It holds some charm, but 'Big Red' is mostly average.

Gilles Payant gives a likeable, if wooden, performance as Rene, while Walter Pidgeon adds a touch of elegance to the film as James. émile Genest and Janette Bertrand are alright, too. The cast I actually like, it's just the plot and how it is told that hampers the film for me.

The onscreen dogs are adorable and their story ends in a cutesy manner, but there's not much more to enjoy past that. It's a very basic premise which is revealed in a very basic way. Nothing necessarily bad, but nothing all that good either. Forgettable, in a word.

Orphaned young man finds work on the ranch of a stern dog-owner, becomes attached to a mutt who might have dog-show potential. Walter Pigeon(looking a little bit like Walt Disney himself!)ambles around quite nicely as the dog-owner with the face of stone and the heart of gold. The kid is inoffensive, although the music goes out of it's way to jerk your heartstrings. The settings have that artificial look commonplace to studio-films of this era, but in Disney's case the rural atmosphere is always captured with a nostalgic feel. It is almost unbearably wholesome, but I had a pleasant time watching it. ** out of ****

This classic movie really did wonders for increasing popularity of the Irish Setter, somewhat like the sudden increase in popularity of the Dalmatian breed after the 101 Dalmatians movie a few years ago. It truly shows most of the finer points of owning an Irish Setter. The dog is good natured, fun loving, yet loyal and attentive. The breed is also known for being hardy yet has "head turning" beauty. Although the dog loves people, it has been know to be very protective if necessary. This fact was also demonstrated toward the end of the movie.