Where the Red Fern Grows

Billy Coleman is the son of a poor family in the Ozarks. He wants two hound puppies and works for two years to save the money: selling vegetables, taking jobs, putting coins aside. In the end he gets Old Dan and Little Ann. The three go out along the river hunting raccoons and the dogs quickly become known in the area. Then a contest, and after it a night hunt, change everything. Norman Tokar's film adapts Wilson Rawls's novel of the same name. The narrative begins like a children's film and goes somewhere that leaves you low; the book was remembered across generations for the same reason. Stewart Petersen plays Billy and James Whitmore plays his grandfather. The production shows the rural Oklahoma of the Depression plainly. Who it's for: Viewers who like family films, animal stories, and novel adaptations. Who it's not for: The final section is very sad and may be heavy for small children. The hunting scenes also deal directly with animals dying.