VHS : Old Yeller

Rating: - Best Dogondog in the West
Old Yeller was my favorite movie growing up and it still is one of my favorites. I used to sing the movie's opening tune "Old Yeller was a mongrel" over and over again to myself. I couldn't remember any of the words beyond that, though.

It is, without question, the most heart-tugging Disney movie of them all. The story begins in the Texas desert in 1869, where our fury hero is looking for adventure and, while chasing a rabit, inadvertently befriends a Texas family. The father has just left for a trip to Kansas and so the oldest son, Travis Coates, is the man of the house. At first Travis Coates wants nothing to do with the dog he calls Old Yeller (because his fur is yellow) and even throws rocks at him. After his little brother claims Old Yeller as his dog and his mother agrees, Travis is furious and still wants an excuse to get rid of the dog. But as soon as Old Yeller proves himself to be a brave protector by saving the younger brother's life from a bear, Travis is won over. Travis and Yeller soon become best friends and share adventures from chasing racoons to taming wild pigs. Yeller saves his life on more than one occasion.

Now that I'm an adult, I can see that this movie is primarily for kids and will certainly keep them entertained. But the ending, no matter what your age, will move you. For those British viewers who don't like how American movies always end happily, here is a movie with a genuinely sad ending. Old Yeller, while defending the family from a wolf with hydrophobia, gets the disease himself. After they know for certain that Yeller has the disease they know that they have to kill this dog that saved all of their lives. After his mother offers to do it, Travis says "No, moma, he was my dog. I'll do it." Nothing in all the other Disney movies will elicit more emotions than seeing Travis Coates, tears in his eyes and pistol in his hands, struggling to find the strength to do what he so desperately didn't want to do. It will make you long for those too cutesy endings. The moral of the story, I guess, is that bad stuff in life happens. But don't get consumed by it. There's good stuff as well: Old Yeller lives on in his son, "Young Yeller", and the last seen with Young Yeller chasing a rabit just like his "pappy" did is enough to elicit a smile.

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Rating: - Best ever!!!
There are many dog movies. This classic Disney tops them all. No effects, no cheap camera tricks, no soft edges - pure tense adventure, emotion, love and pain. And the canine hero, a "pure street race" dog - incredible. Don't buy it for your kids, buy it for yourself. You'll thank me later.

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Rating: - Great for tissue sales
My daughter first saw this film many years ago at school, it made her cry then, and it still makes her cry now even at 24yrs. My grandson of 4yr has also seen it for the first time and history repeats itself. Yes it is a bit dated now, but as usual the dog, old yeller, makes for good family viewing just like old lassie. Very sentimental, make sure you have the tissues ready.