Toby Tyler [DVD]

My sons 6 and 3 loved watching this movie so much so that they asked to watch it again soon after initially watching it. My 6 year old has also watched over and over again the old 1960’s Swiss Family Robinson! I’m so glad they like these older classic movies I watched as a child.

Kind little orphan learns about life as he joins the circus. Awesome movie for kids and seniors! Pairs well with Pollyanna

"Toby Tyler" is an excellent family movie and a rare one as well since it is suitable for every member of the family. I have watched "Toby Tyler" multiple times and find it as enjoyable now as when I first saw it as a child.Toby Tyler (Kevin Corcoran, who was a Disney regular as a child and appeared in "Polyanna," "A Tiger Walks," and "Old Yeller," among others) is orphaned and living with his aunt and uncle. However, life is hard for Toby and he feels unloved. After his uncle makes him feel like a burden, Toby runs away to join a circus passing through town.Toby works as a concessionaire for Mr. Tupper (Bob Sweeney, who also appeared in Disney's "Moon Pilot" and "Son of Flubber), who manages to make it appear as though he is helping Toby when he cons Toby regularly. For example, Mr. Tupper convinces Toby that he must share his tips with Mr. Tupper. Toby also finds a protector in Ben Cotter (Henry Calvin, "Babes in Toyland" and Sergeant Garcia in Disney's 1950's television series "Zorro"), who turns out to be a good friend to Toby, along with clown Sam Treat (Gene Sheldon, who also appeared in "Babes in Toyland" and "Zorro) and chimpanzee Mr. Stubbs.Life is initially difficult for naïve Toby. He has a hard time focusing on his job and keeping food from Mr. Stubbs. Even though chaos seems to follow Toby, an opportunity arises for Toby to take center stage at the circus. Somehow things just never seem to go well for Toby, and he decides to leave the circus, but tragedy strikes. The end of this movie will bring smiles and make you want to watch this movie again in the near future.Kevin Corcoran seemed to play the same character again and again. However, Corcoran excelled in "Pollyanna" and "Toby Tyler." Toby is an innocent in a wild world and we get an opportunity to see the world as Toby sees it. Even though Toby has some bad experiences, Toby also gets to do some very exciting things and for just a moment we can think back to an era when circuses visited smaller towns and it was common for boys to at least think about running away to join the hard life of the circus.The marvelous thing about this movie is that it has action, excitement and humor, and yet is sufficiently tame for even the youngest members of the family. The portions of the circus that we see add to the excitement of the story. I also enjoyed how this movie ends. Though we know that life is complicated and messy, for a brief moment life is joyful and unrestrained and we can all too briefly recapture all the possibilities that exist when you are a child.Enjoy!

Not politically correct for now. But my grandkids loved it..and so did we

From the book/story Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks With the Circus makes plausable the attraction for the 'Glitzy' life of a roving performer.BUTFor those of us who know better, here is the perfect vehicle for the best features of Kevin Corchran's portral of the Moochie charactaer. The almost copyrighted close one eye in squint to gaze upward in ponder that 'Moochie' does best finds believable opportunity here.The story line begins as expected with the unloved un-WANTED and percievably un-welcome orphan taking it upon himself to accept the hospatility of flashy, intrieguing strangers. A concessionaire literally lures Toby into the extended circus family only to be less than benevolent to the boy. Here it is that Mr Walt portrays the mistreated youth completely sans what today would have called for explicit molestation, wounding, personal damage.But the youth is KIND. The youth is just that; a youth - a real child. Toby is curious. Toby is polite as best as he knows how. Toby is thoughtful. Toby has some fun. Toby likes some people and he doesn't like others. Toby is not amorous but he does love (characterized by the Toby's friendship with his horse... well, it WOULD have been a horse if this had been a western. But since this is a circus movie his affectionate companion is a chimpanzee). Comic relief? like a dwarf maybe. Portral of emulatable ethics? Absolutely. Mr. Walt ever so cleverly,subtly teaches through demonstration values to which we now so tritely refer as 'family values'These are the Disney trademarks that my generation came to know and love - - - and TRUST.No sex. No gore. No smart ass. No vicious. No terror. A little heartache, a little success, a little labour, a little friendship, a little greed, a little self centered ego, a little happy, a little sad, and a little boy in the middle of it all. This is not Fast action, attitude, in your face, backward hat fare. This is an intresting tale, portrayed in welcome (nay most-welcome) moderation.I recommend this to anyone that is contemplating being a GOOD grownup regardless of their present age.

