Strong and Moving!

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Amazing movie on every level. It's fun, adventurous, awful sad, and the dog is incredible. If you buy the latest version you get some great extras. Everybody who was in this movie said it affected them on a very personal level. How could it not? It's Old Yeller and it contains some of the best dog scenes ever. He's a big, amazing and lovable dog. His real name is Spike, and he was rescued from a dog shelter. He was chosen because of the way he responded to humans talking to him. He turned his head sideways like he was trying to understand, which charmed the movie makers. He also was a big strong mastiff/lab mix, so he was powerful yet very smart and train-able. I honestly don't understand how anybody can rate this as mediocre or poor, but there are those who lack heart and base their reviews on all sorts of technical nonsense. I feel sorry for them. This movie has tons of heart, so much that many people simple can't watch it again or they break down sobbing.

Old Yeller was such a success it persuaded Walt Disney to make more live action films which all the family could enjoy. The story set in the post civil war frontier where the father has gone on a cattle drive leaving his two young sons with their mom. It is about a yellow dog that a young lad Arliss has found and become attached with. His older brother Travis cannot stand it as he is being attacking other animals in the farm.However Travis realises that Yeller is a loyal and brave fighter as he fought off a bear that seem to have gone for Arliss. Both boys become attached with the dog and when the real owner comes looking for him Arliss persuades him to let Yeller stay with the family.The sad part is when Yeller fights with some wolves he contracts rabies and becomes dangerous which means the family has to take drastic action.The film is a bittersweet and slightly sentimental story more famous for its tragic ending which the little ones found upsetting at the time. I actually found the story rather light, Yeller is energetic, brave and mischievous. I liked the young actor who played Arliss but I am not sure that it stands up well with a modern audience today.

I know that many people have a soft place in their heart for "Old Yeller". In fact, the country group Confederate Railroad even sang a song where they lament that they should have KNOWN a woman was no good because 'she didn't cry when Old Yeller died'...and I guess they wouldn't think much of me, either! I did NOT particularly enjoy "Old Yeller" for one very important reason--this Labrador was probably the meanest dog I've ever seen on film! It loved fighting with other animals and when Yeller got rabies and needed to be put down, it was the result of him attacking yet another animal! So, although Disney desperately wanted me to cry along with Yeller's owner at his passing, I just thought it was a blessing! If you DO want to see a film about a boy and his animal, may I suggest a different Disney film? I just saw "So Dear to My Heart" and loved it. It's about a young boy who raises a lamb--and the film is sweet throughout. In fact, this film debuted about a decade BEFORE "Old Yeller" and this later film is an obvious copy. See this other film--you'll see that it's dandy entertainment throughout...and the animal isn't a nasty killing machine!

I believe I first heard of this live action Disney movie from the 1950's late in my childhood (I was born nearly thirty years after this film's release), but never saw it until last year. I think it was late last summer when I first watched this adaptation of the "Old Yeller" novel by Fred Gipson, and from what I remember, I was impressed with a lot of it, but later on, I wasn't so sure anymore. I watched "The Shaggy Dog", another live action Disney dog movie from the 50's featuring Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran playing brothers, for the first time just this week. Shortly after watching that film and being fairly impressed with it, I have watched "Old Yeller" for the second time, and would say it was better for me than it was the first time, and also better than the other Disney dog movie I've mentioned, which I was expecting.In 1860's Texas, Jim Coates leaves his ranch to take part in a cattle drive, and won't be back for several months. On the ranch, he leaves behind his wife, Katie, and two sons Travis and Arliss. Travis, the older of the two brothers, is left to take his father's responsibilities. Shortly after his father leaves, Travis happens to be working outside when a stray yellow dog comes, scares the family mule, and makes it knock down the fence! Travis angrily chases this dog away, but the next day, he finds him back on the ranch already! Arliss has decided to adopt this dog, but after the trouble the mutt has already caused, Travis obviously doesn't want him around. However, the older Coates brother begins to have a change of heart when he discovers that the meat he left out overnight has surprisingly not been touched by the dog. It soon turns out that "Old Yeller" is a big help for Travis as he takes on the responsibilities of his absent father, and the two develop a strong bond, but there is some trouble ahead.This movie has a small cast, but most of the few who had roles in it put on decent performances, even if some are slightly flawed. Dorothy McGuire and Fess Parker as the Coates parents, Tommy Kirk as Travis (one of his many Disney roles), and actor/athlete Chuck Connors in the smaller role of Burn Sanderson, are all notable cast performances. On the other hand, I did not care much for Jeff York as the lazy, fast-talking Bud Searcy, or Beverly Washburn as Bud's daughter, Lisbeth, and when these two characters first appear, I've found that they may temporarily bring the entertainment value down a bit, but fortunately, they aren't usually a problem. For the most part, the plot is an intriguing one, with what Travis and Old Yeller go through together and the boy's initial reaction to the dog followed by the strong bond they develop. Obviously, SO many others have pointed this out, but parts of the film certainly are emotional as well, which also helps keep it from being underwhelming and forgettable. They also picked some nice, scenic filming locations for this particular live action Disney film.I'm sure many people through the generations have seen this movie in their childhood, but I didn't, so I obviously don't know what that's like. This certainly isn't the happiest movie a kid could watch, but its reputation shows that it clearly has pleased many of those who saw it as kids, so I guess it has succeeded with that goal as the decades have gone by, and likely continues to do so today. Many adults like this "Old Yeller" adaptation as well, which I can understand after seeing it myself. In my opinion, there are some weaker parts of the film, so I can't rate it as highly as some voters, but overall, it's a solid effort that has aged well. If you haven't seen this successful 1957 Disney animal movie, I will say that should you do decide to watch it, some parts could make you cry if you're an emotional kind of person, or maybe even if you're not that emotional (though I didn't cry), but this is a major reason why it's so widely remembered and praised.