Walt Disney has made a number of epic films set in the American West. These films are often Westerns with lots of action and humor. Many of these films are considered classics, including , Tonka, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. But do you think they are Disney’s best westerns? The new Disney western The Lone Ranger also features recognizable faces like Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. There are a total of 23 Disney westerns here, both animated and live-action. Which of these westerns from Disney do you enjoy the most? Come and have fun with us!
Let’s make sure we watch each movie in its entirety so that we may learn as much as possible from them.
The Complete List of Disney Western Movies Ranked
1. Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
Walt Disney Productions’ 1955 American Western film Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier. It’s a recut and edited collection of the first three episodes of the Davy Crockett television miniseries.
Directed By: Norman Foster
Starring: Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen
Revenue: $2.2 million
Synopsis:
This big-screen adaptation of the first three episodes of the Disneyland TV show, starring the coonskin-capped Davy Crockett (Fess Parker), was released in 1954. Crockett and his friend George Russel (Buddy Ebsen) are fighting Native Americans when Russel is captured. Crockett goes to whatever length to save his friend. Crockett leads a successful political campaign to become a congressman after the wars. But the Texas Revolution summons him back to the battlefield, and he makes his final stand at the Alamo.
2. Old Yeller (1957)
Old Yeller is a 1957 American western drama film. It tells the story of a little kid and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. The film is based on Fred Gipson’s 1956 novel of the same name. The film’s success prompted a 1963 sequel, Savage Sam, which was based on Gipson’s 1962 novel.
Directed By: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Jeff York, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Beverly Washburn and Chuck Connors
Revenue: $6.25 million (U.S./Canada)
Synopsis:
While Jim Coates (Fess Parker) is away on a cattle drive, his wife Katie (Dorothy McGuire) and sons Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss (Kevin Corcoran) are left on their Texas ranch. Travis attempts to drive away a runaway dog named Old Yeller who causes damage in one of their farms. When Old Yeller saves Arliss from a bear attack, Travis and Katie both warm to him. As Travis and the brave and faithful dog get closer, there is growing anxiety about a rabies outbreak.
3. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
American director Norman Tokar helmed the comedy-Western The Apple Dumpling Gang in 1975. Jack M. Bickham’s 1971 novel of the same name served as inspiration for the film. Don Tait penned the film’s script. The “Apple Dumpling Gang” got its moniker from the apple dumpling, a popular American dish.
Direct by: Norman Tokarn
Starring: Don Knotts and Tim Conway
Revenue: $36.8 million
Synopsis:
After being forced to live with gambler Russell Donovan (Bill Bixby), three orphans learn that they are the rightful heirs of a massive wealth left to them by their late father. A slew of opportunistic thugs soon arrive. In an effort to keep things simple, the kids decide to leave their inheritance to a pair of charming outlaws played by Don Knotts and Tim Conway. However, there is one snag: the gold is safely stored in a bank vault.
4. The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967)
Bullwhip Griffin is a 1967 American Western comedy film directed by James Neilson and produced by Walt Disney Productions, starring Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, Hermione Baddeley, and Karl Malden. The film’s screenplay, by Lowell S. Hawley, was based on the novel By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman.
Directed By: James Neilson
Starring: Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette and Karl Malden
Revenue: $1.9 million (US/ Canada)
Synopsis:
During the California Gold Rush, 14-year-old orphan Jack (Bryan Russell) hides on a ship going from Boston to San Francisco, determined to strike it rich. On board the ship, Jack is accompanied by his protective butler (Roddy McDowall), a thieving judge (Karl Malden), and a classical actor (Richard Haydn). When the judge steals a gold mine map from the actor, the others pursue him across California in a series of absurd adventures featuring creative disguises, ridiculous battles, and elaborate escapes.
5. The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)
A comedy-Western sequel to The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again was released by Walt Disney Productions in 1979.
In addition, at 1 hour, 20 minutes,The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) is the shortest running film ever.
