Big Red (film) A boy’s conviction that a handsome red setter can be handled and trained with love rather than harsh discipline brings him into conflict with Mr. Haggin, the owner of the kennel where he works. As an orphan hungering for love, he understands Big Red, who does not respond to Haggin’s training methods. The boy’s disobedience results in the dog being injured and the boy leaving. A series of adventures involving the dog, the boy, and Mr. Haggin brings about many valuable lessons to all and Mr. Haggin’s eventual adoption of the youngster who will fill a vacuum that existed in the Haggin home since the death of an only son. Released on June 6, 1962. The first Disney film directed by Norman Tokar, who went on to direct many other Disney features in the 1960s and 1970s. 89 min. Stars Walter Pidgeon (James Haggin), Gilles Payant (Rene Dumont), Emile Genest (Emile Fornet), Janette Bertrand (Therese Fornet). Besides interiors at the Disney Studio in Burbank, sequences were filmed on location near La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, along the shore of the St. Lawrence, and at Big Bear Lake in California. The songs, “Mon Amour Perdu” and “Emile’s Reel” were written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Released on video in 1984.
