The Yearling1946The Yearling
1946
In the Florida backwoods after the Civil War, young Jody Baxter longs for a pet. His gentle father, Penny, lets him raise an orphaned fawn, but as the yearling grows it threatens the crops the family needs to survive.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
A wise, gentle father helps his son through the hardest lesson of growing up. Frontier work, love of creation, and a mother's buried grief slowly healing.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
A bear-and-dog fight, a rattlesnake bite, fistfights, and the yearling's death (shot off-screen) make the ending heartbreaking, so prepare little ones. Jody runs away in anger at his parents, then returns and is reconciled, which is a natural talk about honoring parents.
The Yearling (1946)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why did Jody love Flag so much?
- Why did Flag have to go? Was Jody's father right?
- Why was Ma so hard at first?
- What did Jody's father tell him about growing up?
Content advisory
Common Sense Media 8+: a bear-and-dog fight; fistfights; a snakebite; a deer shot off-screen.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
The Yearling Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection)
Blu-ray · May 11, 2021
Edition link coming soon.
Listing on Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.