Movies Like Old Yeller (1957)

Old Yeller is a 1957 adventure, drama, family, western film from Robert Stevenson with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Savage Sam and A Dog of Flanders.

Adventure Drama Family Western

Savage Sam

1963

Travis, Arliss, and Lisbeth are captured by Apaches while Old Yeller's son, Sam, tracks their trail.

5.1

MagicScore

A Dog of Flanders

1999

Poor but happy, young Nello and his grandfather live alone, delivering milk as a livelihood, in the outskirts of Antwerp, a city in Flanders (the Flemish or Dutch-speaking part of modern-day Belgium). They discover a beaten dog (a Bouvier, a large sturdy dog native to Flanders) and adopt it and nurse it back to health, naming it Patrasche, the middle name of Nello's mother Mary, who died when Nello was very young. Nello's mother was a talented artist, and like his mother, he delights in drawing, and his friend Aloise is his model and greatest fan and supporter.

6.1

MagicScore

Shiloh

1996

An abused beagle runs away from his owner. On the road, he meets young Marty Preston and follows him home. The boy immediately forms a bond with the dog and names him Shiloh. His stern father won't let him keep the dog because it belongs to Judd Travers, a local hunter. After Shiloh is mistreated again, he runs away and returns to Marty. Knowing his father will once again make him bring Shiloh back to Judd, he makes a home for the dog in an old shed up the hill from the Prestons' house and hides him from his family. His secret is soon discovered when a stray attacks the dog one night and he must turn to his father for help.

5.7

MagicScore

A Boy and His Dog

1975

Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.

6.3

MagicScore

Air Bud

1997

A lonely boy befriends a stray dog who has a natural talent for basketball and together they experience the highs and lows of life as their friendship remains solid through a series of escapades.

5.6

MagicScore

The Call of the Wild

2020

Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team—and later its leader—Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

7.5

MagicScore

Drag-A-Long Droopy

1954

An "absolutely authentic account of the grazing land battles of the sheep and cattle wars of the early west," pitting sheep rancher Droopy against a cattle ranching wolf.

6.9

MagicScore

Vengeance Valley

1951

A cattle baron takes in an orphaned boy and raises him, causing his own son to resent the boy. As they get older the resentment festers into hatred, and eventually the real son frames his stepbrother for fathering an illegitimate child that is actually his, seeing it as an opportunity to get his half-brother out of the way so he can have his father's empire all to himself.

5.2

MagicScore

Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog

1995

Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.

6.1

MagicScore

#10

The Cowboys

1972

When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Broken Lance

1954

Tensions erupt within an Arizona cattle baron's household when his three sons vie for control of the ranch.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

Wild Life

2011

An English dreamer experiences both the beauty and harshness of nature when he relocates to the Canadian prairie.

5.6

MagicScore

#13

Alpha

2018

In the prehistoric past, Keda, a young and inexperienced hunter, struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe when bison hunting goes awry. On his way back he will find an unexpected ally.

6.5

MagicScore

#14

The Big Country

1958

Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

7.6

MagicScore

#15

Bucking Broadway

1917

On a ranch in Wyoming, one of the cowboys, Cheyenne Harry (Harry Carey), falls in love with his boss's daughter. But she decides to elope to the city with Captain Thornton, a wealthy visitor to the ranch. She quickly discovers that life in the city is not what she expected. Cheyenne, devastated by the loss of his fiancée, decides to go to the city to find her, and in the end rescues her from the grips of Captain Thornton and from the extravagant and decadent way of life in the city.

5.5

MagicScore

#16

Born to the West

1937

Dare Rudd takes a shine to his cattleman cousin Tom's girlfriend who asks Tom to hire Dare to head the big cattle drive. Dare loses the money for the drive to cardsharps, but Tom wins it back, but Dare must save Tom's life.

4.6

MagicScore

#17

Texas

1941

Two Virginians are heading for a new life in Texas when they witness a stagecoach being held up. They decide to rob the robbers and make off with the loot. To escape a posse, they split up and don't see each other again for a long time. When they do meet up again, they find themselves on different sides of the law. This leads to the increasing estrangement of the two men, who once thought of themselves as brothers.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

The Painted Hills

1951

After years of prospecting, Jonathan finally strikes gold. He returns to town only to discover that his partner has since died and left Tommy fatherless. He decides to leave Shep with Tommy to cheer him up. Meanwhile, Jonathan's new partner isn't interested in sharing the gold, and lures Jonathan to his death.

4.0

MagicScore

#19

Red River

1948

Following the Civil War, headstrong rancher Thomas Dunson decides to lead a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. During the exhausting journey, his persistence becomes tyrannical in the eyes of Matthew Garth, his adopted son and protégé.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues

2015

September, 1945. Sebastian impatiently waits for the return of his friend Angelina, whom he has not seen for two years. When the plane carrying the young woman to her small village in the Alps is reported to have crashed in the mountains, Sebastian is convinced that Angelina is still alive. Along with his faithful dog Belle, Sebastian embarks on the most dangerous adventure of his life.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Old Yeller?

The top films similar to Old Yeller by MovieMagicScore are Savage Sam (5.1), A Dog of Flanders (6.1), Shiloh (5.7). Each shares adventure/drama/family/western themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Old Yeller worth watching?

Old Yeller holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 285 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Old Yeller?

Old Yeller (1957) is a adventure, drama, family, western film directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker.

Where can I find more recommendations like Old Yeller?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more adventure recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Savage Sam Movies like A Dog of Flanders Movies like Shiloh Movies like A Boy and His Dog Movies like Air Bud Movies like The Call of the Wild

About movies like Old Yeller

This ranked list pairs Old Yeller (1957), a adventure and drama and family and western film from Robert Stevenson, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Tommy Kirk take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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