The Legend of Lobo

Not enough there for a good film.

'The Legend of Lobo' features some cute animals and interesting situations, but with its 67 minute run time and lack of any substantial characters it's hard to get into it in film terms; like 'Nikki, Wild Dog of the North', it is too close to a documentary; though, to be fair, this is better than that.

The usual animal welfare concerns appear, but it does seem improved; at least compared to the aforementioned production from 1961. Rex Allen makes for a satisfactory narrator, at least. The music is decent, too.

As noted, there are adorable shots of animals but there simply isn't enough to make it a film worth watching in my eyes.

During his lifetime, producer Walt Disney did turn out some interesting animal-themed shorts and movies. However, "The Legend of Lobo" is one time where Disney was apparently unable to give sufficient inspiration to his filmmakers. There are a number of things I could list that illustrate why this effort is a misfire, such as the obvious padding even for a 67 minute running time, the too-cutesy narration, and an ending that is abrupt and without a satisfying payoff. But I think that the main fault with the movie is that the wolf Lobo never becomes a strong animal figure. Yes, the first half follows him around when he is a pup, but he is then an immature animal that lacks any soul. It's even worse when Lobo becomes a full grown adult wolf - you never get a sense of any kind of personality you can relate to or understand. By the way, no director is listed in the credits for the movie - if the director decided to take his name off the credits after seeing the end results, I can certainly understand his decision.

Being the big fan of wolves that I am, finding a copy of "Legend of Lobo" on VHS a few years back at the local Musicworld was a real treat for me.

This movie is one of my all-time favorites; I just cannot give it enough praise. For once, the wolves are portrayed the way they should be. They are neither sugarcoated nor villified, but rather are shown to be both a efficient predator and a devoted parent in times of encroaching human settlement. The scenery is excellent, as is the storyline which is not too complicated for young ones to follow. I love the theme song catchy and the characters are believable.

About the only thing I can say negative about this movie is the extensive use of canned sounds, especially for the wolves, but this really does not detract from the rest of the film. Legend of Lobo is a beautifully made movie that I would recommend to anyone!

It's a Disney True-Life adventure shot near Sedonia, Arizona, with the cast and crew that was becoming standard for the series of pseudo-documentaries, with James Algar directing and Rex Bell narrating, with songs by the Sherman twins and incidental music by the Sons of the Pioneers.

It's the story of Lobo, a wolf in the 19th Century, about the time cattle ranching was introduced following the wiping out of the buffalo, based on a story by Ernst Thompson Seton. There's the usual amazing photography, not just of the red butte-and-mesa land, but the amazingly trained animals.

Enjoyable as the parts of the movie are, I noticed that the story-telling aspect had fallen into set patterns. When the young Lobo makes friends and goes frolicking with a young antelope, it struck me: in many ways, this movie is BAMBI, only Man has entered the desert, with guns and traps and dogs. There's clearly a character, an uncredited actor who has set himself against Lobo, but he is given no personality; he is referred to only as "the hunter."

Disney was by no means a one-man operation; there were many creative people working for him. However, his management-by-wandering-around style meant that, although he might have one project at a time uppermost in his mind -- at this point, probably MARY POPPINS -- he might turn up at any point. The folks in the animation section had a warning for when was was around: "Man is in the Forest."

Ernest Thompson Seton's story has been brought to the screen in a remarkable and unique way. There is no dialogue in the whole movie. The story is told through narration by Rex Allen (who had the perfect voice for this sort of thing) and music performed by the Sons of the Pioneers. (The title song, which reappears throughout the film, was written by the Sherman Brothers.) Oliver Wallace provides a nice music score and the outdoor photography by Jack Couffer and Lloyd Beebe is beautiful. All of these elements combine to form a very entertaining film. May the legend live on.