To see with the kids: A loyal dog with a tender heart in Disney’s Big Adventure

With Fidèle Vagabond, Walt Disney invites us to go back in time to the days of the Wild West, where we follow a family whose father leaves his cattle quite far away and has to leave his wife and two children to take care of the farm. The latter’s meeting with Vagabond, a Labrador Retriever cross Mastiff, will change their lives.

From the age of 8

Human-animal friendship with Fidel Vagabond is not fictional, it can be said that the film meets all the characteristics expected of this type of film for the whole family. The film is also an opportunity to address the father’s absence (temporary here) and mourning. In the hands of Robert Stevenson, one of Disney’s most prolific directors, we’re in good hands here, and the film eats with an almost chilling ease. It’s available on Disney+.

What will they like?

• A vagabond who is considered predatory and clumsy, when in fact he is a brave, cunning and loving hero.
• If Big Brother is initially hostile to the Tramp’s presence, he eventually becomes the most approachable, and we’re glad that’s the case.
• A brave family who must keep the farm and manage it while the father is gone; Mom is perfectly capable of handling things on her own.

What might be bothering them:

• Life in the cowboy era is different than it is today, and young Travis must hunt, fish, and exploit the animals, and he does so with the audacity of the pioneers of the time.

• The sequences where Vagabond saves Travis or his brother from various dangers, in particular the confrontation between the dog and his two-legged bear, which is very impressive!

• Of course, the ending that will make you shed hot tears –
  Spoiler:
  The poor drifter got rabies and Travis had to shoot him! – And finally, father’s small talk brings some comfort.