Saturday 26 November 2011

The Gnome-Mobile (1967) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 84 mins.Year: 1967
Cast: Walter Brennan, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice


Disney Movie Rating:
81.02 out of 100. Total of 12 votes.

The Gnome-Mobile (1967) Movie Description:


The 1967 Disney production of The Gnome-Mobile is adapted from the 1936 Upton Sinclair novel, The Gnomobile. Directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, which was one of his final turns as producer, The Gnome-Mobile is a fantasy involving two children and their uncle who happen across a pair of gnomes deep in the forest.

The trio's discovery creates a sensation, leading to all sorts of unwanted attention upon the area, most disturbingly a freak show impresario who announces plans to capture and display the gnomes, as well as several less-than-virtuous land developers.

Walter Brennan is featured in a double role: A local lumber baron and Knobby, a 943-year old gnome. The two children are portrayed by Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice, who also appeared together three years earlier in Mary Poppins. Other familiar faces include Richard Deacon, Charles Lane and in what subsequently proved to be his final screen appearance, Ed Wynn.

The Trailer/Scene from Gnome-Mobile:



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Charlie the Lonesome Cougar (1967) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 75 mins.Year: 1967
Cast: Ron Brown, Brian Russell and Linda Wallace


Disney Movie Rating:
72.99 out of 100. Total of 9 votes.

Charlie the Lonesome Cougar (1967) Movie Description:


Directed by Disney veteran Winston Hibler, 1967's Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar is an animal adventure featuring an orphaned cougar who wanders into a logging camp in the Northwoods where he's taken in by Jess Bradley. Charlie matures in the camp, playing with a black bear cub and amusing the loggers. A terrier named Chainsaw, however, apparently isn't fond of Charlie, and after a few incidents, Jess realizes he needs to cage the cougar.

Breaking free one night, Charlie learns to fend for himself until one day, while being pursued by a pack of wild dogs, he finds his way back to the logging camp. The loggers, at first happy to see him, soon realize that Charlie is no longer a "pet," and Jess is forced to release Charlie back into the wild. All ends well though, as Charlie soon finds a mate and starts his own family.

Trailer/Scene from Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar:



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The Happiest Millionaire (1967) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 141 mins.Year: 1967
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele and Greer Garson


Disney Movie Rating:
78 out of 100. Total of 5 votes.

The Happiest Millionaire (1967) Movie Description:


The 1967 musical, The Happiest Millionaire, is adapted from the novel, My Philadelphia Father, by Cordelia Drexel Biddle, the true story of her father, millionaire sportsman Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Sr.

Biddle, to put it politely, is eccentric and unpredictable. The Biddle mansion is a veritable menagerie, with pet alligators and other exotic creatures. Biddle also conducts boxing classes in his spacious home, as well as entertaining aspiring opera singers. When Biddle's daughter brings home her intended husband, along with his parents, the possible in-laws are floored by the freewheeling atmosphere.

To the rescue comes the Biddle's butler, who diplomatically smooths out the situation, reassuring the visitors that the moment is just an anomaly.

Disney favorite Fred MacMurray stars as Biddle, with Greer Garson, Lesley Ann Warren, John Davidson and Tommy Steele also featured. The musical score is by Richard and Robert Sherman, who'd also provided the score for Mary Poppins.

The Trailer/Scene from Happiest Millionaire:



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The Ugly Dachshund (1966) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 93 mins.Year: 1966
Cast: Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette


Disney Movie Rating:
77.55 out of 100. Total of 111 votes.

The Ugly Dachshund (1966) Movie Description:


Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette star in the 1966 Walt Disney Productions comedy, The Ugly Dachshund. The couple love dogs, and when their pet dachshund has puppies, the vet convinces Mark (Jones) to take a Great Dane puppy off his hands. The puppy, Brutus, is raised along with the dachshunds and believes it too, is a dachshund. This leads naturally, to several unintended (but hilarious) household incidents which compel Fran (Pleshette) to demand Mark get rid of Brutus.

Brutus, however, changes Fran's mind when he rescues Chloe, one of the dachshund puppies. At a dog show Brutus comes face-to-face with a female Great Dane and almost immediately comes to the realization that he's not a dachshund after all.

Veteran director Norman Tokar was behind the camera for The Ugly Dachshund, a familiar role, since he also directed such Disney productions as Savage Sam, Those Calloways, Follow Me, Boys! and The Apple Dumpling Gang.

