James Algar

Directing

James Algar

Born — Died

1912-06-11 — 1998-02-26

Place of birth

Modesto, California, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

41 titles

James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California and died in Carmel, California.

Known for

Fantasia poster
7.4

Walt Disney's timeless masterpiece is an extravaganza of sight and sound! See the music come to life, hear the pictures burst into song and experience the excitement that is Fantasia over and over again.

Fantasia

1940

Fantasia 2000 poster
7.0

Blending lively music and brilliant animation, this sequel to the original 'Fantasia' restores 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and adds seven new shorts.

Fantasia 2000

2000

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad poster
6.5

The Wind in the Willows: Concise version of Kenneth Grahame's story of the same name. J. Thaddeus Toad, owner of Toad Hall, is prone to fads, such as the newfangled motor car. This desire for the very latest lands him in much trouble with the wrong crowd, and it is up to his friends, Mole, Rat and Badger to save him from himself. - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Retelling of Washington Irving's story set in a tiny New England town. Ichabod Crane, the new schoolmaster, falls for the town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel, and the town Bully Brom Bones decides that he is a little too successful and needs "convincing" that Katrina is not for him.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

1949

Jungle Cat poster
7.2

This final True-Life Adventure would also appear to be one of the best, as we go into the South American jungle to observe the jaguar. Jungle Cat is more intimate than its kin, allowing individual animal characters to be developed. Central to the cast is a pair of jaguars (one ebony), whose fighting leads to love and, not long after, two babies (one resembling each parent).

Jungle Cat

1960

The Incredible Journey poster
6.7

The story of three pets, a cat and two dogs, who lose their owners when they are all on vacation. Can they find their way home?

The Incredible Journey

1963

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers poster
6.7

A young boy gets along better with the animals he befriends around his family's Canadian farm than with the people he lives with.

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers

1975

Film credits

Behind the camera

Fantasia poster
7.4

Walt Disney's timeless masterpiece is an extravaganza of sight and sound! See the music come to life, hear the pictures burst into song and experience the excitement that is Fantasia over and over again.

Fantasia

1940

Fantasia 2000 poster
7.0

Blending lively music and brilliant animation, this sequel to the original 'Fantasia' restores 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' and adds seven new shorts.

Fantasia 2000

2000

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad poster
6.5

The Wind in the Willows: Concise version of Kenneth Grahame's story of the same name. J. Thaddeus Toad, owner of Toad Hall, is prone to fads, such as the newfangled motor car. This desire for the very latest lands him in much trouble with the wrong crowd, and it is up to his friends, Mole, Rat and Badger to save him from himself. - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Retelling of Washington Irving's story set in a tiny New England town. Ichabod Crane, the new schoolmaster, falls for the town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel, and the town Bully Brom Bones decides that he is a little too successful and needs "convincing" that Katrina is not for him.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

1949

Jungle Cat poster
7.2

This final True-Life Adventure would also appear to be one of the best, as we go into the South American jungle to observe the jaguar. Jungle Cat is more intimate than its kin, allowing individual animal characters to be developed. Central to the cast is a pair of jaguars (one ebony), whose fighting leads to love and, not long after, two babies (one resembling each parent).

Jungle Cat

1960

The Incredible Journey poster
6.7

The story of three pets, a cat and two dogs, who lose their owners when they are all on vacation. Can they find their way home?

The Incredible Journey

1963

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers poster
6.7

A young boy gets along better with the animals he befriends around his family's Canadian farm than with the people he lives with.

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers

1975

The Wind in the Willows poster
6.8

This animated fairy tale for kids tells the classic story of a dapper, automobile loving fellow named Mr. Toad, whose passion becomes a problem when he's framed for stealing cars by a band of rogue weasels.

The Wind in the Willows

1949

The Living Desert poster
7.1

Although first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between desert creatures of every shape, size and description.

The Living Desert

1953

Run, Light Buck, Run poster
NR

A gold prospector with a stubborn donkey survives the harsh mountain winter and saves a motherless fawn.

Run, Light Buck, Run

1966

The Legend of Lobo poster
6.2

You'll be captivated as you track the legendary Lobo through an amazing Southwest adventure. Our story begins with Lobo as an adorable wolf cub and follows his growth into a fearless and majestic leader of the pack. At odds with the local cattlemen, the price on Lobo's head grows, attracting an expert wolf hunter. As they go head to head, Lobo's amazing survival instincts and family devotion leave the hunter with nothing but respect. With the rich narration of Rex Allen, and music from the legendary Sherman Brothers and the popular Sons Of The Pioneers, this is family entertainment at its best!

The Legend of Lobo

1962

The Legend of Lobo poster
6.2

You'll be captivated as you track the legendary Lobo through an amazing Southwest adventure. Our story begins with Lobo as an adorable wolf cub and follows his growth into a fearless and majestic leader of the pack. At odds with the local cattlemen, the price on Lobo's head grows, attracting an expert wolf hunter. As they go head to head, Lobo's amazing survival instincts and family devotion leave the hunter with nothing but respect. With the rich narration of Rex Allen, and music from the legendary Sherman Brothers and the popular Sons Of The Pioneers, this is family entertainment at its best!

