I was so happy to have finally found this movie on DVD. This movie was always a favorite of mine and it was the impetus for me to read many of Sterling North's books. This movie spoke to me on a level no other did or has since. However, watching it as an adult is a completely different experience. I see the flaws in it and why it was never a big blockbuster. The action is a bit draggy and the narration is lackluster except to maybe those who know Walter Pidgeon from his earlier years as a movie star. The soundtrack is also a bit overly sweet, but I didn't pay any attention to those things when I was a child. The movie is still enjoyable and I am sure that many children will love it. What I found that I like about it is the scenery and the idyllic presentation of a time that lives only in memory. This movie is filled with actors from a previous era: Steve Forrest and Elsa Lanchester to begin with. But there are also character actors whose names you may not recognize, but whose faces or voices you certainly will. (Think Piglet from Winnie the Pooh!) I wish Disney would release this with extras - like reminisces from the actors themselves. I still like this movie and found it is not diminished with time. It is still beautiful.
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thor61024 February 2011
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Hearty tale.
'Rascal' is nothing absolutely incredible, the cast et al. aren't anything to shout about. That doesn't, however, stop it leaving a heartfelt impression due to its story. It's cool following Sterling & Rascal's journey.
As for the cast, Steve Forrest gives a solid display as Willard while Bill Mumy is suitable for the role of Sterling; who is voiced, for narration, by Walter Pidgeon, he does a grand job in truth. The other members are OK.
It might not delve too deeply into the actual lives of Sterling & family, but everything featuring the adorable raccoon and his story is pleasant. At 85 minutes, it's nice and short too. -
Nemo_2417 July 2019This was my first time watching Disney's Rascal. I am not 100% sure I understand the reason for the movie, although I do know that it based off the book. Overall, I thought the movie had its humorous moments, especially the scene involving Rascal in the general store. I am glad that I was able to mark a "new" Disney movie off my list, but I am not sure I will have a desire or need to re-watch the film in the future. Rascal was an enjoyable way to kill some time on a rainy day.
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SanDiego19 October 2000The year was 1969 and everything was groovy. Even Disney released "The Love Bug" which became the biggest domestic hit of that year. Squashed into uniplexes somewhere between "The Love Bug" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" kids were treated to a quiet little bit of Americana called "Rascal." About as Disney as you can get, "Rascal" is the story about a boy and his raccoon. We've seen it before and after, a boy domesticates a wild animal, animal causes mischief, neighbors blame for every mishap in the area, and by the end of the film the boy must release the animal back into the wild. No computer generated whales, talking pigs, or alien visitors, just the Disney crew doing what they did best. Disney has made a ton of these and they work. "Rascal" is one of the best. Considering the Sterling North classic novel is still popular and in print I wonder why it hasn't been released on video and/or remade. At the time of this writing odds of seeing this film at all are very rare and that is a shame considering the inferior product being released direct-to-video for kids today. Considering the Disney label it would seem this would be ripe for a release on video. Add to that the cult following of star Bill Mumy ("Lost in Space," "Babylon 5") and you have a winner.
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TheOneThatYouWanted13 September 2020A little long in the tooth but it does the trick. It needed something to jot it up in the middle but luckily the end does give us something plus a good message overall. Simple and well done. It doesn't even feel like something shot way back in 1969. Thank you classic Disney.
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RetsofNoraa14 July 2006This movie is based on an autobiography of the same name. Searching up Brailsford Junction, WI, however, will yield very few results. As it turns out, I live in the original town, Edgerton, and we are proud of Sterling's story, and the history it has added to our city. I was able to watch this on DVD recently, and I must say, I wish films like this one were made more often today. I found it entertaining even though there were no swears, no jokes about drugs or bodily functions, or violence, not that there's anything wrong with it. But it's certainly a welcome change to see this film pull it off so well. Maybe it's my general slant towards the back-story of the film that makes me able to appreciate it more, but it sure is fun to say, "Hey; I've been there!" I give this film a five...out of five.
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moonspinner5524 February 2009Comedy-drama from the Disney company about a youngster (Bill Mumy, of TV's "Lost in Space") in the 1900s adopting a baby raccoon who quickly becomes the town menace. Impossibly warm and treacly saga that Walt himself might have been proud of (it seems a direct product of the late 1950s, not 1969!). However, the animals involved are consistently interesting, far more so than the hysterical grown-ups, and Mumy is solid if unspectacular (he wasn't in the same league as, say, Johnny Whitaker, though he's competent). Steve Forrest and Elsa Lanchester are unable to add much sparkle to the proceedings, and Buddy Baker's music score is teeth-grindingly sweet. *1/2 from ****
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mukundjoglekar22 June 2010I have read the original book 'Rascal-a memoir of a better era' by Sterling North. My younger brother, Sunil, who passed away at an early age loved this book and had translated it into Marathi, the regional language of Maharashtra, India.
I had heard about the Walt Disney movie on this story but did not know where and how to get to see it although I enjoyed the picturesque story and lived with the life of small Sterling and the Raccoon while reading this book. This is the great thing about such great writers as Sterling North who impact readers even from an entirely different environment and culture.