The Trailer/Scene from Ugly Dachshund:



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Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N. (1966) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 95 mins.Year: 1966
Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Nancy Kwan and Akim Tamiroff


Disney Movie Rating:
62.57 out of 100. Total of 3 votes.

Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N. (1966) Movie Description:


When Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN was released in 1966, the film's star, Dick Van Dyke, was one of the entertainment world's biggest stars, having just appeared in the smash musical Mary Poppins as well as being the star of the wildly successful TV sitcom, the Dick Van Dyke Show. Unfortunately, the success didn't extend to this adaptation of Daniel Defoe's classic shipwreck novel, Robinson Crusoe. Disney himself co-scripted the screenplay, a rarity.

After bailing out from a jet over the South Pacific, Crusoe sets up on a deserted island. He discovers a long-missing chimpanzee presumed lost on a space mission, and soon after finds companionship in the form of Wednesday (Nancy Kwan). A subplot involving Wednesday's tribal chieftain father gives Van Dyke ample opportunity to display his trademark slapstick skills.

Other than Kwan and the beauty of the South Pacific, the special effects and the chimpanzee's antics are the real stars.

Trailer/Scene from Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.



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The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 110 mins.Year: 1966
Cast: Peter McEnery, Susan Hampshire and Tom Adams


Disney Movie Rating:
74 out of 100. Total of 3 votes.

The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966) Movie Description:


Filmed in England and remarkably "real-to-life" in terms of wardrobe, dialogue and background, Walt Disney Productions' 1966 action film, The Fighting Prince of Donegal relates the tale of Hugh O'Donnell, a sixteenth-century Irish lad instrumental in uniting his clansmen against British oppression and rule. Directed by the esteemed Michael O'Herlihy and adapted from Robert T. Reilly's novel, Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal, the film provides nearly non-stop action for its' entire 112 minutes.

Starring some familiar faces, including Peter McEnery (in the title role), Susan Hampshire and Gordon Jackson, The Fighting Prince of Donegal is more than laden with dueling sabres and jousters, a thrilling castle siege and hot-blooded clansmen fighting for the Emerald Isle as the bagpipes drive them on.

Obviously directed at a younger audience, the film nonetheless is certain to entertain viewers of all ages. The lush English countryside with greenery and misty moats offer a treat for the eyes.

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Follow Me Boys (1966) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 131 mins.Year: 1966
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles and Lillian Gish


Disney Movie Rating:
77.7 out of 100. Total of 7 votes.

Follow Me Boys (1966) Movie Description:


The 1966 Walt Disney comedy Follow Me, Boys! stars Disney reliable Fred MacMurray as a member of a touring musical group who decides to settle down in a small town. Wanting to be a viable citizen of his new community, he volunteers to be leader of a Boy Scout troop. As expected, that's when the fun begins.

From camping out shenanigans to unruly scouts, Follow Me, Boys! doesn't break any new cinematic barriers or overwhelm viewers with brilliance, but it does deliver what Disney does best, and that's give the audience 135 minutes of mindless escape.

Kurt Russell made his Disney debut in the film, and he'd go on to appear in ten movies over the next decade for the studio. Another noted actor, John Larroquette, made his film debut (uncredited) in Follow Me, Boys!, playing a small role as a soldier.

Follow Me, Boys! is also noteworthy as the last Disney release prior to Walt Disney's death in December, 1966.

Trailer/Scene from Follow Me, Boys!



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Darn Cat (1965) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 116 mins.Year: 1965
Cast: Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, Dorothy Provine, and Roddy McDowall


Disney Movie Rating:
76.05 out of 100. Total of 67 votes.

Darn Cat (1965) Description:

Hayley Mills and Dean Jones are in for a treat in this purr-fect Disney family film filed with comedy, mystery, and adventure. When a young woman's Siamese D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up wearing a wristwatch as its collar, she figures out this is a tip-off for the ongoing case of an unsolved robbery and kidnapping. Hair-raising comedy continues as jealous boyfriends, nosy neighbors, and an allergic FBI agent try to crack this case.

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Those Calloways (1965) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 126 mins.Year: 1965
Cast: Brian Keith, Vera Miles and Brandon De Wilde


Disney Movie Rating:
83.7 out of 100. Total of 4 votes.

