Rating: G
Genre:
Children's/Family
Release Date: 05/07/2002
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English
Sound: THX/DD5.1
Run Time: 84 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
Based on the novel by
Fred Gipson,
Old Yeller is set in Texas in 1869. While his father is away on a cattle drive, 15-year-old
Travis Coates (
Tommy Kirk) takes over management of the family farm. Adopting a "strictly business" policy,
Travis is irritated when younger brother,
Arliss (
Kevin Corcoran), adopts a frisky stray dog. But soon
Travis is as fond of the dog as everyone else in the family; moreover, "
Old Yeller" is an excellent watchdog. But while fighting off a mad wolf,
Yeller is infected with rabies. Though
Yeller seems unaffected at first, he eventually behaves so viciously that the disheartened
Travis has no choice but to shoot the dog. A heart-to-heart talk between
Travis and his returning father (
Fess Parker), coupled with the adoption of a new pup, paves the way to an emotional but reasonably happy ending. Earning eight million dolalrs domestically on its first release,
Old Yeller convinced
Walt Disney to devote more and more time to live-action films and less time to animation -- which at the time was a sagacious business move. In 1963,
Disney released a lesser sequel to
Old Yeller titled
Savage Sam.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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