Rascal (1969)

A comedy filled with tenderness as a baby raccoon snuggles his way into the life of a lonely boy. He becomes the boy's only companion during his father's frequent absences. Because of ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Tokar

Writers:

Harold Swanton (screenplay), Sterling North (book)

Stars:

Steve Forrest, Bill Mumy, Pamela Toll

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Forrest	...	Willard North
Bill Mumy	...	Sterling North
Pamela Toll	...	Theo North
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mrs. Satterfield
Henry Jones	...	Garth Shadwick
Bettye Ackerman	...	Miss Whalen
Jonathan Daly	...	Rev. Thurman
John Fiedler	...	Cy Jenkins
Richard Erdman	...	Walt Dabbett
Herbert Anderson	...	Mr. Pringle
Robert Emhardt	...	Constable
Steve Carlson	...	Norman Bradshaw
Walter Pidgeon	...	Sterling North (voice)

Storyline

A comedy filled with tenderness as a baby raccoon snuggles his way into the life of a lonely boy. He becomes the boy's only companion during his father's frequent absences. Because of Rascal, both father and son realize their responsibility to each other.

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Plot Keywords:

raccoon | father son relationship | autobiographical | family relationships | based on book

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Frechdachs im Maisbeet

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Herbert Anderson's final movie.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: Free Willy (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Summer Sweet"
Written by Bob Russell (as Bobby Russell)

User Reviews

Disney doing what they did best.

The year was 1969 and everything was groovy. Even Disney released "The Love Bug" which became the biggest domestic hit of that year. Squashed into uniplexes somewhere between "The Love Bug" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" kids were treated to a quiet little bit of Americana called "Rascal." About as Disney as you can get, "Rascal" is the story about a boy and his raccoon. We've seen it before and after, a boy domesticates a wild animal, animal causes mischief, neighbors blame for every mishap in the area, and by the end of the film the boy must release the animal back into the wild. No computer generated whales, talking pigs, or alien visitors, just the Disney crew doing what they did best. Disney has made a ton of these and they work. "Rascal" is one of the best. Considering the Sterling North classic novel is still popular and in print I wonder why it hasn't been released on video and/or remade. At the time of this writing odds of seeing this film at all are very rare and that is a shame considering the inferior product being released direct-to-video for kids today. Considering the Disney label it would seem this would be ripe for a release on video. Add to that the cult following of star Bill Mumy ("Lost in Space," "Babylon 5") and you have a winner.