Those Calloways (1965) Movie Description:


A Vermont family's attempt to establish and develop a sanctuary for Canadian geese is the focus of the Walt Disney Productions 1965 film, Those Calloways.

Brian Keith stars as the leader of the Calloway clan, a family that's a bit "different" than most others in the quaint New England town, and when he purchases a lake with the idea of providing sanctuary for the migratory geese from hunters, he's labeled a "troublemaker" by the locals. When a wealthy outsider tries to buy the region and announces plans to turn it into a money-making resort, which naturally the Calloways oppose, the locals have even more reason to be "anti-Calloway."

It's only after the outsider mistakenly shoots Cam Calloway (Keith) that the natives begin to realize that maybe this "different" family isn't so bad after all.

Several familiar faces appear, including Vera Miles, Brandon de Wilde, Walter Brennan, Ed Wynn, Linda Evans and Tom Skerrit.

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The Monkey's Uncle (1965) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 87 mins.Year: 1965
Cast: Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello and Leon Ames


Disney Movie Rating:
54.7 out of 100. Total of 2 votes.

The Monkey's Uncle (1965) Movie Description:


The sequel to the 1963 Disney comedy, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Walt Disney Productions' 1965 film, The Monkey's Uncle, once again pairs Disney favorites Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello as the boy genius and his college girlfriend. Although the title is a reference to Merlin's pet chimpanzee, the simian has a vastly reduced role in comparison to the original film. Leon Ames also returns from the first movie.

Once again Merlin Jones has been busy in his laboratory, this time coming up with a man-powered airplane as well as developing a sleep-learning technique which he hopes will drill history lessons into slow-witted football players while they are asleep. The plan, naturally, backfires.

Despite a thin plotline, and predictable college hijinks, Monkey's Uncle is a charming, mindless adventure. Funicello is appearing in her final Disney production and is backed on the film's title song by none other than music legends The Beach Boys.

The Trailer/Scene from Monkey's Uncle:



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Mary Poppins (1964) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 139 mins.Year: 1964
Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns


Disney Casual Rating:
87.12 out of 100. Total of 580 votes.

Mary Poppins (1964) Movie Description:

The movie that taught us "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down," begins with the original super nanny, Mary Poppins, meeting the Banks family. With the help of her magical umbrella, her unending zeal for life, and some new friends like the klutzy chimneysweeper, Mary Poppins shows the family a mesmerizing, enchanting view of the world they'd never seen. From melodies that won't leave the mind, to fairy tale ideas of everyday things, to unforgottable tongue twisters like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Mary Poppins transforms the ordinary into extraordinary for everyone she meets.

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Emil and the Detectives (1964) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 92 mins.Year: 1964
Cast: Walter Slezak, Bryan Russell and Roger Mobley


Disney Movie Rating:
73.17 out of 100. Total of 8 votes.

Emil and the Detectives (1964) Movie Description:


Adapted from a classic 1929 German children's story by Erich Kastner, Walt Disney Productions 1964's Emil and the Detectives is an entertaining, well-scripted film with a familiar theme: Kids outwit clueless grown-ups to save the day.

Along with bumbling crooks, skeptical adults and a resourceful band of youngsters, Emil and the Detectives bounces along at a brisk pace, avoiding so many of the overused cliches prevalent in most films using the same storyline.

Walter Slezak is impeccable as The Baron, while Bryan Russell as Emil is charming without being cloying or predictably "cute." Filmed in and around Berlin, director Peter Tewksbury makes good use of the city's "feel" and imposing architecture to set an appropriate atmosphere, while remaining true to the original story.

Kastner's novel is notable for the fact that, although published before the rise of the Third Reich, it somehow escaped Nazi censorship, a fate most pre-war German literature didn't escape.

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The Moon Spinners (1964) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 118 mins.Year: 1964
Cast: Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach and Pola Negri


Disney Movie Rating:
84.27 out of 100. Total of 12 votes.

The Moon Spinners (1964) Movie Description:


A young girl's vacation adventure with her aunt to Crete turns suspenseful in the 1964 Walt Disney Productions The Moon Spinners. Disney favorite Hayley Mills stars in the fifth of her six featured roles for the studio.

The "Moon Spinners" is the name of a small inn where a jewel thief (Eli Wallach) is hiding out, trying to avoid mysterious "persons of interest," while arranging the sale of the purloined jewels to a wealthy woman, portrayed by Pola Negri, famed silent film star.