Direct by: Vincent McEveety
Starring: Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Tim Matheson, Harry Morgan and Kenneth Mars
Revenue: $20.9 million
Synopsis:
Criminal misfits Apple Dumpling Gang members Amos (Tim Conway) and Theodore (Don Knotts) ride their mule, Clarise, to the frontier town of Junction City. But before long, they’re being pursued by Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock (Kenneth Mars) for a bank heist they didn’t commit. When they get away, they end up at a military base where Capt. Phillips (Tim Matheson) is looking for an escaped double-crosser who may be connected to the real criminals.
6. The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
The Great Locomotive Chase is a 1956 American adventure western film made by Walt Disney Productions that is based on the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase during the American Civil War.
Directed By: Francis D. Lyon
Starring: Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, John Lupton, Jeff York and Slim Pickens
Revenue: $1.7 million (US)
Synopsis:
It’s the Civil War, and Union spy James J. Andrews (Fess Parker) is on a top-secret mission: seize a Confederate train west of Atlanta and use it to sabotage and destroy Confederate supply channels on the way back to Union territory in Tennessee. The train’s conductor (Jeffrey Hunter) is on to Andrews and is desperate to derail the Union spy’s intentions before delivering the train to his fellow soldiers.
7. The Sign of Zorro (1958)
Direct by: Lewis R. Foster, Norman Foster
Starring: Guy Williams, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon
Synopsis:
This film is an adaptation of eight episodes from Disney’s popular TV series, and it follows Don Diego as he returns to his hometown and finds it under the rule of the ruthless dictator Capitan Monastario. Diego dons the Zorro mask to combat the rule of the villainous commander and, with the aid of his mute servant Bernardo, liberate the pueblo.
8. Return to Snowy River (1988)
The Man from Snowy River II is a sequel to the Australian drama film of the same name from 1982. Walt Disney Pictures released it in the US as Return to Snowy River, while it was called The Untamed in the UK.
Direct by: Geoff Burrowes
Starring: Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, Brian Dennehy
Revenue: $13.7 million
Synopsis:
In the 1880s, Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson), a gorgeous young cattleman, returns to Snowy River with his herd of Australian horses to be with his sweetheart, Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton). Their love is strongly opposed by Jessica’s father, Harrison (Brian Dennehy), who has his eye on Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), the arrogant son of a banker. Patton, upon learning of Jessica’s feelings for Jim, decides to take the latter’s cherished horses.
9. Johnny Tremain (1957)
Johnny Tremain is a 1957 American adventure drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, based on Esther Forbes’ 1944 Newbery Medal-winning children’s novel of the same name.
Directed By: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Hal Stalmaster, Luana Patten, Jeff York and Sebastian Cabot
Revenue: $700 thousand
Synopsis:
An apprentice silversmith (Hal Stalmaster) is present during the Boston Tea Party and other Revolutionary War high points.
10. Savage Sam (1963)
Savage Sam is a 1963 American Western film sequel to Old Yeller, based on Fred Gipson’s 1962 novel of the same name. The live-action feature, directed by Norman Tokar, was released on June 1, 1963 by Walt Disney Productions. It did not have the same level of success as the original.
Directed By: Norman Tokar
Starring: Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, Marta Kristen, Kevin Corcoran, Dewey Martin, Jeff York and Rafael Campos
Revenue: $3 million (U.S./Canada)
Synopsis:
When their parents depart to visit their elderly grandmother, Travis (Tommy Kirk) and Arliss Coates (Kevin Corcoran) take over the family farm. They are fortunate to have Old Yeller’s son, Savage Sam, to keep them company and assist them with tracking. Travis and Arliss first clash because Travis is older and more responsible, and Arliss wants to avoid his responsibilities. When the boys and a neighbor’s girl are kidnapped by an Apache tribe, it’s up to Savage Sam to save the day.
11. Hot Lead & Cold Feet (1978)
The 1978 American comedy-Western Hot Lead and Cold Feet was produced by Walt Disney Productions under the original title Welcome to Bloodshy.
