The Journey of Natty Gann

Set at the time of the Depression, this suggests something like a return to form after a series of Disney disappointments. Natty's one-parent family unit is upset when daddy is forced to leave to look for work in a lumber camp in the north; subjected to the whim of a sadistic guardian landlady, she sets off to find him. On the way she has a string of adventures, runs into the obligatory wild dog whom she befriends, and you can guess the rest. Beautifully shot and well acted (Meredith Salenger in a fine performance as Natty), there's a real sense of period, even if the film does occasionally become over-sentimental.