View source for So Dear to My Heart

{{short description|1948 film by Walt Disney}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = So Dear to My Heart
| image          = So Dear to My Heart poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Harold D. Schuster]]<br />[[Hamilton Luske]]
| producer       = [[Walt Disney]]<br />[[Perce Pearce]]
| screenplay     = [[John Tucker Battle]]
{{Infobox|decat=yes|child=yes|label1=Adaptation by|data1={{Ubl|[[Maurice Rapf]]|[[Ted Sears]]}}}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Midnight and Jeremiah]]''|[[Sterling North]]}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Burl Ives]]
* [[Beulah Bondi]]
* [[Harry Carey (actor)|Harry Carey]]
* [[Luana Patten]]
* [[Bobby Driscoll]]
}}
| music          = [[Paul J. Smith (composer)|Paul Smith]]
| cinematography = [[Winton C. Hoch]]
| editing        = {{plainlist|Lloyd L. Richardson|Thomas Scott}}
| studio         = [[Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor    = [[RKO Pictures|RKO Radio Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1948|11|29|Chicago|1949|01|19|Indianapolis|ref2=<ref name=SoDearPremiereInfo>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34888918/disney_premiere_here_to_be_hollywood|title=Disney Premiere Here to Be Hollywood Style |newspaper=The Indianapolis News |date=January 7, 1949 |page=21 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>}}
| runtime        = 82 minutes
| country        = United States
| gross          = $3.7 million (U.S. rental) + $575,000 (foreign rental)<ref name="Jewell">{{cite news | title=Richard B. Jewell's RKO film grosses, 1929–51: The C. J. Trevlin Ledger: A comment. | publisher=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Volume 14, Issue 1, 1994. Domestic earnings $2.2 million; Foreign earnings $575,000}}</ref><ref name="1964reissue">"Big Rental Pictures of 1964", ''Variety'', January 6, 1965, p. 39. 1964 revenue anticipation: $1.5 million</ref>
| budget         = $1.5 million<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety169-1948-02#page/n126/mode/1up |title=109-Million Investment by H'Wood in Current Technicolor Features |magazine=Variety |date=February 18, 1948 |page=7}}</ref>
| language       = English
}}

'''''So Dear to My Heart''''' is a 1948 American [[Live-action animated film|live-action/animated]] [[comedy-drama film]] produced by [[Walt Disney]] and released by [[RKO Radio Pictures]]. Its world premiere was in [[Chicago, Illinois]], on November 29, 1948. Like 1946's ''[[Song of the South]]'', the film combines animation and live action. It is based on the 1943 [[Sterling North]] book ''[[Midnight and Jeremiah]]''. The book was revised by North to parallel the film's storyline amendments and then re-issued under the same title as the film.

The film was a personal favorite of Walt Disney, since it re-created on film one of the most memorable times of his life, growing up on a small farm in the [[Midwestern United States|American Midwest]] at the turn of the twentieth century. Walt said: "''So Dear'' was especially close to me. Why, that's the life my brother and I grew up with as kids out in [[Missouri]]". Walt had intended that this would be the first all live-action Disney feature film, but his distributor, RKO, convinced him that when audiences saw the word "Disney", they expected animation. Thus they split the difference.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Korkis |first1=Jim |title=Behind the Scenes: So Dear to My Heart |url=https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/behind-scenes-so-dear-my-heart |publisher=The Walt Disney Family Museum}}</ref>

''So Dear to My Heart'' was the final film appearance of [[Harry Carey (actor)|Harry Carey]].

==Plot==
{{More plot|date=May 2017}}
Set in [[Indiana]] in 1903, the film tells the tale of Jeremiah Kincaid ([[Bobby Driscoll]]) and his determination to raise a [[Black sheep|black-wool lamb]] that was once rejected by its mother. Jeremiah names the lamb Danny for the famed race horse [[Dan Patch]] (who is also portrayed in the film). Jeremiah's dream of showing Danny at the [[Pike County, Indiana|Pike County]] Fair must overcome the obstinate objections of his loving yet tough grandmother Granny ([[Beulah Bondi]]). Jeremiah's confidant Uncle Hiram ([[Burl Ives]]) is the boy's steady ally. Inspired by the animated figures and stories, the boy perseveres.<ref>Lockhart, Jane. "Looking at Movies: ''So Dear to My Heart''". The Rotarian. February 1949, p.36.</ref>

==Cast==
* [[Bobby Driscoll]] as Jeremiah "Jerry" Kincaid
* [[Luana Patten]] as Tildy
* [[Burl Ives]] as Uncle Hiram Douglas
* [[Beulah Bondi]] as Granny Kincaid
* [[Harry Carey (actor)|Harry Carey]] as Head Judge at County Fair
* Raymond Bond as Pete Grundy, Storekeeper 
* Walter Soderling as Grampa Meeker
* Matt Willis as Mr. Burns, Horse Trainer
* Spelman B. Collins as Judge
* [[Bob Haymes]] as Singer Bob Haymes

===Voices===
* [[John Beal (actor)|John Beal]] as Adult Jeremiah/Narrator
* [[Ken Carson (musician)|Ken Carson]] as The Owl
* Bob Stanton as Danny
* Marion Darlington as Whistling Sound Effects
* [[Clarence Nash]] as Vocal Sound Effects 
* The Rhythmaires as Vocal Ensemble/Bluebirds

==Awards and honors==
The film was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] for [[Burl Ives]]'s version of the 17th-century English folk song "[[Lavender Blue]]", but lost to "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]" from ''[[Neptune's Daughter (1949 film)|Neptune's Daughter]]''.

