Arliss Coates

Arliss Coates is the tritagonist, Jim and Katie's younger son, and Travis' brother in Old Yeller and its sequel Savage Sam. He is a curious little boy who adores Old Yeller from the beginning, as he feels the need for a good hunting dog.
==Personality==
Arliss is seen to be a very curious child, asking all sorts of questions. But he also very stubborn as well. When he wants to go on the cattle drive to Kansas with Jim and he says no he puts up a really big fuss. He also doesn't like being bossed around (mainly by Travis) and even throws rocks at him whenever he gets really mad. But overall, he is very kind and very helpful.
==Role in the films==
===Old Yeller===
Arliss is first seen sitting on Jim's horse with Travis asking questions like what Jim is going to sell their steers for. As he prepares to leave Arliss puts up a big fuss because he wants to go with him but he tells him that he needs to stay and take care of his family.
Arliss is seen again later on in the evening, coming home from "bear hunting" and asks who busted down the fence. When Travis says that it was a stray dog, he states that he needs a good hunting one and Katie tells him to go outside and wash up for supper.
The next morning Arliss awakes to find the dog outside. He immediately claims him as his dog and names him Old Yeller. When he sees Travis angrily grab a stick, he grabs one too and they engage in a stick fight when Katie comes out and breaks it up. Upon seeing how Arliss has already bonded with Old Yeller she allows him to keep him and they begin playing with each other. Later on when Travis finds them splashing around in the pond they get their water from and tells them to get out, Arliss just sticks out his tongue and refuses to listen to him. Before long they engage in another fight, as Arliss begins throwing rocks at Travis until Katie breaks it up once more and tells Arliss that he needs to start minding Travis and sends him inside to change into dry clothes.
The next day, while Travis and Katie are cutting fence posts Arliss and Old Yeller are by the creek about to catch a catfish. After successfully doing so, Arliss presents it to Katie and tells her a tall tale about how he had to dive deep underwater to do so. Of course neither she nor Travis believe him, but they humor him anyway. He then attempts to catch a black bear cub with a piece of cornbread, but once he gets ahold of it, Travis and Katie are alerted by the sound and see its mother charging toward him. They both rush in, while Old Yeller fights the mother bear off Katie grabs Arliss, retreats back to the house, and cries tears of relief because he's safe and almost got himself killed. The Coates praise Old Yeller for his bravery.
Sometime later, Arliss and Old Yeller are playing in the field when Travis shows up and asks Arliss to bring Old Yeller to the house. When Arliss sees Old Yeller's owner, Burn Sanderson, taking him away he begins to throws rocks at him in anger causing his horse to rear and throw him off. He then talks to Arliss and they agree to trade Old Yeller for his horned toad and home-cooked meal, which Katie supplies with pleasure.
The next day, after Travis and Old Yeller get hog-cut Arliss accompanies Katie and Travis as they go out to find Old Yeller. Katie sends Arliss out to catch a lizard they passed earlier, while she and Travis stitch up Old Yeller's wounds. When Arliss gets back with the lizard, Katie has him hold it for her until they get home and has him lay with Old Yeller as they tow him back home.
The nexy day, Bud Searcy and his daughter, Lisbeth, arrive with a puppy for Travis, but doesn't want it and suggests giving him to Arliss. He quickly bonds with and takes it everywhere. Late that evening, he and Travis hear Katie holler out in distress as a rabid wolf shows up. Travis orders Arliss to stay inside while he runs out and shoots it. After Old Yeller gets pinned up in the corn crib after the fight with it to see if he's rabid or not Arliss wants to let him back out. So one evening after Katie tells Arliss to go to bed, he sneaks over to the corn crib and attempts to let Old Yeller out, unaware that he is rabid. Katie quickly sees him, rushes over, shuts the door, and takes him back inside.
The next day, when Jim returns home Arliss is the first to welcome him back. He presents him with an Indian headdress and toy tomahawk and then he goes off with the puppy to play. At the end of the film, he and Travis are out with the puppy, who is now full grown.
===Savage Sam===
In the sequel, Arliss and Travis are left in charge of the ranch while Jim and Katie are in San Antonio visiting their ailing grandmother. Arliss is first seen coming out of his and Travis' room and sees Savage Sam eating a side of meat that was hanging from the door. He tries to take it away from him, but he growls at him so he lets him have it. He then sees their mule, Jumper in the cornfield, is outraged, and begins throwing rocks at him to get him out.
Inside the house, Arliss asks Travis how much longer Jim and Katie will be away, thinking it'll be until their grandmother dies. Arliss states that she'll never die and Travis tells him to go out and milk the cow so he'll have something to live on. So he does so while singing "Old Dan Tucker", during which the farmyard cats show up and he begins squirting milk in their mouths until Savage Sam enters the pin and startles the cow. Travis overhears the chaos and calms things down. He then scolds Arliss only to aggravate him and he angrily begins throwing rocks at him. Their Uncle Beck shows up, sees what's going on, and asks Arliss what's got him so riled up. He begins to explain how Travis is always bossing him around and never letting him have a say in anything. Beck then uses reverse phycology on him and he goes back to milking the cow.
Later, while helping Travis clear the field of brush, Arliss sees Savage Sam chasing a bobcat that's been raiding the chicken coop and wants to go catch it. Travis states that they have to finish the work first and then they can catch it later. But Arliss states out loud that he'd rather chase a bobcat then work, mounts Jumper, and rides off, much to Travis' objection.
Travis and Lisbeth soon find Arliss and Savage Sam in the bobcat's den trying to catch it. After they fail to get Arliss to come out, he begins kicking Travis off. Travis, having enough of his stubbornness, angrily twists his foot and forces him out. He, now raging mad, begins throwing rocks at Travis once more and a fight breaks out between them. Shortly after Lisbeth tries to break it up a gang of Apaches appear and kidnap them.
After crossing a river, Arliss attempts to escape, but the Apaches catch him and begin tossing him around. Later when they break camp, he suggests getting two of the Apaches into a fight over who gets Lisbeth for a squaw so they can get away and bring back help, but Travis refuses to put her in danger. As evening falls the chief gives them each a piece of horse meat to eat. After Arliss sees that Jumper is nowhere to be found he assumes the Apaches butchered him and refuses to eat. After being convinced by Travis to do so, he begins to think about how much help Jumper was to their family. He then takes a large stick, walks up to one of the Apaches, and knocks him out for assumingly butchering Jumper. The Apaches admire his spirit and decide to make him one of them. They all pile on him, rip off his shirt and pants, and paint his face making him an Apache like them.
==Gallery==
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Category:Live-action characters
Category:Kids
Category:Heroes
Category:Characters
Category:Siblings
Category:Males
Category:Old Yeller characters
Category:Disney characters
Category:Tritagonists