Movie Review

Movie title: Old Yeller. Walt Disney Movie. Dog movie. When I was young I didn't know why the movie was called Old Yeller. Dogs bark. Not yell. But after watching the movie again I found out Yeller is for yellow. As in the color of the dog. The movie is moving and it flies by. But it has a heartbreaking part so I have some reservations about recommending it for kids under ten. For adults it's quite good. It's about reality. Disney does a fine job with the ending. It's uplifting. Still the sad event in the movie lingers with you after the movie is done.

The movie itself: A frontier family adopts a stray dog. Or the other way around if you like it. The oldest boy at first doesn't like the dog. The dog caused a fence to break and the boy has to mend it since his dad is away. But old Yeller, the dog, and this boy bond. Old Yeller is definitely the dog to have at home. He saves the youngest boy from an angry mama bear and the older one from a raging mama cow and a bunch of wild hogs. At one point in the movie Old Yeller's owner comes for him, but the youngest son swaps the dog for a toad and a home cooked meal. Now for the sad part: While saving the womenfolk from a wolf, Old Yeller gets bit. And gets rabies. The oldest boy, who has grown to love Old Yeller, now has to put his best canine friend down. You don't actually see the boy do it. You just hear the shot. But nonetheless it's still heart wrenching. As a kid I didn't understand why the dog just couldn't be taken to a vet and given medicine. That's the thing about kids. They have a hard time understanding. So while the movie is top class, you might want to pass on it if you have extra sensitive little kids. In the ending, the family does keep one of Yeller's pups which does brighten things up.