Overview
A young boy's bond with a fawn leads to unexpected challenges and heartache on a Florida farm.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tender
- melancholic
- heartwarming
- family movie night
- classic film evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, heart-warming family drama whose emotional impact and performances outweigh occasional static pacing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jody's relationship with the orphaned fawn gives him companionship while forcing him to confront responsibility, family authority, and loss.
Penny supports Jody's bond with the fawn, while Orry views the animal as a threat to the family's survival and household order.
The Baxter farm and Florida wilderness shape the family's labor, dangers, livelihood, and relationship with the deer.
Jody's longing for companionship develops into an increasingly painful understanding of parental sacrifice and consequence.
Films like The Yearling, and why
Old Yeller
shared family drama, rural coming-of-age story, and emotionally difficult human-animal relationship
Kes
shared child protagonist, rural realism, animal companionship, and bittersweet family drama
The Black Stallion
shared wilderness setting, child-centered adventure, and poignant bond between a young person and an animal
Movie Details
- Director
- Clarence Brown
- Release Date
- 1946-12-18
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (107)
Cast
- Gregory Peck
- Jane Wyman
- Claude Jarman Jr.
- Chill Wills
- Clem Bevans
- Margaret Wycherly
- Henry Travers
- Forrest Tucker
- Donn Gift
- June Lockhart
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Yearling about?
- A Florida farm boy's devotion to an orphaned fawn brings tenderness, responsibility, and painful growing-up into his Civil War veteran father's household.
- What is The Yearling like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Yearling as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Yearling violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Yearling as mild.
- What did critics think of The Yearling?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, heart-warming family drama whose emotional impact and performances outweigh occasional static pacing.
- Which films are like The Yearling?
- Films with a similar feel include Old Yeller, Kes, and The Black Stallion.
- How long is The Yearling?
- The Yearling runs 128 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Yearling?
- In United States, The Yearling streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
