The Trouble with Miss Switch

The Trouble with Miss Switch is a 1980 animated television special produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Barbara Brooks Wallace. It originally aired in two parts on ABC Weekend Special series on February 16 and 23, 1980.

Following its initial broadcast, Miss Switch was frequently rerun and due to its popularity, a sequel called Miss Switch to the Rescue was also produced as an ABC Weekend Special in 1982.

Synopsis
Rupert Brown and Amelia Daley are classmates at Pepperdine Elementary School who discover that their substitute teacher, Miss Switch, is a witch complete with a magical talking Lykoi-Breed cat named Bathsheba. She tells the children that the wicked witch Saturna has taken control of the Witches' Council and has condemned the fair Miss Switch with the aid of her Computer Witch. Rupert suggests bewitching a certain football player's number at the big game to ensure victory, but Saturna causes the spell to backfire so that the visiting team wins. Rupert comes up with another plan, but asks Miss Switch to let him and Amelia accompany her.

Miss Switch and Bathsheba fly to Witch Mountain with Rupert and Amelia. Saturna sends out her bats to attack them, which causes the broom to splinter; some bats carry Miss Switch away, while the others drop Rupert, Amelia and Bathsheba down a well. Miss Switch finds herself in the council room, where the Witches' Council prepares their verdict. The children and Bathsheba get out of the well, and sneak in disguised as witches. Just as Miss Switch agrees to be banished, her friends reveal that her ability to spread love and joy is the most original witchcraft idea of all. After the Computer Witch explodes from Rupert and Amelia’s speech, the Witches' Council banishes Saturna and appoints Miss Switch the new Head Witch. The next day, Miss Switch tells the kids that she’s to return to Witch Mountain as she says goodbye to Rupert and Amelia.

Voices

 * Janet Waldo—Miss Switch
 * Eric Taslitz—Rupert Brown
 * Nancy McKeon—Amelia Daley
 * June Foray—Bathsheba and Saturna
 * Frank Welker—Guinea Pig
 * Philip Tanzini—Banana
 * Alan Dinehart—Hector

Production credits

 * Executive Producers: Joe Ruby & Ken Spears
 * Produced by: Jerry Eisenberg
 * Directed by: Charles A. Nichols
 * Written by: Sheldon Stark
 * From the Book by: Barbara Brooks Wallace
 * Voices: Janet Waldo, Eric Taslitz, Nancy McKeon, June Foray, Frank Welker, Philip Tanzini, Alan Dinehart
 * Story Direction: Ron Campbell
 * Character Design: Allan Huck, Alice Hamm, Edgar Soller
 * Voice Direction: Alan Dinehart
 * Layout Supervisor: Larry Huber
 * Unit Supervisor: David High
 * Layout: John Freeman, Bob Givens, John F. Guerin, Floyd Norman, Wallace Sides, Bart Seitz, Lin Larsen, Pat Wong
 * Production Manager: Warren Marshall
 * Layout: Lyle Beddes, Stuart Heimdal, Elaine Hultgren, Boyd Kirland, Brad Landreth, Debra Pugh, Keith Sargent, Roy Smith, Grant Wilson
 * Animation Supervisor: Ed Solomon
 * Animation: Steve Clark, Jim Davis, Daniel De La Vega, Frank Gonzales, John Howley, Bill Hutten, Tony Love, Norm McCabe, Frank Nakielski, Don Orlando, Don Parmele, Bill Pratt, Virgil Raddatz, Bill Reed, Joe Roman, Joanna Romersa, John Shook, Mike Stribling, Marty Taras
 * Backgrounds Painted by: Gary Conklin, Bill Lorencz, P.S. Lewis, Michele Moen, Phil Phillipson, Gary Selvaggio, Peter Van Elk, Thomas Woodington, Gloria Wood
 * Production Manager: John Ahern
 * Titles: Bob Schaefer
 * Music: Dean Elliott

Home video release
The Trouble with Miss Switch was released on a VHS titled The Miss Switch Mystery Special as a double feature with Miss Switch to the Rescue by Strand VCI Entertainment in 1991. To date, it has not been released on DVD by current rightsholder Warner Home Video.