Rascal, o Amiguinho Travesso

A little long in the tooth but it does the trick. It needed something to jot it up in the middle but luckily the end does give us something plus a good message overall. Simple and well done. It doesn't even feel like something shot way back in 1969. Thank you classic Disney.

The year was 1969 and everything was groovy. Even Disney released "The Love Bug" which became the biggest domestic hit of that year. Squashed into uniplexes somewhere between "The Love Bug" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" kids were treated to a quiet little bit of Americana called "Rascal." About as Disney as you can get, "Rascal" is the story about a boy and his raccoon. We've seen it before and after, a boy domesticates a wild animal, animal causes mischief, neighbors blame for every mishap in the area, and by the end of the film the boy must release the animal back into the wild. No computer generated whales, talking pigs, or alien visitors, just the Disney crew doing what they did best. Disney has made a ton of these and they work. "Rascal" is one of the best. Considering the Sterling North classic novel is still popular and in print I wonder why it hasn't been released on video and/or remade. At the time of this writing odds of seeing this film at all are very rare and that is a shame considering the inferior product being released direct-to-video for kids today. Considering the Disney label it would seem this would be ripe for a release on video. Add to that the cult following of star Bill Mumy ("Lost in Space," "Babylon 5") and you have a winner.

I was so happy to have finally found this movie on DVD. This movie was always a favorite of mine and it was the impetus for me to read many of Sterling North's books. This movie spoke to me on a level no other did or has since. However, watching it as an adult is a completely different experience. I see the flaws in it and why it was never a big blockbuster. The action is a bit draggy and the narration is lackluster except to maybe those who know Walter Pidgeon from his earlier years as a movie star. The soundtrack is also a bit overly sweet, but I didn't pay any attention to those things when I was a child. The movie is still enjoyable and I am sure that many children will love it. What I found that I like about it is the scenery and the idyllic presentation of a time that lives only in memory. This movie is filled with actors from a previous era: Steve Forrest and Elsa Lanchester to begin with. But there are also character actors whose names you may not recognize, but whose faces or voices you certainly will. (Think Piglet from Winnie the Pooh!) I wish Disney would release this with extras - like reminisces from the actors themselves. I still like this movie and found it is not diminished with time. It is still beautiful.

I saw this movies when I was eleven years old, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Who couldn't identify with a boy who had the run of the house and town all summer with his beloved pets? As events progressed, it became clear to me that this was more about a boy becoming a man, and learning to take his place in it. To give up the one thing he loved most in this world really spoke to me, and I still remember hearing sniffles from the theatre audience, including mine. To see this boy paddling the canoe he made, and saying goodbye to a friend he'd raised was both heartwarming, and heartbreaking. It still resonates with this man, some 54 years later.

Comedy-drama from the Disney company about a youngster (Bill Mumy, of TV's "Lost in Space") in the 1900s adopting a baby raccoon who quickly becomes the town menace. Impossibly warm and treacly saga that Walt himself might have been proud of (it seems a direct product of the late 1950s, not 1969!). However, the animals involved are consistently interesting, far more so than the hysterical grown-ups, and Mumy is solid if unspectacular (he wasn't in the same league as, say, Johnny Whitaker, though he's competent). Steve Forrest and Elsa Lanchester are unable to add much sparkle to the proceedings, and Buddy Baker's music score is teeth-grindingly sweet. *1/2 from ****