the journey of natty gann this be in the back of my video cabinet and i haven not watch it since i be a child . natty gann be a rather unknown disney release from 1985 that take place in the 30 . natty gann be a young girl live with just her father in a bleak time . she be rough around the edge and have clearly build up a crocodile skin due to the life she have lead . however and at her core and she truly love her father . so when he be force to leave her at a moment notice to travel to washington ( the only place he can find work ) natty be leave in the care of a bitter landlord . it doesn not take long for natty and play by meredith salenger and to runaway in an attempt to travel the 2 and 000 mile to be with her father again . on her journey and natty meet all kind of people who be suffer due to the nation economic situation . one thing she witness be a dogfight where one of the dog be a rather wild wolf . natty reach out for the wolf though and eventually manage to establish a bond with the wild animal . together and they continue to travel towards her washington state in pursuit of natty father . a the plot description above make clear and the framework of this film be not horribly unique or important . however and what do give the film some extra quality be the approach in which the material be take on . this film be very much in the same vein a another under appreciatted disney classic and return to oz . this be a very dark family film that lack all of the standard and corny disney clichés ( aside from the animal friend and but here he doesn not talk . and he isn not particularly nice at first ) . the journey of natty gann portray the depression era and it effect on the poor very honestly . we see natty eat out of garbage pale and sleep in filth . we see the type of work her father be force to take on . and we see the bitterness and resentment natty feels towards her situation . she be not your typical hopelessly optimistic disney heroine . she get angry and she defend herself and and she doesn not make excuse . she start fight and even smoke what appear to be weed in the opening scene ( this be something i certainly do not notice a a child ) . however and the role of natty be always ground by an appealing and fully realize performance from the young meredith salenger . she hasn not find much success in film follow this movie and but it be definitely one of the best child performance of the 80 . now aside from the good quality of the film and the journey of natty gann move a little too slow for me to really love it . despite the many disney clichés it avoid and it still always obvious natty will find her father and all will be happy . so the fact that it take 105 minute to do so be a bit much . and there be a support role or love interest play by john cusack who be essentially useless to the plot . but disney deserve some credit for boldly take family film to a darker and more artistically developed place in 1985 ( both return to oz and natty gann be release in that year ) . there haven not be child film that really embrace the darker side of thing like these 2 film do since 85. and these under viewed film deserve a little more credit and public acknowledgment for look outside of the line in a genre that be too often trap within the line . b .