The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

When I saw this movie in the theater the audience spontaneously burst into applause. It was not in Hollywood. It was not in a city where appreciation of film achievement was typically a thing. But the people who saw the film were moved. I was moved. I love great movies and fancy myself a bit of a connoisseur, but this is one of my favorites even though it is not on the critics' radar.

Set during the Great Depression, this live action Disney film involves a girl left in the care of her selfish landlady after her widowed father finds work miles away, and the journey she makes to find him upon overhearing the landlady's plans to throw her out. Meredith Salenger is well cast as the resourceful title character, striking a perfect balance between vulnerability and resilience, and the film is darker and more graphic than your average Disney fare. A vicious dogfight is particularly memorable and there are some striking images of Natty's friends being evicted from their homes. Much of the plot revolves around Natty bonding with a wild wolf in an angle that only ever half-works. The wolf not only acts as guide and compass, but is happy to play guard dog and even protect her from child molesters who are overly anxious to give her rides (!). It is never really explained why the wolf is so tame around her, but as far as animal performances go, it is a remarkable turn. Not all of the human performances are as good. Ray Wise is fine as Sol, Natty's loving father, but all the actresses who play matrons are very flat while Lainie Kazan goes way over-the-top as the evil landlady. James Horner's music score also often intrudes on the action. The film is generally well made though with atmospheric cinematography, excellent location scouting and delightfully detailed period costumes that justly earned Albert Wolsky an Oscar nomination. The father/daughter stuff works very well too especially with Sol's internal conflicts over what is in his daughter's best interests.

A group of very talented and caring professionals got together to produce this beautifully told story; highlighted by a very captivating performance by Meredith Salenger. There is the story itself. The scenery and background music are also outstanding. The wolf was an impressive specimen. Wolves are normally fearful of people; so this one must have been human-raised since birth or shortly thereafter.

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!