movie review where the red fern grows

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Where the red fern grows, common sense media reviewers.

Moving version of the classic novel.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The film extols the value of hard work and loyalty

A boy takes a fatal fall onto an axe. A dog dies i

Parents need to know that the movie casts an unflinching gaze on the hard lives of its characters. Kids who watch this movie will see a boy take a fatal fall onto an axe and a dog die in a mountain lion attack. The film extols the value of hard work and loyalty to build character, and offers a realistic, unflinching…

Positive Messages

The film extols the value of hard work and loyalty to build character.

Violence & Scariness

A boy takes a fatal fall onto an axe. A dog dies in a mountain lion attack.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the movie casts an unflinching gaze on the hard lives of its characters. Kids who watch this movie will see a boy take a fatal fall onto an axe and a dog die in a mountain lion attack. The film extols the value of hard work and loyalty to build character, and offers a realistic, unflinching look at backwoods life in the 1930s. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (5)
• Kids say (12)

Based on 5 parent reviews

Book is better

Such a cute film for kids & adults alike, what's the story.

In WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS, young Billy Coleman works odd jobs so he can buy a pair of coonhounds. The dogs, Dan and Ann, don't disappoint. With training, they develop quite a reputation, and soon the raccoon pelts are piling high. They even tree the notorious "ghost coon," which wins Billy a two dollar bet with some hillbilly boys, one of whom falls on Billy's twin-bladed axe in a scuffle and dies. "Momma," Billy says, devastated, "you can stop worryin' now 'cause I ain't never gonna go huntin' again." But the Championship Coon Hunt is too great a temptation to pass up. Dan and Ann make the finals, but a fierce storm forces Billy to give up a sure win to find his injured Grandpa. More hard choices follow for Billy, each carrying him one step closer to manhood.

Is It Any Good?

If the performances seem a bit over-starched at times, they never fail to do their job. Like the acting, the songs (written by the Osmonds and performed with utmost sincerity by Andy Williams) are obviously of another era. Adults may find it amusing to hear Williams crooning about running free as the wind while Billy adoringly trains his pups, but they'll be touched in spite of themselves. It's just that kind of a movie.

Based on the Wilson Rawls novel, set in the Ozarks of the 1930s, the film is about a place where people are good to one another, during a time when hard work and compassion are rewarded. But there's a deeper layer as well, which slowly unravels to expose a boy struggling toward adulthood, grappling with the large issues of life and death and the heartaches that lie in between.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about its message. What do you think the filmmakers were trying to get across? How did this film influence you?

Movie Details

• In theaters : June 24, 1974
• On DVD or streaming : January 1, 2004
• Cast : Beverly Garland , Jack Ging , James Whitmore
• Director : Norman Tokar
• Studio : Westamerica Film
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Book Characters
• Run time : 97 minutes
• MPAA rating : G
• Last updated : June 19, 2023

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• Jun 5, 2018

Where The Red Fern Grows: Review

The amazing novel, Where the Red Fern Grows was developed into a film in 1974, starring Steward Peterson, James Whitmore, Beverly Garland, and Jack Gene. The beloved film was followed by a sequel in 1992 and remade in 2003. The film portrays, sacred love, loyalty, respect, hard work and the hardships of the Great Depression. The title of the story is from on an old Indian folk tale about a sacred red fern that grows between two persons that died, representing the pure and true love they had for each other. This is significant since the story portrays mainly the love a boy has for his hounds and the love the hounds have for the boy. Although that is the focus, there is also the love the animals have for one another. This film does an extraordinary job in the representation of love between animals and the companionship they provide.

Where the Red Fern Grows takes place in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma, where young Billy Coleman saves his earnings for two years in order to purchase the hunting hounds he has wished for his whole life. Billy comes to face his first dilemma of having to choose between purchasing his hounds or a new mule that his family needs. Billy’s grandpa greatly influences his decision and orders the hounds, announcing that the boy deserves those hounds since he worked awfully hard for them. After retrieving the dogs, named Old Dan and Little Ann, they become an inseparable trio. Billy teaches the hounds to hunt and they become the very best hunting hounds. After entering a contest, Billy and his hounds win the trophy and the cash pool, which is a blessing for his family. Shortly after the contest is won, Billy is out hunting when he is faced with a mountain lion. Old Dan and Little Ann attack the mountain lion saving Billy’s life. But at a very high cost.

