This 1976 historical adventure film is based on a book by Robert Lewis Taylor which I haven’t read, but I’m guessing it’s considerably different from the book. It’s an enjoyable adventure story as long as you don’t think too much about the plot and can overlook some lame special effects and Native American stereotypes. Nearly all the main characters are con men (or women) to some degree, which is part of the fun. Most appealing to me were Peter Ustinov as a traveling medicine man and Joan Hackett as a southern belle with a quick mind and iron will.

In 1870s Kentucky, Davie lives with his aunts and friend, young black boy Thad in his ancestral family mansion, which has fallen on hard times. A former slave, Ben, arrives to tell them Davie’s father hid a treasure map in his favorite book, but they’ve no sooner found it than the house is attacked by Captain Spangler and his men, who are on the trail of the treasure. Ben is shot by them, but Davie and Thad escape with the map down river and they book cheap passage on a river boat to New Orleans. Soon they meet and are joined by Lauriette Paxton (Hackett) a runaway bride, snake oil salesman Dr. Ewing Snodgrass (Ustinov), and Davie’s Uncle Jim, who they rescue from hanging by the Klan. Spangler pursues them all the way. How can they evade him and get to the Florida Keys where the treasure is hidden?

Not top level Disney, but okay. Johnny Doran is Davie, Billy Atmore is Thad, Robert Foxworth is Uncle Jim, Vic Morrow is Spangler, Dick Van Patten is another con man. Running time is a too-long 115 minutes, and I watched it on Disney Plus.

I had my doubts about this sports comedy about a football-playing mule, and it’s pretty lame. The high point is Gus himself, though of course his field-spanning field-goal kicks are a special effect. Ed Asner, who is his typical growly self as the team owner is also fun. Less appealing are Don Knotts as the coach, Gary Grimes as the mule’s owner, Tim Conway and Tom Bosley as hired thugs, Bob Crane as an annoying announcer, and many real-life football heroes. I’m not a football fan, but even I know the game as played in this film is completely bogus, beginning with having a mule as an official team member, and much of the time is spent on typical Disney silliness like a tedious chase through a supermarket. I guess Disney knew its audience, it did well financially. Running time is 95 minutes, and I watched it on Disney plus.

This 1976 crime comedy has its moments. The opening theme and credits suggest they hoped it would appeal to fans of The Pink Panther, and David Niven stars in this, as he did in that film, but otherwise there aren’t many easy comparisons. Siblings Tracy and Jay (Kim Richards, Brad Savage) are disappointed not to be spending their Easter holiday with their very busy mother (Barbara Feldon), and instead are being flown off to Los Angeles (with Jay’s pet skunk) to spend it with their rich uncle (Niven), who is not pleased either, as the last time they visited they caused havoc. On the plane, Tracy comes up with a plan to avoid their uncle and get to Hong Kong with their mother, but they need money. The skunk causes trouble in the airport, and the children evade their uncle and get into a cab, which is already claimed by a pair of would-be thieves (Darren McGavin and Don Knotts) who have failed to crack a safe at the airport. Tracy sees them as an opportunity, and talks them into taking the children home with them and sending the uncle a ransom note, which they will each use to get what they want. From there, the film goes into all kinds of silly escapades involving the skunk, the police, the uncle, and the mother.

Despite the usual Disney silliness, this held my interest, perhaps because of good performances by Niven, McGavin, and the children. I’ve never found Don Knotts very funny, but he’s okay here mostly. Also in the cast are Herschel Bernardi and Charles Martin Smith as the police detectives on the case, and Vic Tayback as a gangster trying to collect a loan he made to McGavin. There’s a long car chase through the docks of Los Angeles that was so over the top it held my interest, waiting to see how far they could possibly go with it. Running time is 112 minutes, and I watched it on Amazon Prime.

This 1975 feature is the first from Disney filmed in Australia with an all Australian cast, and it’s quite good. It’s a tale of two children who both want the same pony. One odd thing is to see kangaroos roaming through the countryside, which otherwise could be California. Scott is a poor farmer’s boy living seven miles from town who needs a horse to get to school, and his father buys a wild Welsh pony from a nearby ranch which Scott names Taff. Scott makes friends with the pony and is able to ride him bareback, but then the pony runs away and can’t be found. Meanwhile, Josie, daughter of a rich townsman, has lost the ability to walk due to polio, but she also wants a pony. Her father buys one from the same ranch, and Josie names him Bo. She tries to ride him, but can’t, so her father’s stockman trains the pony to pull a cart for her. One day in town, Scott sees Josie’s cart pony and angrily declares it’s his own Taff. This sparks a struggle that ends in court, but no one can be sure it’s the same horse both owned except them. How can it be decided who’s the owner? Scott’s lawyer has a clever idea, let the pony decide.

I didn’t know any of the Australian cast, but they’re all fine. The story is well written and directed, and has almost no Disney silliness. The running time is 91 minutes, and I watched it on Amazon Prime. I particularly liked the music score by John Addison.