The Littlest Outlaw

Filmed in Mexico, The Littlest Outlaw was produced for Walt Disney Studios by Larry Lansburgh, who'd previous turned out several of the best Disney live-action short subjects. The hero is ten-year-old Pablito (Andres Velasquez), the stepson of a mean-spirited horse trainer. Unable to abide the cruelties inflicted by his stepfather on a prize jumping horse, Pablito "liberates" the animal and runs away from home. Along the way, the boy and horse make the acquaintance of a kindly priest (Joseph Calleia). Worried that the padre will turn him over to the authorities, Pablito runs off again, and this time is separated from the horse. A band of gypsies capture the animal and sell him to a bullfight arena, where the horse is used to lure the bulls out of the pen. Pablito and the priest manage to rescue the horse and return it to its rightful owner, a powerful Mexican general (Pedro Armendariz). Fortunately, the general is a good-hearted soul, and it is he who paves the way for the film's happy ending. Moderately successful at the box-office, The Littlest Outlaw soon became a mainstay of Disney's many TV anthology series.