Billy’s role in the film I thought was by far the most influential. He depicts this loving, respectful, honest, caring character that makes one understand how children in that era were raised and how they were not given things but rather had to earn them. Billy works years to raise enough money for his hounds on top of doing all his chores at home for which he does not get paid. He is loving to his hounds and family. So much so, that when after purchasing his hounds and he has ten dollars left over, instead of spending it on himself he purchases gifts to bring back to his family. Billy speaks respectfully to his elders and shows his true character when he cheers for an opponant even though he felt he should have won.

The director of the film, Norman Tokar, was successful in directing early TV sitcoms, such as Leave it to Beaver when he was hired by Disney to direct Old Yeller (1957), another amazing story of the relationship between a young boy and his hound. The storyline of Where the Red Fern Grows was straight forward and very powerful much like that of Old Yeller . Tokar creates captivating and unforgettable moments in both films which trigger true emotions for the viewers. Tokar was able to enable the right amount of suspense and tension when it is needed for example, when Dan and Ann tree the “ghost coon” to win a bet he has made with the Pritchard children. The coon gets its name from the fact that every time the coon gets “treed” it seems to disappear. Billy however, knows his hounds are smart and climbs a fence where he believes the coon hides. After peaking over he realizes he was right, but decided he does not want to kill this smart coon. This event leads the Prichard boys to fight Billy demanding money back for winning the bet of being able to tree the ghost coon. The Pritchard boys want the coon dead but Billy refuses stating the bet consisted of solely “treeing” the coon. The scene is very realistic in its depiction of childhood relationships and is very compelling in how it portrays the drama of conflicts at a young age.

The cinematography was not the greatest, but the story itself made up for the shaky and blurry shots. I noticed that many times when Billy was out hunting he was carrying a lantern, however, it was clearly daylight in the film. This is an example of an old filming technique where a “night scene” is shot in the day. It's an economical choice that just makes modern films look cheap. Dean Cunday, the cinematographer of this film, was however able to successfully use specific shots to tell a story that engages the viewers. For example, when he uses a close up shot of the sacred red fern towards the end of the film, which is a significant and very powerful image, representing the power of love, loyalty, and peace.

The pace and dialog of the film were well executed. I felt that the conversations between all the characters were well planned and necessary. The words matched the tone of the film and the personalities of the characters. One of the most eye-opening scenes in this film is when Billy’s grandpa tells Billy that he must meet God half way to get the things he wants. Billy does not understand this at first, but soon realizes what his grandpa means. After realizing the meaning of what his grandpa said to him, he begins taking up any job that he can do to earn money for his hounds. I found it very admirable of Billy when he is found asleep next to a tree he had been trying to cut down on his first hunting trip. It is admirable because his father tells him that cutting the tree down for one coon was not worth the work, but Billy disagrees. He tells his father that he promised his hounds that if they “treed” a coon he would do the rest and Billy keeps that promise to his hounds even after his mother threatens to whip him if he does so. Because of scenarios like this, I didn’t feel that the movie was dragged down in anyway but instead, kept the viewer on the edge of their seat throughout the film.

Wilson Rawls, the writer of the novel was inspired by another "man and dog story", Call of the Wild by Jack London. After reading this book he began dreaming of writing a book like it someday. Rawls shared his dream with his very supportive father who told him, “Son, a man can do anything he sets out to do, if he doesn’t give up.” It is an impactful statement especially since Rawls lacked an education which would eventually hurt his chances of publication. Rawls admitted to having very little knowledge of punctuation and knew that his spelling was not the best. He was often denied publication and at one point actually gave up on his dream. And although Rawls had burned all his manuscripts after being denied so many times he was able to rewrite the complete book in three weeks, completely from memory, thanks to the motivation and support of his wife who had encouraged Rawls to write again.

In my opinion the film will never be as good as the novel, however, the film is still one of my favorites of all time. It is a must watch type of film for everyone; families, couples, and individuals. This film is so full of emotion that will have you on the verge of tears. It is a heartwarming film about deep, abiding love despite hardships and loss. It's amazing how young Billy is the one to help his family get to the city with the money he won at the hunting contest. Because of that I wonder what the outcome would have been had Billy decided to purchase the mule that his family needed. I also wonder about the mother’s character and how it would have effected Billy if she had been a bit warmer. To me she seems cold and distant. It is Billy’s father and grandpa who are his biggest supporters helping him to understand the importance of family.