Mills becomes involved with Peter McInery, who is intent on retrieving the stolen jewels, and Mills' finds herself mixed up with assorted goings-on while trying to be supportive of McInery, with whom she's fallen in love. Joan Greenwood, as Mills' aunt, is effective, if slightly underused.

Filmed primarily on location, the background scenery is lush and beautifully framed, almost distractedly so at times.

Negri was reportedly coerced by Disney personally to be in the film, her first on-screen appearance in 21 years.

The Trailer/Scene from Moon Spinners:



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The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 97 mins.Year: 1964
Cast: Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire and Laurence Naismith


Disney Movie Rating:
80.5 out of 100. Total of 10 votes.

The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964) Movie Description:


The old adage, "a cat has nine lives" is put to the test in the 1964 British-American Disney collaboration of The Three Lives of Thomasina. Adapted from Paul Gallico's 1957 novel, Thomasina, The Cat Who Thought She Was God, the film is a fantasy revolving around a most unusual feline.

Patrick McGoohan, as a questioning veterinarian, and Dotrice, his daughter, are faced with the dilemma of an apparently mortally injured cat. The father has the animal euthanized, much to the daughter's displeasure. However, Thomasina is brought back to life by a mysterious "woodswoman" (Hampshire), who then raises the cat in her "second" life.

Circumstances bring the three main characters together eventually, despite initial reluctance, and along with the now rejuvenated cat, forge a life together, Thomasina's "third."

Thomasina is charming and understated, understandably popular with pre-teen girls, but the superb acting and concise direction (Don Chaffey) will leave older viewers entertained as well.

The Trailer/Scene from Three Lives of Thomasina:



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A Tiger Walks (1964) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 91 mins.Year: 1964
Cast: Brian Keith, Vera Miles and Pamela Franklin


Disney Movie Rating:
82.25 out of 100. Total of 4 votes.

A Tiger Walks (1964) Movie Description:


An unusual film out of the Disney stable, 1964's A Tiger Walks, with Brian Keith as a small-town sheriff faced with an escaped tiger within his district. His daughter wages a campaign to try and capture the animal, making the story a national item. The governor, meanwhile, wants no part of playing zookeeper and issues orders for the National Guard to shoot the tiger on sight.

The sheriff enlists the help of a circus employee (Sabu, in his last film appearance), and they manage to capture and place the tiger into a zoo.

A Tiger Walks delves into areas Disney normally avoids, mainly politics and psychological cause and effect. Still, it's entertaining, and has a different "feel" to it than the viewer may be anticipating.

Keith is at his best as the embattled sheriff, while Pamela Franklin as the daughter is convincing as she mounts her crusade. Director Norman Tokar, veteran of more than a dozen Disney productions, handles the "unorthodox" material deftly.

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The Sword in the Stone (1963) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 79 mins.Year: 1963
Cast: Voices by Sebastian Cabot, Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews


Disney Casual Rating:
84.27 out of 100. Total of 501 votes.

The Sword in the Stone (1963) Movie Description:

Young Arthur has high aspirations when Merlin the Magician chooses him to be an apprentice. However, he fails to see the lessons learned from washing dishes and doing menial chores. Arthur's world is transformed with the opportunity to remove the infamous sword from the stone which would allow him to become the king.


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Summer Magic (1963) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 109 mins.Year: 1963
Cast: Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire, and Deborah Walley


Disney Movie Rating:
73.55 out of 100. Total of 11 votes.

Summer Magic (1963) Movie Description:

Based on the book "Mother Carey's Chickens" by Kate Douglas Wiggins, Disney's 1963 film Summer Magic, features Disney favorites Hayley Mills and Burl Ives in a story focused on a widow and her children moving into a country home in a small town in Maine. With assistance from the caretaker of the home, they manage to fix it up despite the opposition of the caretaker's wife.

When a pretentious cousin of the family shows up and steals away the affection of the new teacher, the eldest daughter Nancy (Mills), at first upset with her cousin's manipulations, soon meets up with a new suitor, who turns out to be the owner of the country home.

Summer Magic is beautifully filmed, and the soundtrack, courtesy of songwriter brothers Richard and Robert Sherman is remembered best for the song, "Ugly Bug Ball," performed by Ives.

Besides Mills and Ives, appearances by notables such as Dorothy McGuire, Una Merkel, James Stacy and Michael J. Pollard complete the cast.

A Scene from Summer Magic:

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Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) Disney Movie













Rating: GLength: 93 mins.Year: 1963
Cast: Robert Taylor and Lilli Palmer


Disney Movie Rating:
78.75 out of 100. Total of 19 votes.

Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) Movie Description:

Based on a true story and largely filmed on location in Vienna, the Disney film Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) is a slow-moving yet inspirational movie based on the evacuation of the famed Lipizzaner horses during World War II.

Directed by Arthur Hiller, who went on to direct such classics as Love Story, Plaza Suite and The Man in the Glass Booth, "Miracle" deviated from standard Disney fare, most notably by the absence of cute children, humor and gratuitous action.

With the war winding down, the riding school which trains the legendary circus horses is still threatened by Nazi bombing raids. Led by the school's director (Robert Taylor, in his last major role), a plan is hatched to remove the horses to safety, as well as to ensure the magnificent breed's survival.

Aside from Taylor, the cast features Hollywood notables such as Lilli Palmer, Curt Jurgens, Eddie Albert and James Franciscus.

A Scene from Miracle of the White Stallions:

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Savage Sam (1963) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 103 mins.Year: 1963
Cast: Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran


Disney Movie Rating:
73.42 out of 100. Total of 8 votes.

Savage Sam (1963) Movie Description:

Following a legend is never easy, and Disney's sequel to it's 1957 classic Old Yeller was the task facing Savage Sam, a Bluetick Coonhound and son of the incomparable Yeller.

Just as loyal and courageous as his father, Sam loves nothing more than tracking bobcats and going hunting with the Coates brothers. When the boys' parents go away to visit a sick relative, the brothers are left alone. As fate would have it, the boys, along with a neighbor's daughter, are kidnapped by Indians, and a search party, organized by the boys' uncle, is soon on the trail. The oldest son, Travis, escapes his captors and is found with help from Sam's keen nose. The search party then manages to rescue the others and all is well once more.

Reprising their original roles as the Coates brothers, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran head up the cast. Also appearing are Brian Keith, Marta Kristen, Jeff York and Slim Pickens.

A Scene from Savage Sam:

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Son of Flubber (1963) Disney Movie













Rating:Length: 100 mins.Year: 1963
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson and Keenan Wynn


Disney Movie Rating:
74.8 out of 100. Total of 5 votes.

Son of Flubber (1963) Movie Description:


Fred MacMurray returns to the laboratory as Professor Ned Brainard in the 1963 Disney comedy, Son of Flubber. This time he's developed a gas from his earlier discovery, flubber. Allegedly, the substance can manipulate the weather, which naturally piques the interest of the Pentagon, further complicating things. The "gas" also intrigues the coach of the football team, and he utilizes a "flubberized" football to help defeat Medfield's rival in the "big game."

Son of Flubber is a sequel to the first visit to good 'ole Medfield College, The Absent Minded Professor, the first sequel ever produced by the Disney Studios.

MacMurray was apparently born for this role, as it's difficult to imagine any other actor as the good Professor. Vera Miles as his wife is sufficiently "wifely," while Nancy Olson as an old flame of the Professor, is wholesomely seductive. Father-son team Ed and Keenan Wynn also appear, with cameos by Paul Lynde and Ed Sullivan.

Trailer/Scene from Son of Flubber:



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Bon Voyage (1962) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 130 mins.Year: 1962
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman


Disney Movie Rating:
66.13 out of 100. Total of 15 votes.

Bon Voyage (1962) Movie Description:

Bon Voyage! is a Disney movie made in 1962 that follows a family during their trip to Paris, France . This is a comedy-adventure movie with a few scenes that may remind you of the movie "National Lampoon's European Vacation" , but this film is not quite as funny (although it is much more appropraite for children). The Willard Family is from Terre Haute, Indiana and the film starts with the family preparing to embark on the trip of a lifetime. Harry Willard is under the impression that the trip will run smoothly and his biggest worry is avoiding the tap water once they reach Paris. However, his three children are definitely not going to make his job easy by any means. This is an older film but is a decent watch if you are into old-school Disney movies.

Bon V Trailer:

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Big Red (1962) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 89 mins.Year: 1962
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Gilles Payant


Disney Movie Rating:
79.1 out of 100. Total of 25 votes.

