DVDizzy Forum

I watched the short for the first time today on Disney+. It was so touching, and even though it has a happy ending, with an optimistic message, it still made me cry a bit.

I love The Small One and have it on DVD.
I first saw in theaters when it debuted with a rerelease of Pinocchio. That was Disney’s Christmas 1978 release.

The Small One makes me bawl my eyes out. It really is a beautiful featurette.

Well, to summarize my experience with this short: I remember receiving it on VHS very young, most likely at the age of seven. And while I was never gaga about it, I still liked it and thought it was a sweet, mellow little short. And that`s the same impression that I have today as an adult. Sure, it`s easy to spot the Don Bluth-influence and how it resembles it`s Full-Length Feature Counterparts of that timeline. But it`s not a bad thing, as I do look fondly upon that period. As a child, I thought the boy was a girl, as he resembled one But looking back now, the protagonist does resemble Mowgli from The Jungle Book a lot. And it`s truly remarkable, ambitious and astonishing that Disney dared to adapt a story that had a direct link to Jesus Christ`s story! So all in all, I like The Small One and it`s a endearing and charming little short that I like to this day.

It made me bawl my eyes out too. I have a dog, and when I got him, I thought I wouldn't be able to take care of him, because he's a big boy (he's a shepherd dog), so I talked to this guy, who agreed to take him, because he needed a dog to watch his flock of sheep. When that day came, I said a very tearful goodbye to him, and told him a very nice man will take him and he will be able to run in the fields and live as he wants. When the guy came, I just didn't have the heart to give him. My lips were trembling, and my heart was so heavy. It didn't help that the "little guy" kept looking at me very intensely. The guy saw that I was hesitant, and he instantly understood that I got attached to the dog. He was very nice, and agreed to let me keep him.

In the short, at the end, when the boy says goodbye to the donkey, it reminded me of that time when I almost gave my dog up.

There’s a place for each small one
God planned it that way

The Boy was voiced by Sean Marshall who played Pete in Pete’s Dragon the previous year (1977).

I have no doubt about that, buddy. I thank God each and every day for him.

Aww, Vlad, I'm so happy you got to keep your dog. <3 I'm a dog parent, too...they're our babies. The love the boy has for Small One is so big, it's heartbreaking.

According to this interview, Erik Larson was originally going to direct The Small One. He and his team had already started developing it when Ron Miller abruptly gave the project to Don Bluth.

I read that also in Larson’s memoir /diary 50 Years in the Mouse House . Also lots of interesting stuff about Sleeping Beauty...