A scene that is impactful to me (SPOILER) is when Billy decides to lose the hunting contest in order to find his grandpa who got lost in a storm at night. At first it feels as if the hounds will not listen to Billy until the coons are captured. But to my amazement the hounds do listen to Billy and sniff out his grandpa who has fallen and otherwise would have died if it weren’t for Dan and Ann. Dan and Ann are two remarkable hounds that make any kid wish they too had hounds like them. Where the Red Fern Grows is a beautiful film I would recommend to anyone. It inspires us all to love unconditionally every passing day.

#FamilyFriendlyFilms #ClassicFilms #JamesWhitmore

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Where The Red Fern Grows

Dove review.

Here is a story of a boy and his adventures with his hunting dogs during the depression. Billy wanted hunting dogs so bad he even prayed about it. His grandfather tells him that maybe God wants Billy to meet him part-way. Billy figures out what his grandfather means and earns the money for the dogs. He learns about hard work and saving for something he wants. Once Billy receives the dogs, he has to train them to be coon hunting dogs and they learn to become the best in their area. But along the way the three face challenges, tragedies and sadness.

This is a faith-based story of growing up, loyalty and making important choices. It is a movie that is entertaining for the entire family, although there are some scenes that may be frightening for younger children, much like those in the classic movie “Old Yeller”. Due to these scenes this movie is awarded the Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages 12+.

Dove Rating Details

Hunting raccoons without guns; kids bullying a young boy; two boys fight with one boy; boy hits his head; storm frightens horses; man falls and breaks his leg; mountain cat jumps on young boy; dogs fight with mountain cat.

Be danged-2; God used in reverence.

Young boys with chewing tobacco.

Man undressing for bed in his long johns.

Young boys lying about tobacco for dad; scene of young boy's funeral; one dog dies from injuries and other dies from loneness.

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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Summary Where the Red Fern Grows is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.

Directed By : Norman Tokar

Written By : Wilson Rawls, Douglas C. Stewart, Eleanor Lamb

Where to Watch

James Whitmore

Beverly Garland

Lonny chapman, stewart petersen, jeanna wilson, bill thurman, sam bellington, bill dunbar, rubin pritchard, john lindsey, rainie pritchard, garland mckinney, mr. pritchard, robert s. telford, station master, charles seat, roger pancake, marshall edwards, lisa christine christiansen, little girl in tahlequah at store front, janet halliburton, critic reviews.

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Where The Red Fern Grows

May 3, 2003

Drama, Family, Live Action

After two long years of hard work, Billy Coleman saves up enough money to buy a pair of redbone hound pups, and it's love at first sight. Before long, Billy trains "Old Dan" and "Little Ann" to be the finest hunting team in the valley. As the inseparable trio chase the wily "ghost raccoon" and confront danger together, Billy learns the meaning of loyalty, courage, and perseverance.

Rated: PG Release Date: May 3, 2003

Directed By

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Where the Red Fern Grows (2003)

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Where the Red Fern Grows streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Where the Red Fern Grows" streaming on Amazon Prime Video or for free with ads on Peacock, Peacock Premium, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Redbox, Pluto TV, Freevee, Amazon Prime Video with Ads. It is also possible to rent "Where the Red Fern Grows" on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV, Microsoft Store online and to download it on Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube.

Where does Where the Red Fern Grows rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 5:15:41 AM, 04/11/2024

Where the Red Fern Grows is 16025 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 11249 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than My War but less popular than Shake the Dust.

Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS: PART 2

What You Need To Know:

(B, C, L, V) Biblical messages of God's sovereignty, friendship, self-sacrifice, responsibility, and respect for elders and animals, minister reads from Bible, evidence of character's faith in God, singing hymns in church. However, the movie contains two minor obscenities, one exclamatory profanity and a fist fight.

