Merlin

Tag Area: Fictional Character
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court


We may never see this first movie adaptation of Twain’s story, since only three of the eight silent reels are known to still exist. The Yankee in this version is Martin Cavendish, who after reading Twain’s book, is knocked on the head by a burglar and slips into the time of Camelot. The result is high comedy coupled with a romantic interest and replete with motorcycles, explosions, Model T Fords, telephones, indoor plumbing, and lassos at a jousting tournament. As we did for Twain’s original, we classify the story as science fiction for the Yankee’s attempts at bringing modern technology to the distant past. And yes, the hero predicts a solar eclipse to save his life.

One review at Silent Hollywood indicates that the ending has Martin awakening from a dream and there is no explicit mention of actual time travel. With this in mind, we’re marking the time travel as debatable. Oh, and Mark Twain himself appears in the film, played by Karl Formes. —Michael Main
All this nobility stuff is bunk.
A portrait of Mark Twain surrounded by portraits of Harry Myers and five other
                actors from the 1921 movie.
  • Science Fiction
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Debatable Time Travel
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee


This version of Twain’s story borrows some sf tropes from Shelley’s Frankenstein (a mad scientist) and Kipling’s “Wireless” (recovering sound from the past), although all that is small potatoes next to Will Rogers’ folksy wit. His character—Hank “Martin—is tossed back to Camelot when a bolt of lightning and a suit of armor knock him over at the mad scientist’s lab, and at the end, he returns via a similar timeslip. In between, we get one-liners, tommy guns, tanks, cars, characters that are eerily familiar from Martin’s present-day life—and a lot of time to debate whether this version has a real timeslip or is just a dream. —Michael Main
Think! Think of hearing Lincoln’s own voice delivering the Gettysburg address!
A big-headed Will Rogers, in a suit of armor, rides a 1930s car past a princess
                and a castle.
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Debatable Time Travel
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court


Bing Cosby’s delightful portrayal of the Yankee Hank Martin (why not Morgan?!) begins in 1912 after he’s already returned from Camelot. He’s just traveled to England and sought out the very castle of his 6th-century musical adventures, where he proceeds to tell his story to the master of the castle.

Based on Hank’s knowledge of the castle and its displays, the time travel definitely occurred in this version, with both the travel back and travel forward caused by clonks on the head. And based on the ending, Hank might not have been the only traveler through time. —Michael Main
Docent: Kindly notice the round hole in the breastplate, undoubtedly caused by an iron-tipped arrow of the period.
Hank Martin: [shakes head and grunts] . . . I mean, well, that happens to be a bullet hole.
Bing Crosby in modern garb, places a protective hand around medieval Rhonda
                Flemming
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Music and Musicals
  • Audience: Families
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Episode

Star Trek (s03e19)

Requiem for Methuselah


The seemingly all-powerful Flint lives with the brilliant young Raina, hangs unknown [tag-3791 | da Vinci]] paintings on his walls, and provides Mr. Spock with a modern-day Brahms waltz. Could his riches be ill-got via time travel or is there a mundane explanation? —Michael Main
Your collection of Leonardo da Vinci masterpieces, Mr. Flint—they appear to have been recently painted.
No image currently available.
  • Science Fiction
  • Time Phenomena
Feature Film

Merlin and the Sword

  • by David Wyles, directed by Clive Donner
  • (at limited theaters, Davao, Phillipines, 5 January 1985) [We’re uncertain whether this debut in the Philippines had the title “Merlin and the Sword” or whether that title was not introduced until the later VHS tape. We also don’t know whether the Philipines release was the full CBS broadcast from later in 1985 or was the shortened version for the VHS (or possibly some other cut).]

When Katherine Davidson falls into an underground ice cave beneath Stonehenge, she finds that Merlin and his lover Niniane have been trapped there for a millennium, whereupon Merlin and Niniane proceed to show Katherine the story of how Morgan le Fay trapped them. —Michael Main
Love cancels all curses, love breaks all spells. Love is a magic greater than any wizard or witch, warlock or shaman.
Edward Woodward (as Merlin) raises both arms amid a montage of Malcolm McDowell
                (as Arthur), Candice Bergen (as Morgan Le Fay), and othe Camelot residents.
  • Fantasy
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 1*

Christmas in Camelot


On Christmas Eve, Jack and Annie’s tree house transports them to King Arthur’s castle in Camelot. They arrive to find that all is not well in Camelot, Merlin has been banned, and all magic use is forbidden. Many of the bravest knights have been lost on a mysterious quest to the Otherworld. The Christmas feast is interrupted by a knight, who sets a challenge to find the knights and break the curse. He demands to know “Who will go?” Annie, naturally, accepts. She and Jack set out on a quest to the Otherworld, to bring back magic and joy to Camelot. —based on fandom.com
Draped in a flowing red cape, young Jack clings to his sister Annie who clings
                to the nect of a white, flying stag with a castle in the background.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Early Chapter Book