This movie took me back to when I was a young child watching Walt Disney on Sunday night with my family

I don't watch/own many Disney Pictures, but this was one I'd had on a 'Wants List' I made out years ago. I think I tried to obtain it when there was only Videos available (no DVDs) during the very early 90s and it hadn't ever been released back then. It still hasn't - except in the USA.This is about a small boy who's 'unwanted' and runs away with the Circus. The story may be a bit 'corny' but this is very watchable indeed. Beautifully re-mastered with lots of gorgeous colours - oh; and you'll need the tissues handy!'Toby' when with the Circus makes friends with a Clown and a Monkey - 'Mr. Stubbs!' He also manages to take the job from a rather spiteful boy - 'Vim' (I mean 'Ajax' - lol) who partners a young girl in an act involving riding horses bareback in the Ring. One scene in particular is very amusing, when whilst training; he keeps missing the jump to the horse and ends up 'dangling' in the air from a rope - backwards! The Monkey is the only one who seems to think it's great and appropriately claps his hands!Also features a small role for the divinely handsome James Drury - later to become famous for his lead in the Western TV Serial 'The Virginian'.

This is a well-made, delightful, sentimental, predictable and somewhat corny product of the Disney Studio that achieved exactly what it set out to do, which was to please a 1959 audience. And 50 years on, it still pleases.Most interesting is the casting of circus boss 'Colonel Castle' played by Richard Eastham who bears a strong resemblance to Walt Disney himself! Walt was a self-confessed 'corny guy' and a consumate showman.Castle runs his circus very much the way Walt ran his studio.Turn of the century small town America was very dear to Walt's heart and its lovingly re-created here.Kevin Corcoran (Toby) was a phenominally popular and ubiquitous Disney child star of the era and both Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon were familiar from Disney's 'Zorro' TV series.A non-Disney TV series 'Circus Boy'had been successful so 'Toby Tyler' seemed a safe bet offering the colour and production values not provided by TV.

Not recommended for British dvd players

Fantastic, even better than I remembered! Why can't they release these old movies for all regions, or make them region free.

Straight from the vault of Disney's bygone classics comes this 1960 family film about a boy who joins the circus, based on the book of the same name by James Otis Kaler. Kevin Corcoran (Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson) is unsurpassed as the earnest and endearing Toby Tyler, an orphan who lives with his poverty-stricken aunt and uncle until the day he is told he's a "millstone around their necks." When the circus comes to town, Toby runs away to join the vagabond life of the big top. Although his concessionaire boss is a con man, Toby makes fast friends with Ben Cotter (Henry Calvin) and Sam Treat (Gene Sheldon) who protect him and, in the end, receive much more from Toby than they give. The movie's best moments center on Toby's camaraderie with a mischievous chimp he names Mr. Stubbs. The final circus scenes of Toby's equine acrobatics with the pretty Mademoiselle Jeanette (Barbara Beaird), and comedic stunts with Mr. Stubbs are well worth the price of admission. The three-ring comedy is sweet and simple, sprinkled with a few wholesome life lessons. Marvelously directed in Disney's vintage style by Charles Barton (The Shaggy Dog), the overall effect will tug on a family's heartstrings and funny bone. (All ages)Product DescriptionThe final credits for the film read "and introducing Ollie Wallace." This was an inside joke -- veteran composer/conductor Wallace was cast as the circus bandleader.