Old Yeller

UPC: 786936143843

Studio: Walt Disney Video

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Child Classic, Watch With Your Kids]

Summary: 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, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Features: Audio commentary with Tommy Kirk, Fess Parker, Bob Weatherwax, and Kevin Corcoran
Original theatrical animated short, "Bone Trouble"
"Old Yeller: Remembering a Classic"
Conversations with Tommy Kirk
"Dogs!"
"Ranch of the Golden Oak"
Production archives
1957 Disney Studio album

Old Yeller

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/07/2002

Aspect Ratio: 1.75:1 Disney

Audio: THX THX-Certified Mastering, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 84 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Old Yeller
1. Opening Credits / "Old Yeller" [2:26]
2. Cash Money [4:18]
3. That Old Stray [3:22]
4. "Looks Like We've Got Us a Dog" [7:25]
5. Old Yeller and The Bear [7:02]
6. Mr. Searcy and Elizabeth Visit [10:14]
7. A New Calf [4:51]
8. Mr. Sanderson's Dog [7:31]
9. Hot Tracks [2:35]
10. On the Mend [:32]
11. A Mad Wolf [7:09]
12. "He Was My Dog" [5:36]
13. It's Not a Thing You Can Forget [6:25]
14. Young Yeller [5:54]

Brendon Hanley

Old Yeller is one of the best-loved live-action features ever made by the Walt Disney Company. Unabashedly weepy, the film is genuine enough to have become a family classic. Director Robert Stevenson coaxes some fine performances from his cast and does an admirable job recreating farm life in the mid-1800s. The film inspired a number of copycats, and its influence can still be felt in almost any movie that prominently features an animal. Disney began to move away from animation after the success of 1950's Treasure Island; Yeller was one of many live-action hits directed by Stevenson, including Kidnapped, The Absent-Minded Professor, and, most notably, Mary Poppins. Yeller spawned an inferior sequel, Savage Sam, featuring much of the same cast but a different director. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Spike  Actor 
Walt Disney  Producer 
Robert Stevenson  Director 
Oliver Wallace  Composer (Music Score) 
Fred Gipson  Screenwriter 
William Tunberg  Screenwriter 
Dorothy McGuire  Actor 
Fess Parker  Actor 
Tommy Kirk  Actor 
Kevin Corcoran  Actor 
Jeff York  Actor 
Chuck Connors  Actor 
Beverly Washburn  Actor 

Country: USA