What makes it different from others?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Blistering performances.

A great, although short-lived (due to Anita Louise's departure) family series. There is now a comprehensive web site on the ground-breaking series that lists everything about the cast, crew, episodes, horses, stunts, etc. The series was based on Mary O'Hara's best-selling books, as was the motion picture of the same name starring Roddy McDowall that preceded it. It concerns a boy named Ken McLaughlin (played by Johnny Washbrook) who lives on a ranch (The Goose Bar Ranch, near mythical Coulee Springs, Wyoming) with his father, Rob (played by Gene Evans), his mother, Nell (played by Anita Louise), and their ranch hand Gus (played by Frank Ferguson), and is set around 1900. It was a well-written series that had several famous guest stars. The series was broadcast on all three major networks at one time or another, as well as the Disney Channel.