The Journey of Natty Gann
Short description
Set during the Great Depression, The Journey of Natty Gann follows a young Chicago girl whose father, unable to find work at home, takes a logging job on the other side of the country. Left in the care of a neighbour, Natty rejects the arrangement and runs away, determined to find her father. Her cross-country journey brings her together with two companions: a drifter she meets as a stowaway on a train heading west, and a wolf she frees, which stays with her and protects her along the way.
Jeremy Kagan directed the film, which followed The Big Fix, The Chosen and The Sting II in his filmography and was written by Jeanne Rosenberg. Meredith Salenger plays Natty, with John Cusack as Harry, Ray Wise as her father Sol, Lainie Kazan as Connie and Scatman Crothers as Sherman. The cast runs to 53 credited performers, and a wolf credited as Jed plays the animal companion.
Released by Walt Disney Pictures with Silver Screen Partners II and Lobell/Bergman Productions, the film opened in September 1985 and took about 10 million dollars worldwide. It holds a 7/10 rating on IMDb from roughly 7,700 votes and a 6.8/10 on TMDB from a much smaller number of votes, while a critics' rating of 7.1/10 from 32 reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Around 300 teenagers auditioned for the role of Natty, but it went to Meredith Salenger. The film's production notes state that approximately 2,000 young people expressed interest in auditioning for the part.
- Actress Meredith Salenger received a Young Artist Award for her portrayal (an annual award presented by the Young Artist Foundation to talented young people in television and film, who often work in the shadow of their older, more famous colleagues).
- During filming, the movie was simply titled "Natty Gunn."
- Producer Mike Lobell assembled a crew including several Academy Award winners. Among them were costume designer Albert Wolsky and production designer Paul Sylbert.
- Screenwriter Zhanna Rosenberg specializes in films about animals. Her signature works (solo or in collaboration) include 'The Black Stallion' (Carroll Ballard, 1979), 'White Fang' (Jeremy Kagan, 1991), 'Free Runner' (Sergei Bodrov, 1999), 'China: Panda Adventure' (Robert M. Young, 2001), 'Born in the Sands' (Simon Wincer, 2003), and Bambi II (Brian Pimental, 2006).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
