The 2003 Remake compared to the 1974 Original

I am a Disney buff through and through. I own both the original version of the film and the Disney remake on DVD. To be quite honest, I did not like Disney's version. I felt that it was too fast paced, a ton of mistakes were in the film and the casting was poor. Dabney Coleman as Grandpa?!?!? C'mon! I know that he is now 76, but he does not have wat it takes to play the role of a grandfather. Maybe Disney chose him because of his role as the President of the US in the made for TV Disney movie, "My Date With The President;s Daughter." I do not know. IMHO, it was a bad choice. If you have a choice of watching either version of the film, watch the 1974 version. BTW, stay away from the direct to video sequal "Where the Red Fern Grown II." I saw it and it just plain sucked!