Direct by: Robert Butler
Starring: Jim Dale, Karen Valentine, Don Knotts, Jack Elam and Darren McGavin
Synopsis:
The founder of the frontier town of Bloodshy, Jasper (Jim Dale), has died, and his twin sons are at odds about who should take over the family business. Billy (also Dale) is a rogue gunslinger, whereas Eli (also Dale) is the more demure, devout kind of the two. The brothers compete in a series of bizarre events, culminating in a wild train race, to determine the town’s rightful heir. The true fight starts when Billy and Eli try to take power away from Bloodshy’s corrupt mayor, Ragsdale (Darren McGavin).
12. Miracle of the White Stallions (1963)
Miracle of the White Stallions is a 1963 Walt Disney adventure war film starring Robert Taylor (as Alois Podhajsky), Lilli Palmer, and Eddie Albert. It tells the account of the Lipizzaner horses being evacuated from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during WWII.
Directed By: Arthur Hiller
Starring: Robert Taylor and Lilli Palmer
Revenue: $2.5 million (US/ Canada)
Synopsis:
During WWII, the director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna (Robert Taylor) protects his Lipizzaners.
13. Westward Ho, The Wagons! (1956)
Westward Ho the Wagons! is a 1956 American Western film directed by Walt Disney Productions and starring Fess Parker and Kathleen Crowley. The film, based on Mary Jane Carr’s novel Children of the Covered Wagon, was directed by William Beaudine and distributed in theaters on December 20, 1956 by Buena Vista Distribution Company.
Directed By: William Beaudine
Starring: Fess Parker, Kathleen Crowley, Jeff York, Sebastian Cabot, George Reeves and David Stollery
Revenue: $2.75 million (US)
Synopsis:
Based on Mary Jane Carr’s story on the hazards and hardships faced by Oregon Trail pioneers.
14. Scandalous John (1971)
The Walt Disney Company produced the western comedy-drama Scandalous John in 1971.
Direct by: Robert Butler
Starring: Brian Keith and Alfonso Arau
Synopsis:
The 79-year-old John McCanless, a rip-snorting western rancher, goes on a cattle drive (with one cow) and does battle against a wealthy, land-grabbing industrialist with his pretty granddaughter, ugly horse, scrawny herd, and puniest companion, a Mexican handyman. Ultimately, the rancher faces the villain in a gunfight that echoes the classic struggle between good and evil in the Old West after an exciting (and funny) journey in the style of Don Quixote.
15. Tonka (1958)
Tonka is a 1958 American Western film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring Sal Mineo as a Sioux survivor of the Little Big Horn Battle. The film is based on David Appel’s book Comanche: Story of America’s Most Heroic Horse.
Directed By: Lewis R. Foster
Starring: Sal Mineo, Philip Carey, Jerome Courtland and Rafael Campos
Revenue: $2.5 million (US/ Canada)
Synopsis:
The film tells the fictional story of the titular horse’s Indian and US Cavalry owners.
16. The Castaway Cowboy (1974)
Walt Disney Productions released The Castaway Cowboy, a comedy western, in the United States in 1974.
Direct by: Vincent McEveety
Starring: James Garner, Vera Miles, Eric Shea and Robert Culp
Synopsis:
James Garner plays a shanghaied cowboy from Texas who abandons ship to assist a widow and her son in 19th-century Hawaii with cattle farming. Vera Miles plays the widow’s daughter.
17. One Little Indian (1973)
Starring James Garner and Vera Miles, One Little Indian is a Walt Disney Productions Western comedy film from 1973.
Direct by: Bernard McEveety
Starring: James Garner, Vera Miles, Pat Hingle, Clay O’Brien, John Doucette, Morgan Woodward, Andrew Prine
Revenue: $2 million
Synopsis:
A white youngster raised by Indians (Clay O’Brien) and an Army deserter (James Garner) make their way across the desert on a camel.
18. Lone Ranger (2013)
Gore Verbinski helmed and co-wrote the 2013 American Western action picture The Lone Ranger with Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio. Since William A. Fraker’s The Legend of the Lone Ranger in 1981, this was the first theatrical feature to star the Lone Ranger and Tonto.
Furthermore, at 2 hour, 29 minutes, Lone Ranger (2013) is the longest running film ever.
