Toby Tyler
Straight from the vault of Disney’s bygone classics comes this 1960 family film about a boy who joins the circus, based on the book of the same name by James Otis Kaler. Kevin Corcoran (Old Yeller,Swiss Family Robinson) is unsurpassed as the earnest and endearing Toby Tyler, an orphan who lives with his poverty-stricken aunt and uncle until the day he is told he’s a  "millstone around their necks." When the circus comes to town, Toby runs away to join the vagabond life of the big top. Although his concessionaire boss is a con man, Toby makes fast friends with Ben Cotter (Henry Calvin) and Sam Treat (Gene Sheldon) who protect him and, in the end, receive much more from Toby than they give. The movie’s best moments center on Toby’s camaraderie with a mischievous chimp he names Mr. Stubbs. The final circus scenes of Toby’s equine acrobatics with the pretty Mademoiselle Jeanette (Barbara Beaird), and comedic stunts with Mr. Stubbs are well worth the price of admission. The three-ring comedy is sweet and simple, sprinkled with a few wholesome life lessons. Marvelously directed in Disney’s vintage style by Charles Barton (The Shaggy Dog), the overall effect will tug on a family’s heartstrings and funny bone. (All ages)--Lynn Gibson