Year Released: 1962
Michael's Movie Grade: A-
History
Like Perri and Nikki Wild Dog of the North, The Legend of Lobo was another film that told a fictional story with nature documentary footage. The film was directed and produced (along with Walt on producing of course) by James Algar and Jack Couffer, both of whom had directed some of the studio's nature documentaries. James Algar had started with the Disney studio in 1934 as an animator and worked on such films as Snow White, Bambi and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. He even directed The Sorcerer's Apprentice scene in Fantasia. Jack Couffer started with the studio as a nature photographer for the first Disney feature length nature film, The Living Desert.
The film was shot in in Sedona, Arizona only, unlike most of the studio's nature films that were shot in multiple places. Unlike many of the studio's nature documentaries only two photographers worked on this movie. These were co-director Jack Couffer and Lloyd Beebe. Lloyd Beebe had started working as one of Disney's nature photographers with The Vanishing Prairie, the studio's second feature length nature documentary.
The film was narrated by country singer/songwriter Rex Allen. Allen had previously narrated for episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and would go on to narrate for such Disney films as The Incredible Journey, A Country Coyote Goes Hollywood, and Charlie the Lonesome Cougar.
Critics liked the narration very much, but felt that the visuals didn't work as well. It is unknown how the film did at the box office.
A fantastic film.
This film has a lot going for it. As in all of Disney's nature films the photography is gorgeous. It is amazing they were able to get half these shots. While I don't much care for the narration on the straight nature documentaries, I have little to no problem with it being used in these fictional films that use real nature documentary footage. The narration being done by Rex Allen doesn't hurt at all. He has such a warm and friendly voice that it just helps add such a charm to this movie. The song with him and The Sons of the Pioneers is excellent and as a fan of country music myself I find it very fun. Unfortunately the actual music score doesn't fare so well, but the movie is so good it really doesn't hurt much.
The best thing about this movie though is the way the characters are presented. They are not villains in any sense, but the film doesn't tone down what the wolves do at all. They feel like real wolves, each having their own personality, and neither really being good or bad, but just real. The characters are very likable though and we feel a lot for Lobo in the climax. Speaking of the climax it is really exciting and so much of this has simply to do with the fact that Lobo feels so real to us.
This is definitely a forgotten Disney Treasure.
Film Credits
Directors: James Algar, Jack Couffer.
Writers: Dwight Hauser, James Algar
Based on a story by Ernest Thomson Seton
Narrator: Rex Allen
Songs Performed by Rex Allen and The Sons of the Pioneers
Producers: Walt Disney, James Algar, Jack Couffer
Song Writers: Richard and Robert Sherman
Music: Oliver Wallace, Evelyn Kennedy, Walter Sheets
Photographers: Jack Couffer, Lloyd Beebe
Production Manager: Erwin L. Verity
Sound Artist: Robert O. Cook
Editor: Norman Palmer
Animal Supervisor: Ralph Helfer
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/2011/07/legend-of-lobo-1962.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056173/?ref_=rvi_tt
-Michael J. Ruhland
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