Main Cast: Donald Crisp, Laurence Naismith, Alex Mackenzie, Kay Walsh, Andrew Cruickshank
Release Year: 1961
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
Disney's Greyfriars Bobby is a remake of A Challenge to Lassie; both are based on the same novel by Eleanor Atkinson, and both feature Donald Crisp in a major role. A true story, set in Edinburgh around 1875, the Disney version stars Alex McKenzie as the shepherd Old Jock, the owner of a loyal Skye terrier named Bobby. When Jock dies of "old age, exposure, and starvation," and is buried in the Edinburgh cemetery known as Greyfriars Kirk, Bobby spends his days playing with street children, begging for scraps, and evading the police constables, but by night he sleeps on his late master's gravesite and refuses to leave, despite graveyard caretaker John Brown's (Crisp) efforts to chase Bobby away. Slowly but surely, the taciturn Brown comes to love the steadfast dog, which brings him into conflict with stiff-necked Constable MacLean (Donald MacRae), who intends to "arrest" Bobby if Brown doesn't pay the minimal license fee. Standing on principle, Brown refuses, but a group of local children raise the necessary funds, setting the stage for a heartwarmingly Disneyesque finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Michael Stringer - Art Director, Maude Spector - Casting, John Darlys - Consultant/advisor, Margaret Furse - Costume Designer, Margaret Bolland - Costume Designer, Don Chaffey - Director, Peter Tanner - Editor, Francis Chagrin - Composer (Music Score), Harry Frampton - Makeup, Paul Beeson - Cinematographer, Walt Disney - Producer, Vernon Dixon - Set Designer, Robert Westerby - Screenwriter, Eleanor Atkinson - Short Story Author