Geronimo Stilton nel tempo 1

Viaggio nel tempo

  • Time travel
  • The Journey through Time
  • by unknown authors
  • (Piemme, 2002)

Holey cheese! Geronimo Stilton never expected to set paw inside a time machine. But when Professor von Volt invited him and his family to travel, they soon discovered how the dinosaurs became extinct, how the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, and what like was like at King Arthur’s court. —based on publicity material
I rettili attaccarono tutti insieme i gettarono a terra Trappola. Gli azzannarono un polpaccio con le zanne affilate come quelle dei piranha, e chissa come sarebbe andata a finire se non fossi arrivato io agitando un osso: — Via di qui! Viaaaaaaa!

I dromaeosaurus, colti di sorpresa, arretrarono e si diedero a una fuga precipitosa.
translate Suddenly, the pack attacked all at once. They threw Trap on the ground, and one of the grammed his arm with sharp fangs. Who know what wouldhave happened if I hadn’t furiously waved the bone and should at the top of my lungs.

“Go awayyyyyyyyyyyy!” I yelled. “Scram!”

Taken by surprise, the Dromaeosaurs retreated and swiftly took flight.
Geronimo Stilton and his mouse family peer out the porthole of the Mousemover
                3000.
  • Mystery and Crime
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 2*

Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve


In their magic tree house, Jack and Annie are again transported to King Arthur’s realm, where invisible beings, giant ravens, and mistaken magic spells have a duke’s castle in an uproar on Halloween night. —based on fandom.com
Young Annie and Jack stare up at turret of a spooky castle with a full moon in
                the night sky behind.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 3*

Summer of the Sea Serpent


Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house to the land of the mystical selkies to seek a magical sword for Merlin. —based on fandom.com
Stranded on a small rock in a rough sea, Annie and Jack bravely hoist a heavy
                sword toward a menacing sea serpent.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 4*

Winter of the Ice Wizard


Jack and Annie are joined by Teddy and Kathleen as they travel to the snowy Land-Behind-the-Clouds, where they search for the eye of the Ice Wizard and attempt to help Merlin and Morgan. —based on fandom.com
Warmly dressed Annie and Jack climb icy steps toward a white-bearded wizard on
                a throne, garuded by two white wolves.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 5*

Carnival at Candlelight


While on a mission to prove to Merlin that they can use magic wisely, Jack and Annie travel to eighteenth-century Venice, Italy, to save the city from disaster. —based on fandom.com
On the back of a winged, golden lion, Annie holds a lantern with one hand and
                clings to her brother Jack with the other.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 6*

Season of the Sandstorms


Guided by a magic rhyme, Jack and Annie travel to ancient Baghdad on a mission to help the caliph disseminate wisdom to the world. —based on fandom.com
Dressed in Arab headdresses and long, lightweight robes, young Jack and Annie
                perch on two camels marching across desert sands.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 7*

Night of the New Magicians


Jack and Annie visit the Paris World’s Fair of 1889 in an effort to protect four scientific pioneers from an evil sorcerer. —based on fandom.com
Dressed as 19th-century children, young Annie and Jack ride a
                bicycle-built-for-two through the Paris night sky.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 8*

Blizzard of the Blue Moon


The magic tree house carries Jack and Annie to New York City in 1938 on a mission to rescue the last unicorn. —based on fandom.com
Bundled up warmly, young Jack and Annie ride a white unicorn through a
                snowstorm.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 9*

Dragon of the Red Dawn


When Merlin is weighed down by sorrows, Jack and Annie travel back to feudal Japan to learn one of the four secrets of happiness. —based on fandom.com
Standing on the edge of a cliff in the clouds, frightened Annie and Jack face a
                golden dragon breathing blue fire.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 10*

Monday with a Mad Genius


Jack and Annie travel 500 years back in time to Florence, Italy, and spend a day helping Leonardo da Vinci in the hope of learning another secret of happiness. —based on fandom.com
Wearing large wings and startled looks, young Annie and Jack fly high over the
                Cathedral of Santa Maria in Florence.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 11*

Dark Day in the Deep Sea


When Jack and Annie join a group of nineteenth-century explorers aboard the H.M.S. Challenger, they learn about the ocean, solve the mystery of its fabled sea monster, and gain compassion for their fellow creatures. —based on fandom.com
Young Annie and Jack struggle underwater in the grip of a giant squid!
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 12*

Eve of the Emperor Penguin


The magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to Antarctica to search for the fourth secret of happiness for Merlin. —based on fandom.com
Dressed in red polar suits, young Jack and Annie stand on an ice flo facing two
                penguins, one of which wears a crown.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 13*