More Detail:

A remarkable testimony of the sovereignty of God unfolds in WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS: PART 2. Based on the novel by Wilson Rawls, the movie opens in 1946 as two marines, Billy Coleman and Rainee Pritchard return from WW II to the Louisiana farmhouse of Grandpa Coleman (Wilford Brimley) and Billy’s sister, Sara. The story begins with a sweet reunion, though many changes have taken place. Sara is no longer a teenager; she now attends college on a scholarship. Grandpa Coleman is older and suffers from poor health. Rainee must overcome selfish ambition to win Sara’s hand in marriage. Billy struggles with the issue of fairness, and how the war cost him his right leg. As the characters work through their difficulties, tragedy strikes, drawing everyone closer to God. Billy recalls a discussion about the Lord. “Did you meet Him halfway?” Grandpa asked. Now, Billy realizes: “It wasn’t a matter of meeting God halfway. God found me and He’s been there all along.” Though slow, WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS: PART 2 is a superb film, enhanced with beautiful scenery, heart-felt acting performances and a delicate message of faith. The movie should serve as proof that movie excellence can be achieved without pathological behavior, foul language, occultism, or excessive sex and violence.

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Where the Red Fern Grows, Part II Reviews

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Book Review

Where the red fern grows.

• Wilson Rawls
• Adventure , Coming-of-Age

Readability Age Range

• Yearling Books, a division of Random House
• Over the last 50 years, this story has won many regional awards.

Year Published

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

The story opens with Billy Colman, a grown man, coming upon a vicious dog fight between a Redbone Coonhound and neighborhood street dogs. Billy scares the other dogs away and takes the hound home to help it recover. When the dog is on its feet again and noticeably restless, Billy realizes that the dog has a home somewhere and that he must set it free so it can find its way back. As the dog trots off, it turns and appears thankful to Billy for his kindness. The experience releases a flood of memories from Billy’s boyhood past.

Ten-year-old Billy lives on a farm in the Ozark Mountains with his parents and three younger sisters. He desperately wants two good coonhounds, but his family is poor and cannot afford them. One day Billy finds an advertisement offering a pair of Redbone Coonhounds in Kentucky for $25 each. Billy decides to work to earn the money. For two years, he works hard, selling food, supplies and bait to fishermen, and manages to save $50. His grandfather contacts the dog kennel and discovers that the two puppies will now cost only $40. Billy gives the money to his grandfather, who orders the dogs. The puppies are sent to the town depot.

Billy sneaks out of his home one night to walk to town to pick up his new pups. With the extra money he has saved, he buys presents for his family. While in town, other children pick a fight with him, but Billy stands up for himself and is helped by the town’s kind marshal.

On his way home, Billy and his two puppies seek shelter in a cave. As Billy builds a fire, they hear a mountain lion screaming from far away, and the pups run to the entrance to howl into the darkness. Billy decides to name his dogs Old Dan and Little Ann. Old Dan has the brawn and the bravery, while Little Ann is intelligent.

With his grandfather’s help, Billy traps a raccoon and uses the skin to teach his new pups how to track a raccoon. Both dogs prove to be natural hunters. They are fiercely loyal to each other and to Billy. As the hunting season begins, Billy makes a promise to his dogs: If they get a raccoon up a tree, he will do the rest. The dogs chase their first raccoon into one of the largest trees in the woods, and Billy, not wanting to disappoint his dogs, undertakes the job of cutting down the tree, a Herculean task that takes him a few days of chopping. When he is most of the way through the tree, Billy feels he can’t continue, and he prays for the strength to finish the job. A wind starts to blow, and the tree comes crashing down. The eager dogs take the raccoon down.

Billy and his dogs hunt every night, and the team soon grows to be among the best hunters in the area. Two local boys named Rubin and Rainie Pritchard dare Billy into a raccoon-hunting bet. Billy wants to ignore the dare, but the Pritchard boys only taunt Billy and his grandfather. Billy’s grandfather grows frustrated with the Pritchards and says that Billy and his dogs will take the bet. After several days of tracking the elusive raccoon, Little Ann finally chases it down. The animal’s tricks have earned Billy’s respect, and he doesn’t want to kill the coon. Rubin and Rainie become angry with Billy and allow their dog, a blue tick hound, to pick a fight with Old Dan. Billy’s dogs stand their ground against the blue tick hound, and he slinks away. Furious, Rubin Pritchard picks up Billy’s ax to go after Old Dan. Billy trips the Pritchard boy, and he falls onto the blade and dies. Billy feels awful about the incident, and he is unable to hunt for many days. He is haunted by nightmares of the tragedy.