Big Red (1962) Movie Description:

A "boy-and-his-dog" scenario is guaranteed to reach moviegoer's hearts, and when it comes to producing films of this type, few, if any, do it as well or as successfully as the people at Disney.

1962's Big Red is a perfect example. The Irish Setter of the title is a product of championship show breed parentage, but he seems to prefer just "being a dog" to the monotony and discipline of fulfilling his lineage and taking his place at the Westminster Kennel Club awards podium. This conflict is at the heart of the film, as the dog's owner/sportsman and an orphan boy clash over the dog's "destiny."

After Big Red meets and falls for a fetching female, then runs away with his mate to join the boy, the story appears to have settled into the typical domestic blissfulness the viewer expects, but when the former owner is in grave danger, Big Red comes to the rescue of the grateful sportsman.

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Moon Pilot (1962) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 98 mins.Year: 1962
Cast: Tom Tryon, Brian Keith, Edmond O'Brien, and Dany Saval


Disney Movie Rating:
50.1 out of 100. Total of 10 votes.

Moon Pilot (1962) Movie Description:

The successful space journey of Charlie the Chimp sets the stage for the first manned flight to orbit the moon in Disney's 1962 film, Moon Pilot. One of the film's most appealing features is the sophisticated live-action space segments, unusual for its' time.

Based on the 1960 novel Starfire, by Robert Buckner, Moon Pilot was a departure from the usual Disney production as it presented a satirical swipe at America's space program, government and military.

Astronaut Richmond Talbot is inadvertently selected to pilot the historic flight, but he immediately becomes a target of various government agencies, including a mysterious woman who may or may not be a spy.

Tom Tryon, Dany Saval, Brian Keith and Edmond O'Brien head the cast of Moon Pilot, which was a critical, if not commercial success. Director James Neilson made his Disney debut with Moon Pilot and went on to direct several more, including Summer Magic and The Moon Spinners.

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In Search of Castaways (1962) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 98 mins.Year: 1962
Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Hayley Mills, George Sanders


Disney Movie Rating:
79.02 out of 100. Total of 17 votes.

In Search of Castaways (1962) Movie Description:

Disney favorite Hayley Mills stars in 1962's In Search of the Castaways, an adaptation of Jules Verne's adventure novel "Captain Grant's Children." A distinguished cast, including Maurice Chevalier, Wilfred Hyde-White and George Sanders helps to carry this action-packed film.

Mary Grant (Mills) convinces Lord Glenarvan (Hyde-White) to lead an expedition to rescue her shipwrecked father, marooned halfway around the world. Encounters with Maori tribesmen, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, giant condors and volcanic eruptions challenge the rescuers in their noble attempt. Filmed in several picturesque South Sea locales, the cinematography is stunning, and the special effects unusually convincing for it's time. There are sub-plots galore, including a double-dealing gunrunner (Sanders) attempting to sabotage the venture, and young Mary Grant's semi-romantic "fling" with the Lord's devoted son, John.

The action is non-stop, and at times, surprisingly hair-raising for a Disney production. Chevalier's performance as Mary Grant's young-at-heart professor friend is impressive and typically classy for this legendary actor.

A Scene from in Search of Castaway:

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Almost Angels (1962) Disney Movie













Rating: NRLength: 93 mins.Year: 1962
Cast: Peter Weck, Vincent Winter, and Vienna Boys Choir


Disney Movie Rating:
83.4 out of 100. Total of 29 votes.

Almost Angels (1962) Movie Description:

A movie about the Vienna Boy's Choir, at first glance, would seem to be a definite "yawner", but Disney's 1962 production of Almost Angels turns out to be anything but.

The plot is essentially familiar; young boy from humble beginnings aspires to greatness seemingly beyond his reach and the trials and tribulations he encounters in attaining his dreams. The conflict between the boy and his working-class father who would prefer the boy "stick to his own" and their eventual reconciliation.

Almost Angels surprises the viewer with it's frank and realistic glimpses into the day-to-day goings-on behind the famed choir with honest portrayals of jealousy, inspiration, competitiveness, friendship and the typical playfulness inherent among adolescents.

Almost Angels features beautiful music and delivers a very inspirational story. Disney's trademark "family values" and the classic "reach for the stars" storyline grabs the viewer early on and never descends into predictability or
pandering to make its point.

A Scene from Almost Angel:

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