Moonlight on the Magic Flute


Jack and Annie travel to Vienna, Austria, in 1762, where they meet the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister and help save the young budding genius’s life through music. —based on fandom.com
Dressed in the fancy clothes of a young prince, Jack plays a flute and leads
                Princess Annie, a bear, and a tiger through the woods.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 14*

A Good Night for Ghosts


Jack and Annie must travel back in time to New Orleans in 1915 to help a teenage Louis Armstrong fulfill his destiny and become the “King of Jazz.” —based on fandom.com
Wearing white shirts, trousers, and suspenders, young Jack and Annie are
                startled by two larger spiders in lantern light.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 15*

Leprechaun in Late Winter


Jack and Annie travel back to nineteenth-century Ireland to inspire a young Augusta Gregory to share her love of Irish legends and folktales with the world. —based on fandom.com
Peeking over a rock wall in rolling green hills, young Jack and Annie are
                startled to see a marching leprechaun playing a tin whistle.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 16*

A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time


Jack and Annie travel back to Victorian London when Merlin asks them to use their magic to inspire Charles Dickens to write “A Christmas Carol.” —based on fandom.com
A giant, bearded ghost with a torch beseeches young Annie and Jack who are
                dressed as 19th-century London street fiddlers.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 17*

A Crazy Day with Cobras


The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back to India during the Mogul Empire in the 1600s to search for an emerald needed to break a magic spell. —based on fandom.com
Appearing as tiny fairies in colorful garb, young Annie and Jack face down two
                menacing cobras.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 18*

Dogs in the Dead of Night


Jack and Annie travel to a monastery in the Swiss Alps where, with the help of St. Bernard dogs and magic, they seek the second of four special objects necessary to break the spell on Merlin’s pet penguin, Penny. —based on fandom.com
Dressed as monks in brown robes, young Jack and Annie race through snow after a
                bounding Saint Bernard.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 19*

Abe Lincoln At Last


The magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie to Washington, D.C. in the 1860s where they meet Abraham Lincoln and collect a feather that will help break a magic spell. —based on fandom.com
Dressed as 19th-century American children, young Annie and Jack run across the
                White House lawn toward Abraham Lincoln.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 20*

A Perfect Time For Pandas


Magically transported to southwest China to find the final object needed to break the spell on Merlin’s beloved penguin, Jack and Annie take a side trip to the world’s largest giant panda reserve. —based on fandom.com
In red jumpsuits, young Annie and Jack carry three baby pandas through a stand
                of tall bamboo.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 21*

Stallion by Starlight


Jack and Annie are magically transported to Ancient Greece to find the meaning of greatness. There, they meet the young Alexander the Great and take part in the famous story of how he tamed his horse, Bucephalus. —based on fandom.com
Dressed in a toga and sandals, young Annie clings to the back of a rearing
                stallion as a frightened Jack looks on.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 22*

Hurry Up Houdini!


Jack and Annie meet one of the world’s most famous illusionists, Harry Houdini. —based on fandom.com
On stage in black suits and bow ties, young Jack and Annie use their wands to
                make cards and pigeons fly while rabbits leap from a top hat.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 23*

High Time for Heroes


Jack and Annie are magically transported to mid-1800s Thebes, Egypt, where they are saved from a dangerous accident by Florence Nightingale. —based on fandom.com
Dressed as an Egyptian explorer, young Jack has just gone over a cliff and now
                hangs by one hand in Annie
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 24*

Soccer on Sunday


Jack and Annie search for the fourth secret of greatness for Merlin in Mexico City at the 1970 World Cup Games. They hope to learn something new from soccer player great, Pele. —based on fandom.com
On a muddy field, barefooted Jack jumps high to kick a soccer ball while Annie
                runs toward him.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 25*

Shadow of the Shark


As a thank-you gift from Merlin and Morgan, Jack and Annie are sent on what should be a vacation at a luxurious resort in Cozumel, Mexico, but is, by mistake, an adventure with ancient Mayans instead. —based on fandom.com
On a log raft in rough water, Jack uses a paddle to fight off a shark while
                Annie clings on for dear life behind him.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 26*

Balto of the Blue Dawn


Jack and Annie travel back in time to 1925 Nome, Alaska, where they meet Balto, the famous sled dog, and save the town from an illness. —based on fandom.com
A black sled dog leads a team of five others pulling young Jack and Annie
                behind them on a wooden sled.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 27*

Night of the Ninth Dragon


When a mysterious note invites them to Camelot, Jack and Annie travel in the magic tree house to the magical kingdom where they must find a lost dragon. —based on fandom.com
Young Annie and Jack face a fierce dragon at the edge of a volcanic caldera
                brimming with lava.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel