The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) - Disney Under the Rug

"She's a good kid, practically takes care of herself. All you got to do is make sure she's eating right and she's getting her sleep...." 

Director

Jeremy Kagan

Cast
Meredith Salenger - Natalie "Natty" Gann
Ray Wise - Sol Gann

John Cusack - Harry
Lainie Kazan - Connie
Scatman Crothers - Sherman
Barry Miller - Parker

As I mentioned in my review of Disney's 1983 movie, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" which I posted back in May, the 1980s were a dark era for Disney. A number of movies Disney released during the decade have quite a sinister and, well, dark tone uncharacteristic of their usual IP. Most of Disney's movies from the 1980s are "dark" in either their story or depictions, such as "Watcher in the Woods," "The Devil and Max Devlin," "The Black Cauldron," and even "Return to Oz."
Disney even released a movie called "The Kids Who Knew Too Much" (1980) which centers around a political assassination plot. Their 1978 "Wonderful World of Disney" movie "Child of Glass" centers on the ghost a young girl who was murdered.  

The 1980s were also a lousy time for Disney until a certain little mermaid pulled the company out of their lack of successful movies slump. 

Not only were a lot of these mostly live action movies have this infamous dark tone to some degree or another, but some were not necessarily aimed at children. 

A lot of these adult oriented movies were released under their distribution company, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Otherwise, most of them Disney would rather forget about. You won't mind most of these titles on the streaming app Disney+. 

However, Disney's 1985 drama adventure movie, "The Journey of Natty Gann" is not as obscure as other movies I've mentioned, it's not completely forgotten nor unrecognized isn't among the most popular and long remembered titles. It's a decent and well-made movie. And it holds a respectable place in the company's history of feature films. It's also available in Disney+. 

So, maybe it's unfair to throw it among my other Disney movie reviews I've been slowly building up and titling "Disney Under the Rug." This movie isn't quite "under the rug" as I've described in previous posts. 

In this movie, Natalie Gann (Meredith Salenger), Natty for short, and her father, Sol, live in Chicago in 1935, and are two among millions of Americans struggling in the midst of the Great Depression. 

Sol is out of work, desperate to find a job, and has been raising Natty by himself as his wife previously passed away. 

A lumberjack position opens up for Sol if he wants it. There's a ton of other men in line waiting to jump at the opportunity. 

Meredith Salenger and John Cusack. 

However, the job is in Washington State and if he wants it, Sol will have to leave later the same day that it's offered. 

He desperately tries to find Natty in and around all the usual neighborhood spots where she generally hangs around. 

Unfortunately, Sol can't find her and has to leave for Washington. So, he leaves her a note with the hotel/boarding house manager Connie (Lainie Kazan) promising he'll send for her as soon as he gets enough money. 

Sol begs Connie to watch over Natty while he's gone, which she reluctantly agrees to do. 

Connie and Natty don't get along well. After Natty gets into some trouble and is dropped off back at the boarding house by police, Connie fumes at Natty. 

She locks the kid in her room, but Natty manages to sneak out. She overhears Connie reporting her as an abandoned child to police over the phone. 

She sneaks out of the house and decides she's going to make her way to Washington to find her dad. In the initial part of her journey, she rescues a wolf from a dog fighting den. It cautiously begins following her after she rides the rails for a bit but has to get off when railroad cops begin pulling homeless people off and haul them to jail. 

The story follows Natty across the country as she meets a variety of people including a young fellow named Harry (John Cusack) who has also been riding the rails to a better life...hopefully, and lives in a chanty town. 

There are several obstacles Natty encounters which she sets her back, tests her determination, and forces her to endure through. 

The two main characters in this movie are, of course, Natty Gann and the Great Depression. The latter being the antagonist. It's personified through the characters who are so adversely affected, and whom Natty runs into on her journey. 

I really like this movie. My mother often rented it in my childhood, especially on those days when I stayed home sick from school. I had a fondness for this movie already. I haven't watched it in years. I think the last time I saw it was about the time my wife and I were still dating over ten-years ago. 

The characters are memorable and easy to get invested in, especially Natty. The emotion and turmoil are sharp and well-honed. 

