I first saw this as a kid and nearly never saw another movie again. Especially one with an animal in it. For anyone who has ever bonded with an animal (especially a dog), "Old Yeller" strikes a nerve or two. The was also the first time I ever heard the phrase "It's only a movie!" after I saw "Old Yeller" because I cried so hard. This is probably one of the finest family films ever made by the Walt Disney people. It's a simple tale of a frontier boy who bonds with a stray dog (that more than proves it's loyalty) and the boy's final realization that he has to grow up. Dorothy McGuire is the steadfast mother and Tommy Kirk is the boy who must make a gut-wrenching decision that will start him on the road to maturity. I hated this movie for years but as an adult I more than see the beauty of it now and highly recommend it all round. But keep those kleenex handy because if you're like me, you'll need 'em.

The DVD treatment of this film is also the way a classic should be treated. Disney pulled out all the stops for the DVD's in their new "Vault Disney Collection" which has 4 different releases as of 1/29/03. I have always loved this movie, and you can read all the great things about the film itslef from other reviewers and from the vhs reviews. I want to talk about the DVD treatment. First and most importantly it's WIDESCREEN, maybe for the first time outside of a theatre. What a difference it makes, the film is beautiful in its scope as it was originally intended.

EXTRAS!! Read all about it!
There are about 3 hours worth of incredible extra material here. To find all of the extras is not easy, so make sure you poke around and push on every icon (especially arrows) you can and be sure to even pursue the items that do not sound interesting to you since they can in turn lead to yet another submenu of goodies.
The 2 disc set has much more than is listed here or even on the packaging itself. One of the best bonus features is a complete vintage episode of the Walt Disney television show from 1957, the episode called, "Best Doggone Dog in the West". It has half the episode devoted to a behind the scenes promotion of the film, featuring Dorothy McGuire as our narrator. The other half had a great old featurette called "Arizona Sheepdog", that ran in theatres in 1955 before a main feature. (TRIVIA not on this set - this episode was altered in 1961 for its rerun, and the Old Yeller segment was replaced with a 101 Dalmations segment.)

Several featurettes and archive Galleries with studio fan cards, costume design sketches, lobby cards, invitations, film production letterhead, posters, magazine ads, screenplay, and the complete exhibitors campaign book; Audio features with production photos and behind the scenes shots with the sounds of Radio Spots from the original release, two songs, a foley sound effects demonstration, and 2 interactive "Sound Studio" demonstrations. Also more production archives; included is the fan letters sent to Gibson the author; a news story from TV about the unveiling of the memorial to Old Yeller in Gibsons home town, which Disney studio participated in; a documeentary on the writer; a short new video called "Dogs" ; recent interviews with cast members;

My favorite, a nice featurette giving us a first ever rare glimpse of the famous "Golden Oak Movie Ranch" owned by Disney where this film and so many others were filmed. I had always wanted to see it and my wish finally came true. Another feature is the 1961 Disney Studio Album which is a photo album/video showcasing everything the Disney Studio created in 1957 from Parks, to TV, to film. A really neat extra is the actual complete recording of the original "Old Yeller" storybook LP album released as merchandising, narrated by Fess Parker. Next there is yet another documentary on the making of the film.

Also included here as a big bonus is the original theatrical Pluto cartoon "Bone Trouble" released along with the Old Yeller in 1957, so you can see it the way you did back when. Show the kids the way it used to be, when you went to the movies and you saw more fun stuff than just commercials before the main feature.

I challenge anyone to watch this without getting caught up in the story, or to keep from singing the great title song. All ages truly love this family film. The book that the story is based on by Gibson will long be remembered as a classic. Disney respected the book in their film, and made a movie that is many great things.

Thank you!, whoever at Disney pushed to treat this DVD like this. The extras have caused me to rave about the Vault Disney series to everyone I know and buy extra copies for my loved ones as Christmas presents. I hope all Disney fans buy tons of these so Disney understands it is worth putting the extra work into a DVD. If I could give it 10 stars I would, well worth the price!

This is one of those Disney classic movies that stands the test of time. Brilliant direction, casting, and sets. The sets were done by the same man that did the sets for "Shane". Along with this wonderful story of a pioneer family and its incredible dog. You get a second disc filled with extra features. You get a Pluto cartoon on the first disc that shows before the feature. The movie will appeal the most to dog lovers but has something for the whole family. Old Yeller along with being a wonderful companion risks his life three times to save family members. The fight with the bear, wild pigs, and wolf are intense and not recommmended for young children to see. Furthermore when Old Yeller gets hydrophobia what has to be done will upset the little ones. The scenery is beautiful and the set shots are excellent. The movie is in letterbox format and the restoration is perfect. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants a good family movie for all but the very young.