May I mention here about a writer from the 19th century, Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote 'Little House in the Big Woods' followed by the 'Little House series'. I have been reading these books ever since my childhood and have enjoyed the freshness at every repeat reading.
I would love to watch this movie 'Rascal' which I already rate Ten out of Ten in advance because the very idea of making a movie on such a book is adorable. -
I just finished reading Sterling North's wonderful novel and immediately thereafter watched the film. Book and film are two different media, so the filmed interpretation has to be different from the printed version. Therefore it's meaningless to make a fine-combing comparison and whine about details. But I have to be critical, because the film misses just too much of what the book gives its readers.
The central part of the novel is an irresistible declaration of love to the nature of Wisconsin, the way it looked in 1918. Father and son travel together through the state from south to north, all the way up to Lake Superior. They stay put for a while in one place particularly, where Sterling and Rascal are left alone during the days, while Dad is busy with real estate deals.
Nature is a leading actor in the novel, as is so often also the case in Disney films from the era in question. But this time, the company saved some bucks and didn't film on location in Wisconsin. I believe that's why this isn't a nature film but a conventional family comedy. Southern California is beautiful, but it doesn't look like Wisconsin. There are no oak and maple forests and no giant lake. Either they didn't care to give us a long and wonderful view of nature or they didn't think it was worth the cost or they didn't grasp the importance of that very pivotal part of the novel . We get there not only a description of landscapes but also the development of the psychological relation between father and son and also between boy and animal.
Lack of understanding, lack of ambition, lack of money? Take your pick, in any case I can't recommend the film to those who have read and come to love the novel. For others, it may work reasonably well, as a family comedy with a pet in an important role. -
chris_gaskin12328 February 2005I have just seen Rascal for the first time and found it very enjoyable. One reason for me purchasing this movie was for two of its stars, who have played two of the most well known characters in science fiction: Billy Mumy, who played Will Robinson in Lost In Space and The Bride of Frankenstein herself, Elsa Lanchester who plays a school teacher in this.
A boy has just broke up from school for the summer and he finds a raccoon which he takes in as a pet and names it Rascal. The boy is on his own for most of the holiday as his sister and dad are working away. His mum is dead. So he, Rascal and his pet dog get up to all sorts of adventures, and cause chaos in the process. But time comes eventually to send Rascal back into the wild and does so at the end and meets a fellow raccoon.
Rascal is nicely shot in colour and contains some good scenery.
Also in the cast are Steve Forest and Pamela Toll. Narration is provided by another star who is well known for one of his sci-fi movies: Walter Pigeon (Forbidden Planet).
Rascal is a nice way to spend an hour and a half one evening. Excellent.
Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5. -
Wizard-88 August 2015Although this Disney movie is based on an autobiographical novel, I am sure that viewers today will have a strong feeling of deja-vu while watching this movie. In fact, I'm pretty sure audiences back in 1969 had the same feeling. The movie follows a familiar formula of a wild animal being adopted by humans, and the wild animal living with humans for a while before it's decided it's best that the animal be released back in the wilderness. Actually, the familiar formula that the movie follows isn't the real problem here. This telling of the formula seems particularly lazy, skipping ahead for a long period after the raccoon is adopted and having the narrator telling the audience that he and the raccoon had plenty of adventures that we never get to see. I suppose that kids that have never seen this formula before might enjoy the movie, but they and their parents would be better off finding a better telling of this formula, like the movie "Born Free".
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mark.waltz7 February 2024Certainly the neighbors of Billy Mumy and his pet racoon, Rascal, have every right to complain when the somewhat tame varmit keeps causing destruction, in their gardens, kitchen, store and on the street. Teenaged Mumy is spending the summer alone while his insurance salesman father Steve Forrest is on the road. His teacher (Bettye Ackerman) is far too interested with what Mumy is doing, or maybe it's setting her nuts on his widowed father.
Before Forrest hits the road, the free spirited, nature loving dad agrees to let Mumy take in the accidentally abandoned racoon but problems are forthcoming as Forrest discovers on his visits home. Some neighbors (Henry Jones) like Rascal while another (John Feidler) is aghast to find him eating his corn. Ackerman gets new reverend Jonathan Daly further involved in her interference, and although she's quite lovely, she's certainly a nosy Rosie. As much as I like Walter Pidgeon, they could easily have cut out the narration and just let the story tell itself.
I enjoyed this lighthearted Disney comedy for its innocence, but it's forced and also a bit out of touch. There's some very funny moments (the destruction of the general store an excellent bit of farce), but unnecessary elements pop in that had me annoyed. The country setting (complete with a beautiful old covered bridge) is excellent, and kids will love seeing someone near their age having fun with a pet not wise to have themselves. Rascal certainly is trained well, but kiddos, do not try that at home. -
kahunastev31 July 2023I saw this movies when I was eleven years old, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Who couldn't identify with a boy who had the run of the house and town all summer with his beloved pets? As events progressed, it became clear to me that this was more about a boy becoming a man, and learning to take his place in it. To give up the one thing he loved most in this world really spoke to me, and I still remember hearing sniffles from the theatre audience, including mine. To see this boy paddling the canoe he made, and saying goodbye to a friend he'd raised was both heartwarming, and heartbreaking. It still resonates with this man, some 54 years later.