It's not necessarily dark but for a Disney family picture from the 1980s, it has some elements that seem, well, pretty un-Disneylike. Namely, there are a few choice words here, but not enough to merit a rating over PG. There's also a scene where Natty thumbs a ride and is picked up by a guy who at first genuinely seems friendly before he tries to take advantage of the young kid. It doesn't amount to anything that needs to be fast forwarded as the wolf attacks the driver and Natty is able to get out of the car and run into the woods. Still, how un-Disneylike!

Ray Wise as Sol Gann in "The Journey of Natty Gann."

It also has a more honest depiction of Depression era America than what other family-oriented movies of the time may have been reluctant to show. That's not to say I wouldn't recommend this movie for parents to watch with their children. I showed it to my children the other day and had to explain various things to them as we watched. 

It goes to show that at the time, Disney was certainly making an attempt to draw more adults to their movies than before. It's a tactic they seem to be repeating today. Except this time, Disney isn't trying to make good movies. Rather, they're trying to make "correct" movies, and it's hurting their audience numbers big time. 

I personally think Disney needs to return to its animated and live action roots and make movies that tell good and wholesome stories, especially ones depicting wholesome or historical Americana rather than a story that'll appease a political demographic that's out its mind. They should return to their family-oriented traditionally minded roots that Walt intended. 

Above all, Disney needs to overcome this shame it seems to have over its own IP. More on that when I comment on the live action "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" which has been making headlines recently, ever before that movie comes out, and all with pretty much nothing but controversy and negativity. 

Meredith Salenger and John Cusack have great chemistry on screen. It's a shame they don't share more screen time. Though he's on the poster, John shows up around the beginning and then again near the end. He's not quite as main a character as the poster might make him seem to be.

It's Salenger who carries this movie right to the end. And she makes the audience take her side and cheer her on. 

Legendary actor and musician, Scatman Crothers, also has a supporting role as food vendor out in Chicago whom Natty looks to for advice. Crothers can be heard as "Scat Cat" in Disney's "The Aristocats," he's probably more well known for his role as Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick's horror classic, "The Shining." 

The shots, too, in this movie are fantastic. I mean, there are some spectacular and stunning views that are both gorgeous and show the audience what Natty is up against. 

The movie has a proper amount of warmth, heart, generous appeal and a welcoming timelessness that audiences expect (or used to) in a Disney movie.

The Devil and Max Devlin (1981) - Disney Under the Rug

"What we're looking for is fresh, unsullied innocence."

Director
Steven Hilliard Stern

Cast

Elliott Gould - Max Devlin
Bill Cosby - Barney Satin
Susan Anspach - Penny Hart
Adam Rich - Toby Hart
David Knell - Nerve Nordlinger
Julie Budd - Stella Summers


I wouldn't be surprised if the 1981 flick, "The Devil and Max Devlin" is Disney's darkest movie ever. I've heard that their 1978 made-for-TV movie "Child of Glass" is pretty dark for a Disney production as it's about the ghost a murdered little girl. 

Regardless, dark elements, to some degree or another, have been included into their popular animated movies. General audiences never held that against Disney. 

As I've mentioned in my review of the Disney movie, "Something Wicked this Way Comes," the 1980s were a particularly bleak and dreary time for Disney. It reflects in their flicks. 

The company had quite a financial slump back then, rolling out movies that had a continual habit of underperforming, or just straight up flopping all together. That is, until a certain mermaid pulled them out of it. 

It was also dark as far as the content they were producing. In 1985, Disney produced their darkest of animated movies, "The Black Cauldron." It underperformed with negative reviews. But it's a movie I'm anxious to write about. I have a lot to say about it. That's the movie Disney ought to go live action on!

It's still not as dark as "The Devil and Max Devlin." That's definitely not a movie you'll catch on Disney+. And it certainly wasn't among their selections back in the 1990s when they did their whole Disney Vault marketing campaign in which they would release their classics for a limited time before tossing them back into this "vault" of theirs. 

In this really grim and forgotten movie, Bill Cosby plays a demon. Now, I'll add here that there's obviously a lot of room for jokes about Bill Cosby playing a demon when considering his recent convictions and whatever else he got busted for. 

And all things considered, seeing "The Cos" actually play a devil now after his fall from grace might make some people spit their Jell-O pudding out in hysterics, or maybe disgust. Nevertheless, I'm not even going to go there, although I just kinda did.
Anyways, the movie starts with a disreputable apartment manager, Max Devlin (Elliot Gould), who runs a slummy looking apartment complex somewhere in Los Angeles. 

He tries to go out of his way to avoid his angry tenants who have a lot to complain about. 

After dealing with a small rabble of his angry tenants one afternoon, Max runs off to escape their justified complaints, only to have his life end thanks to an on-coming bus. 

Suddenly, he finds himself plummeting into the eternal abyss of everlasting damnation. He falls along with various other souls all screaming and wailing in fear and despair. Again, this is a Disney movie. 

Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby in "The Devil and Max Devlin."

Hell, as you would expect, is a vast cavern of fire, torture and twisted imagery. Down there, Max finds himself in front of an executive board led by Barney Satin (Bill Cosby) who is the Devil's head of managing souls. 

He threatens Max with placement into the fourth level of Hell. 

Max begs to leave. But the only way Hell will let him out is if he finds three innocent souls to take his spot. 

"What we're looking for is fresh, unsullied innocence," Barney says. Again, this is a family movie... from Disney.

I have to add here that current Disney execs and writers have certainly referred back to this old playbook of theirs with their "not-at-all secret gay agenda" they go out of their way to spew into the minds of their young viewers. Just ask Disney's Executive Director, Latoya Raveneau, who stated in front of God and everyone to be, "wherever [she] could, adding queerness" to Disney content and sexualize young viewers.

The Devil normally works in secret, but I guess not so much anymore. Why should he when he's met with hardly any resistance, if any at all, among the current Disney execs.

Anyways, desperate, Max agrees to the ultimatum and his sent back to his body up on the surface. 

Barney still has possession of Max's soul. So, he's not completely free. 

Max has to keep his end of the agreement. He has a few supernatural powers in order to accomplish his task. He can locate to any place just by focusing in on it and desiring to be there. But time is limited. He has a few months to sign over three innocent souls to the Devil. 

If he succeeds, he'll continue to live, and those souls will continue to live until the natural end of their lives. After that, down they go. 

So, in no time, Max has his sights on three young people. 

The first soul is Stella Summers (Julie Budd), a young girl who dropped out of high school and is aspiring to be a singer. However, she's not very good. But Max is able to use his evil power to somehow make her sing phenomenally. 

The next soul is Nerve Nordlinger (David Knell), a nerdy teenager who wants to be an accomplished motorbike racer. 

The last soul is a little boy named Toby Hart (Adam Rich) who lives with his single mom, Penny (Susan Anspach). Max falls in love with Penny and they begin to date, much to the approval of Toby who wants a dad in his life. 

Barney pops in often to see how Max is doing in leading these poor souls to Hell, all while taunting him. Of course, only Max can see and hear Barney. 

The more Max becomes involved with these three souls, the more he discovers that he actually cares for them.

By the very last day, he manages to fool them all into signing contracts to give over their souls. 

Once they all sign, Barney reveals that he lied. All three are going to die at midnight that same day. He also tells Max that he's free to live out the rest of his natural life. When his natural end shall come, he'll still be damned for eternity. Shame on you, Max, for trusting a demon.  

Since that's the case, Max threatens to destroy the contracts by tossing them into a fire. 

Just as he's about to carry out his threat, Barney transports him back to Hell where he reveals his true evil demonic form and threatens Max with the worst torture Hell can inflict if he destroys the contracts. I mean Cosby's character really hurls the threats on heavily. 
"Burn those contracts and eternal damnation is yours," Barney shouts. "You'll know the unmitigated pain and horror of limbs being torn from their sockets! Your limbs! Your sockets! You'll feel pain you've never imagined in life! Yours, forever! Flesh, you'll smell burning! Your flesh! Rotting! Forever!"
"The Devil and Max Devlin" everyone! A Disney family picture! 

The satanic imagery (namely, the depictions of Hell, and Cosby made-up like a demon) is as darker than any Disney picture I've ever seen or know about. Hell looks like something Bosch painted back in the 1500s. No doubt that's where Disney pulled their inspiration from. 

I really want to know who at the Disney Studios back in 1980 thought that this was definitely the kind of film that would fit within the Disney brand.

Who came up with it, and who gave it the green light?   

I have to mention the ending. After Max destroys the contracts despite Barney's threats. By God's grace, his selfless act releases him from Hell's grasp. And the film ends with Max looking up to Heaven and giving thanks to God. 

In a very general way, the movie has some theological soundness. God can permit us to fall, and maybe fall hard, in order to pick us up and elevate us to a higher level than we were before we fell. And if the Devil is involved in our fall, then God can use the Devil to accomplish His will - namely, our salvation. Max figures that out as he tells Penny, "It's like it's good and bad and-and Heaven and Hell and God and the Devil! Penny, look, all my life, I made wrong choices. I made wrong choices!"

Then he pauses a moment and says, "But this time, I made the right choice and the Devil lost my soul! He lost me!" 

Bill Cosby as Barney Satin, in his true form.

Max attributes his turnaround to God. So, there's that. It does try to end on an uplifting and soft note, which it does technically. But it may fly over a lot of heads after just watching some unforgettable depictions of Hell uncharacteristic of Disney, followed by the main character spending the entire movie trying to drag three innocent souls to Hell. No happy ending can reverse that desensitization.

It was a little uncomfortable to watch. It takes a serious religious element (Hell - eternal separation from God), and one man's desperate attempt to save his own soul while damning three young innocent people, and tries to make it light-hearted. Those two sides of the movie don't mix well. 

Perhaps if the depictions had been toned down, it might be more a palatable family-oriented comedy with a religious twist. 

As a practicing Catholic, I'm certainly not above religious comedy as long as it's in good taste and in good faith. Such content from Hollywood is always a touchy subject, especially considering Hollywood has been known, more often than not, for really slamming religion (Christianity specifically) and completely misrepresenting religion in its depictions. That's especially true when it comes to horror movies. And many of the religious comedies coming out recently are just vulgar and ill-intended. 

The 2017 movie "The Little Hours" about a convent of nuns set in 1347 comes straight to mind. I haven't seen it. I don't need to. I read the synopsis and commentary, and that's all I need to know how malicious and mean-spirited it is. Movies like that don't take cheap shots at faith and religion, and those who practice it faithfully and piously such as a cloister of religious nuns. No, they flat out punch it in the face, spit on it, mock it relentlessly and arrogantly, and then kick it some more with maniacal laughter. 

Hollywood will trip over itself to mock religion.

I think when it comes to religious comedies, Monty Python leads the parade with the "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "The Life of Brian," and "Monty Python and the Meaning of Life." A lot of their humor is more satire than mockery, while trying to push the envelope. But take those movies as you will. 

Some religious comedies are lighthearted and bear no ill-intent. The movies, "Oh, God!," "Oh, God! Book II," and "Oh, God! You Devil!" with George Burns and John Denver come to mind, though I admit I've only watched the first one a long, long time ago. I just remember George Burns in the title role, and John Denver's character. 

"The Devil and Max Devlin" does try to be light-hearted but it doesn't feel-lighthearted. What it doesn't do is take cheap shots at Christianity or religion in general, which I appreciate. I wouldn't even call it blasphemous as I wouldn't attribute to malice what can be attributed to ignorance. 

There's some rather cheesy devil-themed one-liners and idioms sprinkled throughout such as "speak of the devil" and "soul responsibility."

One of them did score a chuckle out of me. 

Max talks to Nordlinger about his riding and says, "You ride like a bat outta hell!"

Bill Cosby suddenly pops his head into frame from out of nowhere and says, "Have you ever seen one of our bats?"

Hell as depicted in Disney's "The Devil and Max Devlin."

I read somewhere, sometime in the past, that there was some controversy casting a black person as a devil in this movie. I suppose that's the other elephant in the room squeezed alongside the dark theme of this movie. What can I say? Hell is all about equal opportunity!

What I will say is that despite his success as a comedian, I honestly couldn't tell you what Bill Cosby movie is the best. All the ones I've seen are lousy. "Leonard Part 6," "Ghost Dad," "The Meteor Man," "Jack," "Fat Albert" were terrible and forgettable to subpar at best. 