Time passes, and Billy’s grandfather shows him an advertisement for an upcoming coon-hunting contest. Grandpa has been counting the coonskins that Billy has brought into the store, and he is confidant that Old Dan and Little Dan can win the championship and the $300 prize money. Excited for the opportunity, Billy and his dogs, along with his grandfather and father, pack up their gear and travel to the contest. Before the main hunting event, Little Ann wins first place in a hunting dog “beauty” contest.

The hunt begins and Billy’s dogs gradually make it to the final round. A terrible storm lashes the mountain on the last day of the hunt, and Billy’s team gets separated. His grandpa breaks his ankle, and Billy begins to despair, believing his beloved dogs are dead. The next morning, several other hunters from the contest track down Billy and his team. The dogs have been nearly frozen to death from the ice storm, and Billy helps them recover by warming them next to a fire. Billy is declared the winner of the championship and is given a gold cup as well as the $300 prize money.

Weeks later, Billy is hunting with his dogs on the trail of what they think is a coon. But the animal turns out to be a mountain lion. Old Dan and Little Ann get into a vicious fight with the creature. The lion tears at the dogs, especially Old Dan, who gives his life to save Billy from the attacking lion. Billy fights his way to his feet and finally kills the lion with his ax. Soon after, Little Ann also dies, as she no longer has the desire to live without her companion. Billy grieves the loss of his beloved hounds and dutifully buries them on a hillside near the family’s farm.

The following year, Billy’s family prepares to move into town, where the children can get a good education. As they are leaving, Billy visits his dogs’ gravesite to say a final goodbye. He is surprised to see a tall red fern growing between the graves, and he remembers an old Indian story about how red ferns are supposedly planted by angels. Once planted, the ferns live forever. Billy feels a new peace about the death of his dogs, and he leaves to join his family.

Christian Beliefs

God exists and seems to answer prayers. Billy often prays, believing that God is on his side and wants to protect his dogs. His faith is shaken when his dogs die. Christian virtues such as faithfulness, patience and courage are portrayed in a very positive light.

Other Belief Systems

There is a reference to Indian legends with a mystic view of nature.

Authority Roles

Billy greatly respects his parents, though he is disappointed by economic circumstances. Billy has an especially close relationship with his grandfather, who he says knows him better than anyone else.

Profanity & Violence

There are hints of anger and muttered curses, though no explicit words are used. There is one usage of b–ch , the correct word for a female dog.

Several instances of graphic animal violence on hunts and in fights, and one gruesome fight between dogs and a mountain lion are portrayed. Bullies pick fights with Billy. A boy dies when he falls on an ax.

Sexual Content

Discussion topics.

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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• Cast & crew

Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse

Inspired by the hit song by Michael Martin Murphey, WILDFIRE tells a story of redemption and forgiveness as a young girl releases a dark secret through the friendship she develops with a wil... Read all Inspired by the hit song by Michael Martin Murphey, WILDFIRE tells a story of redemption and forgiveness as a young girl releases a dark secret through the friendship she develops with a wild horse. Inspired by the hit song by Michael Martin Murphey, WILDFIRE tells a story of redemption and forgiveness as a young girl releases a dark secret through the friendship she develops with a wild horse.

• Eric Parkinson
• Mike Snyder
• Mo Brings Plenty
• Adrian Paul
• 1 Critic review

• Udeli Soquili

• Diana Jones

• Parker Nichols

• Shari Nichols

• County Administrator

• Susan Collins

• Sheriff Bobby Stout

• Rodeo Announcer

• Dennis Stevens

• Samantha Nichols
• (as Atlas Tupper)

• Pastor Micah

• Austin Nichols

• Officer Raoul
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Inspired by the hit 1975 song by Michael Martin Murphey - WILDFIRE builds on the premise of a young girl and a mysterious horse by adding in the "Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse" - a magical creature that serves as a symbolic bridge to the afterlife. WILDFIRE was shot primarily in and around Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in the heart of the 14-county Cherokee Nation of Eastern Oklahoma. Many scenes were shot on Sparrowhawk Mountain and alongside the Illinois River at the same locations as were utilized for the family film classic, "Where the Red Fern Grows."
• When will Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse be released? Powered by Alexa
• April 19, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• official website
• Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA
• Hannover House
• Snowy Morning
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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