Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Fatma Suarez
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
eeb215
My father wrote this script in 1982 and pitched it to a development executive at Disney. In his version, most of the story was the same, with the difference that the girl who dressed as a boy and rode the boxcars in the 1930s was running away from her father, not to him.I have read the original script my father pitched to Disney and it is virtually the same, just less Disney (no dog, for example).If you check out the screenwriter, Jeanne Rosenberg, you will see she specializes in sequels and adaptations. This was NOT her original work, and I challenge her to claim it was (I have nothing against her - I am confident she was simply given the basic plot and told to write the screenplay, and accuse her of nothing that could be construed as unethical).It was my father's great misfortune to have had this happen in the days when no L.A. lawyer in his/her right mind would sue the Walt Disney Corporation. That has since changed, but 25 years ago it was universally understood that taking Disney to court was an exercise in futility.Check my father out on IMDb: Bert Brown. He's a legitimate producer, not some crackpot with a grudge, and has no idea I am posting this message. I hope someone can put me in touch with Jeanne Rosenberg or the development exec. who headed up this film in order to set the record straight.email:
[email protected]
rodewrrior
For whatever reason I always watch the animals in movies. The absolute best was the dog in the 1948 "Oliver Twist" with Alec Guiness. The wolf in this film is great. Only one time do you see him looking to a handler for his cue. In the closing credits he "Jed" got top billing. Yet another 'journey' story but well done. Cusack played his part well and Salenger was perfect. The guidelines for comments call for ten lines of text so: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
cwrdlylyn
THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN This was in the back of my video cabinet and I haven't watched it since I was a child. NATTY GANN is a rather unknown Disney release from 1985 that takes places in the '30's. Natty Gann is a young girl living with just her father in a bleak time. She is rough around the edges and has clearly built up a crocodile skin due to the life she has led. However, at her core, she truly loves her father.So when he is forced to leave her at a moment's notice to travel to Washington (the only place he can find work) Natty is left in the care of a bitter Landlord. It doesn't take long for Natty, played by Meredith Salenger, to runaway in an attempt to travel the 2,000 miles to be with her father again.On her journey, Natty meets all kinds of people who are suffering due to the nation's economic situation. One thing she witnesses is a dogfight where one of the dog's is a rather wild wolf. Natty reaches out for the wolf though and eventually manages to establish a bond with the wild animal. Together, they continue to travel towards her Washington State in pursuit of Natty's father.As the plot description above makes clear, the framework of this film is not horribly unique or important. However, what does give the film some extra quality is the approach in which the material is taken on.This film is very much in the same vein as another under-appreciatted Disney classic, RETURN TO OZ. This is a very dark family film that lacks all of the standard, corny Disney clichés (aside from the animal friend, but here he doesn't talk... and he isn't particularly nice at first).THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN portrays the depression-era and it's effects on the poor very honestly. We see Natty eating out of garbage pales and sleeping in filth. We see the type of work her father is forced to take on. And we see the bitterness and resentment Natty feels towards her situation.She is not your typical "hopelessly-optimistic" Disney heroine. She gets angry, she defends herself, and she doesn't make excuses. She starts fight, even smokes what appears to be weed in the opening scene (this was something I certainly didn't notice as a child). However, the role of Natty is always grounded by an appealing and fully realized performance from the young Meredith Salenger. She hasn't found much success in film following this movie, but it is definitely one of the best child performances of the 80's.Now aside from the good qualities of the film, THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN moves a little too slow for me to really love it. Despite the many Disney clichés it avoids, it's still always obvious Natty will find her father and all will be happy. So the fact that it takes 105 minutes to do so is a bit much. And there is a supporting role / love interest played by John Cusack who is essentially useless to the plot.But Disney deserves some credit for boldly taking family films to a darker, more artistically developed place in 1985 (both RETURN TO OZ and NATTY GANN were released in that year). There haven't been children's films that really embrace the darker side of things like these 2 films do since '85... and these under-viewed films deserve a little more credit and public acknowledgment for looking outside of the lines in a genre that is too often trapped within the lines.... B- ...
corusca
The Journey of Natty Gann follows teenage Natalie Sue Gann (Meredith Salenger) as she travels from Chicago to Seattle in search of her father.After Natty's father Sol Gann (Ray Wise) was offered a job in Washington state he had to take it, leaving Natty in the less than tender care of Connie, their landlady (Lainie Kazan). However, after hearing Connie call the police for an 'abandoned girl' Natty runs away, unable to wait until Sol sends for her.Over the course of her journey, Natty meets up with a knowledgeable young man by name of Harry (John Cusak), a group of rag-tag misfits with a rather mafia-esque 'you take care of us, we take care of you' motto, and a loyal 'Wolf' (which may or may not be a Husky, since everyone but Natty refers to it as a dog, and it is played by the dog of 'White Fang' fame) that seems to have a sixth-sense when it comes to danger.Despite being made by Disney, Natty Gann is a cute movie without suffering the candy-coated sweetness of most recent Disney films. Overall, the good acting, great scenery and decent script make for an enjoyable film that everyone in the family can enjoy.Hey, the star even swears four times!
