Toby Tyler
by Charles Barton
List Price:
Our Price: $3.57
You Save: $6.38 (64%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Sweeney, Gene Sheldon, Henry Calvin, Kevin Corcoran, Richard EasthamDirector: Charles Barton
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: William E. Snyder
Editor: Stanley E. Johnson
Producer: Bill Walsh
Writer: Bill Walsh
Writer: James Otis Kaler
Writer: Lillie Hayward
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-02
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Product features:
- TOBY TYLER takes you back in time to when the day the circus came to town was the biggest day of the year! Now on Disney DVD, Kevin Corcoran stars as the lovable, determined runaway who believes his uncle and aunt no longer want him, and life under the Big Top will put things right. Along the way he meets Ben, Mr. Tupper, and the mischievous Mr. Stubbs -- a playful chimpanzee! Together they fall i
Movie Reviews of Toby Tyler
Movie Review: One of Disney's best!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you ever wanted to run away and join the circus as a kid, "Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus" is the film for you! Based on the 1880 children's book by James Otis Kaler, this oft overlooked Disney live-action classic from 1960 is the tale of a small boy who does just that! After an encounter with a very friendly circus concessionaire and an unpleasant verbal lashing from his cruel Uncle Daniel, little Toby Tyler (official Disney Legend Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran) hits the road to be an assistant concessionaire himself. Now a part of the Big Top family, Toby learns the ins and outs of circus life from a non-performer point of view, making friends with a secretly soft-hearted strongman, a delightfully kind and wise clown, and a sweet little girl whose horse-riding skills make her a starring attraction. But it's not all cotton candy for Toby once his concessionaire boss, Mr. Tupper, quickly reveals his true colors as a selfish and greedy opportunist. But it seems best friends can be even more trouble, as Toby's closest circus pal, the mischievous little chimp Mr. Stubbs, seems to get the boy into predicament after predicament by simply acting like a chimp. It's all in good fun though, despite one dangerous mishap when the monkeys break loose in a small town and Mr. Stubbs gets his hands on a Sherriff's guns, but Toby repeatedly shows his willingness to face any situation rather than runaway like everyone expects him to, even when a fib and a thrust into the center ring get him in over his head.
So, what makes "Toby Tyler" such a great family film, great enough to be considered by many to be among Disney's best? Well, there isn't really anything bad to say about the film, I don't even think it's as predictable as some may have said and is instead rather original, but I think the real charm of it is how 3 dimensional all the characters are! Yes, this is a family film where everyone has real depth of emotion; everyone seems like a real person! Even the manipulative Mr. Tupper (Bob Sweeney) has more personality traits than greedy and selfish. Truly, he does seem to take some pleasure and pride in seeing Toby's moments of success, even if he never ceases to lookout for number one. And the performances of these wonderfully real characters! They're just excellent! And why not, when "Toby Tyler" stars some of Disney's finest, including Zorro's Henry Calvin as strongman Ben Cotter and Gene Sheldon as clown Sam Treat. The film is also brimming with the sights and sounds and nostalgic charm of an old fashioned circus and the small towns it passes through. Plus, it's got a monkey! A monkey! What's not to love?! I'll tell ya what's not to love: Toby's mean uncle. Even at the end of the film, I don't like the man. But, hey, still a wonderful, feel-good, family classic!
Every kid should get to see "Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus" at least once, so thank goodness it is finally available on DVD! The DVD itself is a mix of good and bad. Everything it's got is good (the issue of formatting is in question with a lot of these old Disney films, and there is a good chance the fullscreen here IS appropriate). The problem is what this DVD hasn't got; specifically, bonus features. There's not a one. That's not all that unusual with classic Disney live-action, but it's still inexcusable, especially when Kevin Corcoran was brought in to do interviews and such for other films released to DVD around the same time. He's a big part of the Old Yeller DVD, so why don't we get so much as an interview here? Or the Walt Disney TV series intros for the television airings? Or even a trailer? Well, it's enough to complain about but not a reason to pass up on this excellent film that should be in everyone's home library. I recommend that you pick up this DVD before it becomes nearly impossible to find like so many other Disney live-action classics that I'm still trying to catch up with myself!
Summary of Toby Tyler
TOBY TYLER - DVD MovieStraight 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) --Lynn Gibson
Similar DVD Movies
Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.Walt Disney Home Entertainment; Release date: 2005-04-12; DVD
Best price: $5.52
Price in other shops:
Darby O'Gill and the Little PeopleBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-08-03; DVD
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
The Great Locomotive ChaseBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-05-04; DVD
Best price: $5.37
Price in other shops:
In Search of the CastawaysBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-05-03; DVD
Best price: $5.30
Price in other shops:
Those CallowaysBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $3.41
Price in other shops:
The Three Lives of ThomasinaBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $5.52
Price in other shops:
Swiss Family Robinson (Vault Disney Collection)Walt Disney Video; Release date: 2002-05-07; Published: 2002-05-01; DVD
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family BandBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $5.76
Price in other shops:
Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2002-05-07; DVD
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops:
Follow Me, Boys!Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $4.04
Price in other shops: