The Journey of Natty Gann

The Depression years. Natty is twelve and lives in Chicago with her father. He goes to Washington state for work in the logging camps and leaves her with a boarding house keeper, saying he will be back in a few weeks. Natty does not wait. She decides to cross half the country jumping freight trains. She is not alone on the road: an injured wolf dog attaches itself to her and stays. Jeremy Kagan directs. It is a Walt Disney production. The narrative treats directly the thousands who travelled by freight train in the Depression; unemployment, the camps and confrontations with railway men are its realistic side. It was made for a young audience and does not soften the danger; Natty is seriously threatened more than once. The wolf dog is a real animal and the scenes were worked practically; the animal's function in the narrative is not merely that of a companion. It was shot on location in Canada and the United States and the landscape carries weight. Its limit is predictability; the narrative follows the shape of a journey and the ending goes where it is expected. Who it is for: viewers who like family adventure and period films, and anyone watching with children. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, some passages repeat, and the emotional register rises toward the end.