Direct by: Gore Verbinsk
Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Curtis Cregan
Revenue: $260.5 million
Synopsis:
A Native American from the distant past is unearthed by a young boy in a carnival tent in 1933. Tonto (Johnny Depp) is an old friend of the lawman John Reid (Armie Hammer), better known as the Lone Ranger. Tonto uses this chance to clear the air regarding his and Reid’s exploits, detailing their joint efforts to capture notorious outlaws like Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) and others in the Wild West. Tonto and Reid first met in 1869.
19. John Carter (2012)
The American science fiction action-adventure film John Carter (2012) is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars (1912), the first book in the Barsoom series.
Direct by: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy and Willem Dafoe.
Revenue: $284.1 million
Synopsis:
John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a veteran of the Civil War, has no idea what kind of adventure awaits him when he wakes up on the surface of Mars (also known as Barsoom). The people of the red planet, especially Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), draw Carter into an epic war, despite his best efforts to stay out of it. Carter, a battle veteran, regains his humanity just as Barsoom is on the verge of collapse and he learns that the destiny of everyone depends on him.
20. Down the Long Hills (1986)
Jean Renoir’s 1932 film adaptation of the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux inspired the plot of the 1986 American comedy film Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Down and Out in Beverly Hills, distributed by Disney’s Touchstone Films, is the studio’s first film to be given a R classification by the Motion Picture Association of America. Dreyfuss’s career was revived by the picture, which was his first major success since his well-publicized drug issues.
Direct by: Paul Mazursky
Starring: Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss
Revenue: $62.1 million
Synopsis:
The story centers on a wealthy but dysfunctional family who end up saving the life of a homeless man who was planning to end his own. Little Richard makes a cameo appearance as a neighbor and plays “Great Gosh A’Mighty” during a party.
21. The Wild Country (1970)
The Wild Country is a 1970 American adventure western film directed by Robert Totten and starring Steve Forrest and Vera Miles. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions. The screenplay is based on the Ralph Moody book Little Britches.
Directed By: Robert Totten
Starring: Steve Forrest and Vera Miles
Revenue: $4 million (rentals) (US/Canada)
Synopsis:
Jim and Kate Tanner, along with their sons Virgil and Andrew, relocate from Pittsburgh to a farm in Wyoming in the late 1880s, where they discover the ranch in disrepair. To make matters worse, Jim discovers from trapper Thompson and his Shoshone friend Two Dog that the source of his land’s water goes through property owned by the powerful rancher Ab Cross, putting him at Ab’s mercy. Ab is uncooperative and refuses to quit grazing his steers on Tanner’s property. Jim’s threat to go to court against Ab is welcomed with laughing, and Jim is informed that there are no laws in their domain.
22. Smith! (1969)
Walt Disney Productions’ Smith! is a Western film from the year 1969.Walt Disney Productions’ Smith! is a Western film from the year 1969.
Direct by: Michael O’Herlihy
Starring: Glenn Ford
Revenue: $1.3 million (US/ Canada)
Synopsis:
Smith (Glenn Ford) is well-known for his compassion toward Native Americans due to his upbringing by Nez Perce tribe member Ol’ Antoine (Chief Dan George). Gabriel (Frank Ramierez), a young Indian who has been wrongly convicted of murder, hides out on Smith’s property rather than turning himself in to Deputy Sheriff Vince (Keenan Wynn). Smith is arrested along with Ol’ Antoine by racist officials, and while at first he is confident Gabriel will receive a fair trial, he is eventually forced to advocate for the young kid.
23. Zorro, the Avenger (1959)
Direct by: Charles Barton
Starring: Guy Williams, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon, Charles Korvin, Don Diamond, George J. Lewis, Jonathan Hole, Jay Novello, Ralph Clanton, Henry Rowland, Michael Pate, Herscel Bernard
Synopsis:
As part of a political plot, Don Diego’s adversary gets the masked avenger and the masked avenger’s father locked up in prison.
Keep exploring the selection of Disney and Western films without interruption. We now move on to our next set of Disney recommendations.