Cosby's famous standup show, "Bill Cosby: Himself" is hilarious, entertaining, memorable, and enjoyable. 

His sitcom "The Cosby Show" is a hilarious and successful sitcom. I used to own the entire series on DVD. And I had the pleasure of seeing Cosby live at Kansas State's McCain Auditorium back around 2011. I was in the second row from the stage, which was amazing!

To be fair, his 1974 action/ crime comedy "Uptown Saturday Night" isn't too bad. I've been on the look-out for it, but haven't yet found a copy to watch. 

As of now, Disney just doesn't like their own catalog of movies. They're almost ashamed of both the live action and animated movies that rocketed them into an unreachable level of global success. They slap trigger warning labels on just about all their classics, and then cower in fear lest some self-righteous entitled idiot yells at them on 'X' or wherever else.

"The Devil and Max Devlin" is uncharacteristic of Disney (at least the Disney I and millions of others around my age are familiar with) as are a bunch of the other live action movies Disney rolled out in the 1980s. 

It has some good intentions, but I've heard the road to Hell paved with those. 

The only clip of "The Devil and Max Devlin" I could find is this one dubbed in Italian. If you watch it, keep reminding yourself that this is a Disney movie. Doing that makes it all the more weird!

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) - Disney Under the Rug

 "Your torments call us like dogs in the night. And we do feed, and feed well."

Director

Jack Clayton

Cast
Jason Robards - Charles Halloway
Jonathan Pryce - Mr. Dark
Diane Ladd - Mrs. Nightshade
Royal Dano - Tom Fury
Vidal Peterson - Will Halloway
Shawn Carson - Jim Nightshade
Mary Grace Canfield - Miss Foley

I debated with myself if I should include Disney's 1983 movie, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" on my other blog, 1000daysofhorror.blogspot.com, or not. I obviously decided to include it here as it's really more of a dark fantasy movie than a horror. But, then again, it has some scenes clearly intended to scare the audience. Also, I hope to watch a review a string of Disney movies alongside this one from the 1980s that are dark, not-too-mainstream, and a bit unusual. They're movies I like to think Disney keeps swept under the rug - probably the rug they keep inside their "Disney vault."

The 1980s weren't the brightest time for the Disney Company. In fact, 1981 to 1988 were the dark ages for Disney. The company fell into quite a slump in that decade, producing flop after flop. That is until "The Little Mermaid" (1989) pulled Disney out of the quagmire of underwhelming productions.

Some of their movies from the decade somehow managed to withstand the test of time and collected pockets of cult followers who have since elevated these once poorly received movies into experiences worth appreciation. "Return to Oz" (1985) certainly comes to mind as far as that goes. It's a movie I remember enjoying in my youth. And I plan to review it at some point. 

But like this dark era for Disney, a number of these movies have quite a dark and sinister tone to them uncharacteristic of Disney at the time. They're dark in either their story or depictions, such as "Watcher in the Woods," "The Devil and Max Devlin," "The Black Cauldron," and even "Return to Oz." 

There's also "The Kids Who Knew Too Much" (1980) which centers around a political assassination plot. 

The 1980s also saw Disney release movies that were more adult oriented. A lot of these adult oriented movies were released under their distribution company, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

"Night Crossing" (1982) is a true story thriller about two families that tried to escape East German in a hot air balloon back in 1979. 

Disney's "Tex" (1982) is about two teenagers who struggle to make it on their own after their mother dies and their father leaves them in Oklahoma. 

"Tex" shows Disney's early efforts to put mature content in their movies. 

Disney's "Trenchcoat" (1983), starring Margot Kidder from the "Superman" movies is about a professional writer who gets caught up with some plutonium smugglers. And it's a comedy!

"Condorman" (1981) is about a comic book illustrator's attempts to assist in the defection of a female Soviet KGB agent.

"Never Cry Wolf" isn't a dark movie necessarily, but it's the first Disney movie to feature brief full-frontal male nudity, as well as scenes with bare buttocks. 

It's worth mentioning Disney's oddball comedy "Midnight Madness" which Disney produced in 1980. It's Michael J. Fox's movie debut. I wrote about it back in 2019. 

It's not a dark movie, but it is a movie Disney no doubt wants audiences to completely forget about more so than "Song of the South." It's a movie best kept under the Disney rug. 

Among these dark and obscure 1980s films from Disney, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" stands out in my mind above the rest. 

This dark fantasy movie, based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury, takes place in Green Town, Ill. Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) are two young boys who live next door to each other, and are in the same class. 

Will is a rather reserved and mild mannered kid who has a close relationship with his father, Charles Halloway (Jason Robarbs). Jim is more of a rebellious kid who tends to be impulsive.

Jonathan Pryce in "Something Wicked This Way Comes."

He lives with his single mother, played by Diane Ladd. It's implied that his father walked out on the family. 

The boys were born one minute apart on Halloween. I don't know what significance that plays other than being a small pillar in the foundation of their friendship.

Anyways, a vagabond looking gentleman named Tom Fury (Royal Dano) wanders into town selling lightening rods. He sells a rod to Jim, informing him that it'll protect him from a storm that's moving into town. 

Shortly after that, a carnival makes its way into town. And this carnival is giving off some bad vibes. 

It's operated by a sinister looking guy named Mr. Dark. (Jonathan Pryce). 

Jim and Will notice that the locals seem entranced by this carnival that arrived suddenly and was set up in one night. 

Carnival attendees are enchanted by the attractions. For instance, the local bar owner, Ed (James Stacy) who is an amputee, sees himself in a reflection with his missing arm and leg inside the hall of mirrors.
Their school teacher, Miss. Foley (Mary Grace Canfield) is shown what she looked like in her younger days - a gorgeous young woman, which she really wants to be again. Carnival guests are basically given what the desire most, but at a detrimental cost. 

The boys finally realize what's going on when they sneak into a closed off carousel. There, they witness a local, Mr. Cooger (Bruce M. Fischer) on the carousel as Mr. Dark makes it move backwards reversing Cooger's aging until he turns into a little boy. 

Later, they witness Mr. Fury being held captive by Mr. Dark and his assistant, the Dust Witch (Pam Grier). They torture Mr. Fury about the secret of the upcoming storm.

They boys are spotted, and they both run home to escape Mr. Dark. 

They both sleep in Will's room. During the night, the Dust Witch makes them think their room is being invaded by spiders crawling in through the window and through cracks. 

The lightening rod, however, causes the apparition to disappear. 

The next day, the carnival has a parade through town, led by Mr. Dark. And the towns people who were influenced in some way by the enchantment of the carnival walk within the parade. 

However, Jim and Will think the parade is really Mr. Dark's attempt to secretly search the boys out. After all, they're on to his scheme. 

Mr. Dark confronts Mr. Halloway inquiring about the presence of both boys, the images of whom he has drawn on the palm of his hands. He says the boys won a prize and need to claim it. However, Mr. Halloway suspects Mr. Dark has more evil intentions. He manages to deter Mr. Dark for the time being, and does what he can to protect his son and Jim. 

Vidal Peterson, Jason Robarbs, and Shawn Carson

Watching this movie, which is well paced, engaging, and frightening, makes me want to read Bradbury's novel. 

Jonathan Pryce steals the show. He has an intimidating presence on screen which brings the intensity and true sense of dread necessary to justify the word "wicked" in the title. 

The imagery and plot are truly unforgettable and frightening. Some of it may be too frightening for younger viewers. The movie doesn't pull any punches when it comes to bringing in something wicked onto the screen. 

The atmosphere has a Norman Rockwell style and appeal, but with a dark and sinister tone. 

I was curious how my children would react to this. My oldest son of nine found it too scary. My daughter, seven, found it entertaining. My five-year old found it boring. So, mixed reviews came from my household. 

Vidal Peterson gives a bland performance, however. He doesn't emote much no matter what's taking place in front of him. He's pretty stoic, actually. But he does convey convincing affection towards his father. 

Still, "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a film that has something to offer its audiences. The age old lessons about the importance of family bonds and conquering evil influences continue on. This movie depicts that in a unique way that can make a positive impression on young viewers.