Scarred me for life. Still love the movie

This isn't exactly a movie for all children. It is written by adults as a tragedy. The big bad scene at the end was strategically put there by the writers for dramatic emphasis to evoke a huge emotional response from the audience. This movie preludes all of the cliche dog movies that have followed in its footsteps. I never watch them for this reason.

I remember the day I saw this movie as a kid. Horrible day. Traumatic! Scarred me for life. I can laugh now. I mean, I know now that writers screw with your emotions on purpose to get a reaction. Fine for adults, but I would caution not to do that to kids. At least, don't do it to sheltered or sensitive kids that love their pets and have quite a sensitive heart for animals.

Its still a fantastic movie. Can be educational, if you are smart about it. Like, for God's sake, tell the kid about that awful scene first so there's some understanding BEFORE they see it. The kid might tell you straight up that they don't want to see this. Explaining it before you see it is a good idea! I mean, historically, this boy had no other option or I'm sure he would have taken it. That scene is really traumatic, people.

I should have sued the school for the PTSD emotional distress, lol. I could have netted a good million bucks for therapy. Just kidding, maybe, tehehe.

I can joke about it NOW.

Beyond that, having seen it again and again since then. Its got a lot of cute scenes. The acting is entirely believable/good. The dog? LOL! OMG, love the dog. I can watch that awful scene now with a sense of humor since I know its all fake.