Customer Reviews

The Journey of Natty Gann [VHS]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

What could have been the usual predictable Disney film, turns out to be a truly remarkable experience the whole family can enjoy. The story of a young girl who travels across country to find her father during the depression, is played perfectly by Meredith Salenger. The supporting cast is just as excellent, with John Cusack playing a drifter she meets along the way, and Jed who plays Wolf, her companion for much of the journey. During her trip, we have a first hand look at the desparation many people suffered through during the depression. The scenery is gorgeous, and the score is terrific. This should be a Disney classic and it's too bad the people at Disney don't realize it, which brings me to the bad part of this review.
Apperently there isn't anyone at Disney who ever thought this movie would be or could be this great. It was released on VHS, but was out of print and unavailable for a long time, unless of course you wanted to spend mega-bucks for it on Ebay. I would have hoped that with this re-release, it would have gained some measure of respect, but Disney only saw fit to slap a quick pan and scan version on DVD and sell it at a low price to make a few bucks. The transfer is horrible, the picture is grainy much of the time, the characters out of frame, and most of the scenery is completely lost. The audio is ordinary, much of the sounds when they are in the forest inaudible, and the beautiful score is completely wasted. It's too bad that the people at Disney don't know what a gem they have. In other words, the movie gets five stars, the DVD transfer gets one star....which averages out to a three. Despite that, I suggest you buy this movie while you can before it disappears into oblivion once again.

Great Movie. Crummy DVD. I saw it in theatres when I was a kid, I bought the VHS when 1st available; I was overjoyed to the point of near misty-eyed-ness when I recieved the DVD from my wife. TjoNG is one of the reasons I fell in love with wolves & learned to overcome my American cultural ignorance of them. The movie is the reason I listened more closely to my grandparents tales of the depression; why I stopped thinking depression meant an emotional state & recognized it as an economic problem. You & your kids can *LEARN* something from this movie, you can enjoy watching it, again & again; there's a marvelous emotional hurrah! throughout the entire story, Disney at it's finest without the clubbed-over-the-head forced-spoon-fed social & morality message & commentary. The scenery is breathtaking, you kinda think I wish I could go back to then & live in that incredible world. The music is perfect, nudging & reinforcing without interrupting or annoying. This is also one of Scatman Caruthers' last roles, doing what he does best; adding a touch of autheniticty that makes our suspension of disbelief effortless.
The DVD is a horiffic slap in the face to the theatrical release, the cast, crew & it's *SO* bad it makes the movie look shoddy. I won't reiterate what the other people so ably & eloquently illustrated of the flaws, I'll just say BUY THE VHS! if you can't, well, this DVD is better than nothing.

Barely.
The only reason there're 3 stars is because I was in the theatre on a magical night near to 2 decades ago & I *KNOW* what should have been on this disc. Let's not even mention the despair of finding no extra features.

First off, this is one of the best family Disney films of all time. Great story, good acting, epic in scale.
However, this DVD edition [bad]. Image quality [bad]. And it's not in widescreen, which is just a sin if you remember the scope of the film.
Obviously, Disney's trying to find ways to cut corners these days and shell out low quality merchandise.

I don't know what to say about "The Journey of Natty Gann" that hasn't already been said. This is a riveting film that never ceases to entertain. The outstanding and auspicious debut of Meredith Salenger belies her later career, most recently seen in the campy horror flick "Lake Placid" in a small role. This is also one of John Cusack's first roles, and he's perfect, as is Ray Wise as Natty's father. The Oscar nominated costumes are period-perfect, as are the sets, convincingly portraying Depression era America. A Widescreen version is sorely missing from the recently released DVD; a lot of period detail was lost. Let's hope someone comes along to correct this gross over-sight. The magnificent vistas of the Pacific northwest, captured by photographer Dick Bush, would also be enhanced by a Widescreen format. The music of James Horner is symphonic at times (reminiscent of the best of Aaron Copland), as it also incoporates folk music and grand,sweeping passages to compliment the adventure that is taking place. The director, Jeremy Kagan, brilliantly kept a flow and consistant feeling of excitement (he won the Golden Prize at the Moscow Film Festival). Episodic as some might think, each episode is woven into the next with care and a fine feel for the narrative at large...a fine example of great editing. This is, quite simply, and all-around excellent film. Tears are bound to flow, but they won't be manipulated; there's genuine pathos in the final development of events, and not sappy, either. As I said, except for the Pan & Scan treatment, the DVD is well presented, though there are no extras. It's OK, though, because the price is more than reasonable. SEE THIS FILM! And show it to the whole family.

The Journey Of Natty Gann is the story about the adventures of a young woman from Chicago who is on the road to find her father who was sent all the way to Washington to work. Along the way, she befriends a wolf-dog(the same animal that played in the 1991 film White Fang), and a drifter. The bad thing about this dvd version is that it is only in pan and scan when it should be widescreen. We are only seeing half of the picture! DvDs were developed to make movies look as good on television screens as they did when they first came out in theaters. It is a matter of choice, but I refuse to buy any DVD, Disney included, that is not in its correct aspect ratio, and I urge anyone who feels the same way to contact them and try to get them to release a widescreen version of this movie.

I had pre-ordered this DVD weeks in advance, assuming that the film would be in it's original aspect ratio, 2.35:1 Widescreen. However, when the DVD arrived, it was in the 1.33:1 Pan and scan version! No extras! What a waste. The movie itself is so good, and yet Disney releases a below-average DVD. Why bother with the DVD if you already own the VHS version, that's already pan-and-scan? The DVD is at a good price...

Disney should be ashamed of themselvs for caring so little about this excellent film. It looks like they took the original analog telecine from 1985 and simply converted it to DVD. There is obviously wsa not anew digital transfer from film (which the film deserves). The image appears to be less than DVD image quality. Plus the image weaves all over the screen like a worn out film print shown at a discount movie theatre.

In my opinion, this DVD is simply a rip-off.

I really loved this movie when I first saw it & would love to have it on dvd, but sadly, Disney has decided not to release the movie that I saw, they decided to release only 1/2 of it.

Set in the Depression, Natty Gann runs away from the woman her father had left her with when he got a job in the Pacific Northwest. Her journey is truly exciting as she dodges Child Welfare, befriends a wolf and meets up with John Cusack. In the meantime, her father has to search for her when he finds she's missing. Definitely an overlooked gem of a film. I will definitely buy this when Disney chooses to release the entire movie.

Once in a great while you see a film that really leaves you speechless. I had been aware of this film for many years, but only recently watched it on a cable TV station. It's the kind of movie that transcends age, gender, time and place. The story is so great and the acting is just superb! Meredith Salenger stars as the title character and she's does such a wonderful job that you forget you're actually watching a movie. It's the kind of film that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It's too bad that Disney didn't do a better job with the DVD edition, since this movie is a real gem. I give it the highest rating!

Natty Gann is well on its way to being a timeless classic for the whole family; its poignantly honest depiction of the Great Depression remains a vivid, rich history lesson in a big painterly style. The main characters are heartfelt without being sappy. Meredith Salenger as Natty is just amazing to watch; she's both feisty tomboy-kid and emerging young woman... her journey is personal, historic and adventurous. Her wolf companion (played by the most wolf-looking dog in the world!) steals every scene, especially as their bond deepens. The gradual friendship between the two is actually believable! All the supporting characters are terrific; fully drawn-out. Having grown up with many earlier Disney live-action films being of a much more saccharine and inauthentic quality, I still am impressed with how ageless of a movie Natty Gann actually is. The direction is stylish, the wilderness scenes are breathtaking and James Horner's music is sweeping. What a well-made movie!