(1962)
3
Craig Butler
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Disney produced a mini-genre of "animal pictures," including Big Red. Although all of them had humor, many of these tended to be a bit more "serious" in tone, as opposed to the "zanier" comedy of films like The Absent Minded Professor. Big Red is very typical of these films, and it's quite likeable. Yes, it's absolutely manipulative dramatically, but the kids that are its target audience won't really mind, and most parents probably won't be too offended by that either. The film's screenplay is pretty much a by-the-numbers affair, but those numbers do add up to an effective story. It has a rather obvious moral, of course, but it's a good one for its young viewers. And the cast is quite likeable, with Gilles Payant very winning as the boy and Walter Pidgeon appropriately short-sighted but teachable as the adult who doesn't understand the true value of things. Even more importantly, Big Red has an absolutely beautiful and totally lovable canine actor in the title role, who is bound to win most hearts with just a toss of his furry head. Add in some very lovely scenery and some rich, yummy color lensing, and the result is a pleasant little family diversion.
cast-crew for Big Red on AllMovie
Big Red (1962)
