Underplayed Gems

The Magic of Lassie (1978)

The Magic of Lassie poster
Directed by
Don Chaffey
Genre
drama film, musical film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 40m
Rated
G
Rating
5.8 of 10 from 14 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like this

How it feels

A grandfather and his granddaughter try to keep their beloved collie Lassie safe from a man who wants to take her away. The story follows their efforts as they travel and sing songs together.

wholesomesentimentalnostalgicold-fashionedslowmellowgentlemusical

What happens

The Magic of Lassie is a 1978 American musical drama film directed by Don Chaffey, and starring Lassie, James Stewart (in his final appearance in a domestically-released live action feature film), Stephanie Zimbalist, Pernell Roberts and Michael Sharrett, with cameo appearances by Mickey Rooney and Alice Faye (in her final film role). Stewart appeared in one of only three musical film roles that he played: the first was Born to Dance (1936) in which he introduced the Cole Porter standard "Easy To Love" and the second was Pot O' Gold (1941). The screenplay and song score are supplied by the prolific Sherman Brothers, who worked as staff songwriters for Walt Disney and wrote songs for his films such as Mary Poppins (1964). Their song "When You're Loved" was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Original Song" and was sung by Debby Boone. It is also the only musical film featuring Lassie. Released in the wake of Star Wars, the film was critically panned as old-fashioned, and flopped at the box office. Critics expressed dismay at Stewart singing unmemorable songs as the grandfather. Following the film's failure, he semiretired from acting. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.