[[Bobby Driscoll]] received a special [[Academy Juvenile Award|Juvenile Award]] from the Academy, honoring him as "the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949".<ref name="Oscars.org 8">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/22nd.html|title=22nd Academy Awards|access-date=July 6, 2011|work=Oscars.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706072958/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/22nd.html|archive-date=July 6, 2011|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In addition to ''So Dear to My Heart'', he had garnered critical acclaim for his dramatic performance in the [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] melodrama ''[[The Window (1949 film)|The Window]]''.

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in this list:
* 2004: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]:	
** "[[Lavender Blue]]" – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees |access-date=August 5, 2016}}</ref>

==Production==
The train depot in the film was later relocated to [[Ward Kimball|Ward Kimball's]] [[Grizzly Flats Railroad]] in his backyard. After the railroad closed, [[John Lasseter]] relocated it to the [[Justi Creek Railway]].

==Critical response==
Film critic [[Bosley Crowther]] wrote on ''[[The New York Times]]'' that "a little aphoristic fantasy (…) has the imagination and special charm which the film, in general, lacks. For, with all its innocence and simplicity, which are commendable on the modern screen, ''So Dear to My Heart'' is not distinguished by its story or cinematic style. It is just a pleasant fiction for the kiddies who fancy lively pets and for the oldsters who like to vision childhood in an illusory, kerosene-lamp glow."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/31/archives/so-dear-to-my-heart-a-disney-featurelength-production-new-bill-at.html | title='So Dear to My Heart', a Disney Feature-Length Production, New Bill at the Palace | work=The New York Times | date=January 31, 1949 | last1=Crowther | first1=Bosley}}</ref>

==Release==
The film returned rentals to RKO by 1951 of $2,775,000 with $2,200,000 being generated in the U.S. and Canada.<ref name="Jewell" />

The film was re-released in 1964 and earned an estimated $1.5 million in rentals in the U.S. and Canada.<ref name="1964reissue" />

''So Dear to My Heart'' was released on home video in 1986. It was then re-released in 1992 and released on video in 1994 as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. The film was originally planned for a US DVD release as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection, but was cancelled, with no particular reason given. Six years after seeing a region 2 DVD release, it was released in the US on DVD in July 2008 as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive.

In Italy, ''So Dear to My Heart'' was released on home video in 1997.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://disneytapesandmore.altervista.org/tanto-caro-al-mio-cuore-vhs-disney-video-novembre-1997/?doing_wp_cron=1695143352.9182109832763671875000 | title=Tanto Caro al Mio Cuore - VHS Disney Video Novembre 1997 | date=June 15, 2021}}</ref> It was re-released on DVD format in 2003.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://disneytapesandmore.altervista.org/tanto-caro-al-mio-cuore-dvd-buena-vista-2003/?doing_wp_cron=1695143252.2464010715484619140625 | title=Tanto Caro al Mio Cuore - DVD Buena Vista 2003 | date=September 8, 2020}}</ref>

==Trivia==

In the DVD's bonus material, it is stated that the formerly [[Frontierland]] Station is an exact replica of the railroad station built for ''So Dear To My Heart'' and remains in [[Disneyland]] today, although it now belongs to [[New Orleans Square]]. The original prop ended up in the hands of Disney Animator [[Ward Kimball]], which he used for his [[Grizzly Flats Railroad]]. The station would later be acquired by former [[Pixar]] film director [[John Lasseter]], moving them to his private Justi Creek Railway.<ref name="Amendola2015p133">{{Harvp|Amendola|2015|p=133}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Maddaus|first=Gene|date=June 8, 2018|title=John Lasseter Will Exit Disney at the End of the Year|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/disney-john-lasseter-harassment-bob-iger-1202734060/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129171352/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/disney-john-lasseter-harassment-bob-iger-1202734060/|archive-date=January 29, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[1948 in film]]
* [[List of American films of 1948]]
* [[List of Walt Disney Pictures films]]
* [[List of films with live action and animation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/so-dear-to-my-heart}}
* {{IMDb title|0041890}}
* {{DisneyAtoZ|so-dear-to-my-heart-film}}
* [http://www.mouseplanet.com/9333/So_Dear_to_My_Heart_The_Secrets_Behind_the_Film ''So Dear to My Heart'': The Secrets Behind the Film]

{{Harold D. Schuster}}
{{Hamilton Luske}}
{{Disney theatrical animated features}}
{{Walt Disney Animation Studios}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:So Dear To My Heart}}
[[Category:Walt Disney Pictures films]]
[[Category:1948 films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:American comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1948 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1948 musical films]]
[[Category:Films based on children's books]]
[[Category:Films set in 1903]]
[[Category:Films set in Indiana]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Hamilton Luske]]
[[Category:Films directed by Harold D. Schuster]]
[[Category:1940s American animated films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Walt Disney]]
[[Category:Films produced by Perce Pearce]]
[[Category:Films scored by Paul Smith (composer)]]
[[Category:American films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:1940s children's animated films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Maurice Rapf]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ken Anderson]]
[[Category:Animated films set in the 1900s]]
[[Category:Animated films set in the Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:English-language comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:English-language musical films]]