Adventureland – photo credit ume-y
The first opened two years after the film’s release in Disneyland in California. It was a massive steel structure that gave visitors a chance to interact with many of the props from the film. The attraction was later rebranded as Tarzan’s treehouse after the 1999 animated film Tarzan, with just a few superficial changes to the decoration. The original Swiss Robinson Treehouse attraction can still be visited at Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland.
The treehouse from the film was slated to be destroyed at the end of production, but locals managed to convince the crew to leave it standing. It became somewhat of a local tourist site, even attracting curious fans from abroad. The tree was eventually sold for a reported $9000.
Much like the film itself, the treehouse did not age well. Storms delayed filming several times during production, and a few years later the entire structure was destroyed by a hurricane. Without the main attraction, the tree quickly fell back into obscurity. Nearly 60 years later few locals remember the film itself, let alone that it was filmed in Tobago.
“The tree has fallen into obscurity; only a few of the older people knew of its significance. As a matter of fact, not many people know of the film Swiss Family Robinson much less that it was filmed here in Tobago.”
-Tobago resident Lennox Straker Jr.
The tree in 2010 – photo credit Lennox Straker Jr.
But the tree is still alive. It’s tucked away on the property of an auto repair shop. The tree that captured the imaginations of millions of children is now indistinguishable from other nearby trees. In the movie, the family might have been able to conquer the savage wilderness, but in real life only the tree itself could survive mother nature.
In 2004 Disney began considering a remake of the classic film, but to date nothing has been set in stone. It’s unlikely that any remake can replicate the magic of the original treehouse built in Tobago. CGI has really pushed the boundaries of film making since Swiss Family Robinson was released more than 50 years ago, but knowing that the tree is not only real but still alive gives it a special significance that can inspire nature lovers of all ages.
The original treehouse during production – photo via Kevin Kidney
If you enjoyed this article about the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, check out the archive for more tree stories. Also check out the Facebook page, with a few extra tree goodies throughout the week. Subscribe below to receive notifications whenever a new tree story is published.
As always, feel free to drop a comment below. It’s always nice to hear from you!
Further reading:
http://miehana.blogspot.com.es/2010/10/swiss-family-tree-found.html
More about the 1960 film Swiss Family Robinson
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Samanea+saman
The Treeographer 
Goodness! You certainly find some odd ones!
Did I ask about the ‘Survivor Tree’ in Oklahoma City yet; or the other ‘Survivor Tree’ at the World Trade Center? Those might be interesting topics.
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Thanks for the tips! I’m going to do the Oklahoma City Survivor Tree in April, closer to the date of the tragedy. Hopefully by then I’ll be able to carve out enough time in my schedule to write more than one post a week!
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Don’t think I’ve seen the film but certainly sounds like it was ahead of its time. Probably my first association of tree houses in films would be the 1980s film ‘Stand By Me’. Wes Anderson’s ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ gives a slightly more surreal take on tree houses but certainly romanticises them.
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I haven’t seen either of those films, but I’ll definitely check them out! It’s difficult to recommend The Swiss Family Robinson nowadays, since it feels really dated. I wish they had spent a lot more time just showing the amazing treehouse!
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I was obsessed with tree houses after the show. Ended up with a two story one with shingled roof at 10yrs old.
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My grandmother took me to see SFR twice , the Crest theater in San Fernando California in 1961 , I find myself thinking about it quite often , and no one knows what i’m talking about when i mention it today . My own personal , cherished memory forever , i’m 66 . Don’t know why the big Corporations never broadcast this beautiful movie , but they do send out some pretty rotten crap today , for the kids . Thanks for this story !
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I have been revisiting the Swiss Family Robinson film locations 60 years later …
I am posting on the tourist forum – MyTobago.info.
Here are the links:
SWISS FAMILY MOVIE SITES REVISITED – a revisit 60 years later, of filming locations used by Walt Disney in the movie:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13142
SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON FILM LOCATION – DO IT YOURSELF TOUR GUIDE MAPS:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13146
I am also posting about the Swiss Family Robinson film locations revisited 60 years later on instagram too:
https://www.instagram.com/jazzali557/
I updated the Swiss Family Robinson Instagram account with maps to film locations and a pre-production photo of the treehouse and a QSL card used by the Disney Company …
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Hey Jazz! Great detective work finding all of those locations! It’s really nice to see that the tree is alive and doing well. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
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The Samaan tree used for the Swiss Family treehouse is located in Cow Farm Road just off the Windward Road, in Goldsborough. It is located in the compound of Robert’s Garage. Robert died in 2017 and the garage is now under new management.
The tree was first damaged by hurricane Flora in 1963. It also suffered some burn damage to part of its base in 2018. Both of the lower branches of the tree have broken off.
Here are the links to my 2019 photos and maps in the Forum for the Swiss Family Robinson 1960 movie.
SWISS FAMILY MOVIE SITES REVISITED – a revisit 60 years later, of filming locations used by Walt Disney in the movie:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13142
SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON FILM LOCATION – DO IT YOURSELF TOUR GUIDE MAPS:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13146
Richmond Bay was the main beach used in the filming of the Swiss Family Robinson movie.
The shipwreck scenes and some of the raft scenes were filmed at Belle Garden Bay. Other raft scenes were filmed at Pigeon Point and Grange Bay (The Wall).
The snake fighting scene with Fritz (James MacArthur) was filmed at Pigeon Point Lagoon.
The capture of Roberta and her grandfather by pirates were filmed at Mount Irvine Bay.
Bacolet Bay was used for the filming of the movies ‘Fire Down Below’ and ‘Heaven Knows Mr. Allison’. Both movies were filmed in in 1957. However, contrary to what some believe, Bacolet Bay was NOT used in the filming of the Swiss Family Robinson movie.
Regards,Jazz
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Hi
I have been revisiting the Swiss Family Robinson film locations 60 years later …
The Samaan tree used for the Swiss Family treehouse is located in Cow Farm Road just off the Windward Road, in Goldsborough. It is located in the compound of Robert’s Garage. Robert died in 2017 and the garage is now under new management.
The tree was first damaged by hurricane Flora in 1963. It also suffered some burn damage to part of its base in 2018. Both of the lower branches of the tree have broken off.
Here are the links to my 2019 photos and maps in the Forum for the Swiss Family Robinson 1960 movie.
SWISS FAMILY MOVIE SITES REVISITED – a revisit 60 years later, of filming locations used by Walt Disney in the movie:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13142
SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON FILM LOCATION – DO IT YOURSELF TOUR GUIDE MAPS:
https://www.mytobago.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13146
I am also posting about the Swiss Family Robinson film locations revisited 60 years later on instagram too:
https://www.instagram.com/jazzali557/
Regards,
Jazz
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Grew up watching Swiss Family Robinson with my siblings. So many great lessons of resourcefulness and working together. I now enjoy watching it with my kids. I can’t believe so many have never heard of it. That’s a shame. They probably have never read the original Boxcar Children either. I guess I was always fascinated with another’s ingenuity. Thanks for this post and info.
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