SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO : A ‘90s spin on ‘Huck Finn’ comes to the Disney Channel

A mischievous boy, a runaway slave and a raging river: Mark Twain’s classic 1885 tale of unlikely friendship, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” has spoken to several generations. And it has gone through numerous screen versions. In 1931, Huck was played by child star Jackie Coogan, who eventually became TV’s Uncle Fester in “The Addams Family.” Mickey Rooney and Ron Howard also had their turns as Huck, in 1939 and 1975, respectively.

The most recent film incarnation, 1993’s The Adventures of Huck Finn, which attempts to add a 1990s feel, airs Sunday on the Disney Channel. It stars Elijah Wood (also in this summer’s “North”) in the title role and co-stars Tony nominee Courtney B. Vance as Jim. British comedian Robbie Coltrane plays the Duke and Jason Robards is featured as the King.

“I think there’s a new generation who hasn’t seen it with these contemporary attitudes,” says executive producer Steve White. “It’s classic and enduring material, which, when redone, can have something new brought to it.”

The river and the countryside figure as characters in this film as much as any of the human stars, White says, and in a way that wasn’t technically possible in previous versions.

“We tried to look at it in a fresh way,” Vance says. “It has 1993 sensibilities now. We didn’t highlight the use of the word nigger, for example. It was a fact of life back then, but the story itself still stands as an emotional connection.”

That emotional connection is key to the book’s enduring power, Vance believes. “It’s a coming-of-age story of a young white boy who is basically taught his emotional lessons through the help of a black man, who at that time, couldn’t do so many things.”

“What’s remarkable about it,” White adds, “is the relationship between what they used to call a ‘Negro’ slave and this white boy. The story is about what it means to be a man and a father in the deepest sense.”

Jim’s an apt role model, adds Vance. “He’s very dignified, very family-oriented and trying to make the best of what he could in the situation he’s in. Anyone can learn from that.”

Issues of right and wrong are at the forefront of the story, the actor points out. “Jim challenges Huck. He helps him realize that just because something has been a certain way for years and years, like slavery, it doesn’t mean it’s right. There’s also a strong learning point in the story that there are things that are right and wrong, like slavery. Like racism.”

“The Adventures of Huck Finn” premieres on “The Magical World of Disney” Sunday at 7 p.m. on the Disney Channel. For ages 6 and up. Some scenes in the early part of the film, of brutality between Huck and his father, may be disturbing to young children.

More Family Shows

Featuring appearances by film and television celebrities, Universal Studios Summer Blast (Sunday 3-4 p.m. and Tuesday 3-4 p.m. TBS; Wednesday 6 p.m. USA; Monday 6 p.m. Family) travels between Universal studios in Hollywood and Florida with host Lisa Hartman Black. Interwoven will be highlights of the tours’ newest attractions. Musical performers Jon Secada, Celine Dion, Richard Marx, All-4-One and comedian George Wallace make appearances. For ages 8 and up.

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If you’re not oversaturated with marketing for “The Flintstones” movie and want to see more of the original cartoons, you can catch three of them on the Disney Channel this week. Flintstones shorts scheduled are “Fred’s Final Fling” (Tuesday 6:30 p.m.), “Wind-Up Wilma” (Wednesday noon) and “Flintstones’ New Neighbors” (Wednesday 12:30 p.m.). For ages 2 to 8.

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If the price of toys today seems daunting, check out Home Matters (Thursday 5:30 p.m. Discovery), which features the segment “Homemade Toys,” with guest Steve Bennett, author of “365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child.” Bennett shows viewers how to save money by making your own toys. For parents.