The Legend of Lobo

1962

Grand Canyon poster
7.5

Grand Canyon is a 1958 American short documentary film directed by James Algar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is a pictorial interpretation of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. Grand Canyon is one of Walt Disney's more unconventional and experimental works, as it has musical accompaniment, but no dialogue or narration. The short won an Oscar at the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 for Best Short Subject (Live Action).

Grand Canyon

1958

Victory Through Air Power poster
5.7

Based on the book by Major Alexander de Seversky's about his theories of the practical uses of long range strategic bombing. Using a combination of animation humorously telling about the development of air warfare, the film shows de Seversky illustrating his ideas of how air power could win World War II for the Allies.

Victory Through Air Power

1943

Solomon, the Sea Turtle poster
NR

Scientists study the migratory habits of the green sea turtles, attaching a transmitter to the shell of Solomon, a 350-pound example. Solomon has to fight storms and a tiger shark as he migrates from the Virgin Islands to his birthplace far off in the Caribbean.

Solomon, the Sea Turtle

1969

The Vanishing Prairie poster
7.2

Story of the American Prairie as it was when vast herds of bison and elk grazed.

The Vanishing Prairie

1954

Nature's Half Acre poster
7.4

The strange and wonderful world that lies beneath our feet, under leaf, log and rock, peopled by millions of weird and fascinating creatures. Released theatrically alongside Alice In Wonderland.

Nature's Half Acre

1951

Secrets of Life poster
7.3

A feature-length documentary showing the changing world of nature, the sky, the sea, the sun, planets, insects and volcanic action. A story of nature's strange and intricate designs for survival and her many methods of perpetuating life.

Secrets of Life

1956

Secrets of Life poster
7.3

A feature-length documentary showing the changing world of nature, the sky, the sea, the sun, planets, insects and volcanic action. A story of nature's strange and intricate designs for survival and her many methods of perpetuating life.

Secrets of Life

1956

Islands of the Sea poster
7.0

This short covers some of the wildlife (predominently birds) on four islands-the Galapagos, Guadelupe, Falklands and an island in the Midway chain. While touching very briefly on the turtles of Galapagos and a bit more in-depth on two varieties of iguana and a species of crab, the documentary focuses primarily on birds, including several species of penguin on at least two of the islands, cormorants, frigate birds and the albatross.

Islands of the Sea

1960

Return of the Big Cat poster
9.0

A boy, Leroy McClaren, trains a wild dog to hunt the cougar that has been threatening the family.

Return of the Big Cat

1974

The African Lion poster
7.1

Part of Disney's True-Life Adventures series, this film focuses on the lives of lions in Africa.

The African Lion

1955

The Olympic Elk poster
8.0

Join the majestic Olympic elk as they traverse the alpine path from their winter home in the lowland shadow of Washington's Mount Olympus, to the fertile grazing grounds of its towering peaks.

The Olympic Elk

1952

The Olympic Elk poster
8.0

Join the majestic Olympic elk as they traverse the alpine path from their winter home in the lowland shadow of Washington's Mount Olympus, to the fertile grazing grounds of its towering peaks.

The Olympic Elk

1952

Beaver Valley poster
6.9

The film depicts a young male beaver who must defend his new family against hungry predators, mischievous river otters, and the ever-impending threat of winter.

Beaver Valley

1950

Rascal poster
6.0

A comedy filled with tenderness as a baby raccoon snuggles his way into the life of a lonely boy. He becomes the boy's only companion during his father's frequent absences. Because of Rascal, both father and son realize their responsibility to each other

Rascal

1969

White Wilderness poster
4.5

A fabulous new adventure in exciting entertainment.

White Wilderness

1958

Bear Country poster
7.5

Bear Country is a 1953 American short documentary film directed by James Algar. It won an Academy Award at the 26th Academy Awards in 1954 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).[1] The film was produced by Walt Disney as part of the True-Life Adventures series of nature documentaries.

Bear Country

1953

Bear Country poster
7.5

Bear Country is a 1953 American short documentary film directed by James Algar. It won an Academy Award at the 26th Academy Awards in 1954 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).[1] The film was produced by Walt Disney as part of the True-Life Adventures series of nature documentaries.

Bear Country

1953

Tricks of Our Trade poster
NR

With examples from Disney feature-length films, Walt Disney gives a behind-the-scenes look at the improvements in animation made by his studio's in-house training and research that studied real-life motion and made technical innovations.

Tricks of Our Trade

1957

A Fire Called Jeremiah poster
NR

This is the story of the “smoke jumpers,” specially trained by the Forest Service to reach forest fires when they are in the inaccessible areas of US National Forests. A cabin in the woods is set on fire after an over stimulated kitten upsets an oil lantern.

A Fire Called Jeremiah

1961

The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou poster
10.0

Two young boys must retrieve a church bell from the depths of a murky lagoon in a Louisiana swamp. Complicating matters is the fact that the lagoon is home to a large and deadly alligator.

The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou

1971

The Footloose Goose poster
9.0

A pinioned trout-farm goose takes a wild gander for her mate. But when he's blown off course in a storm, and then winged, he's going to have to make his way back to her on foot, past predators and customs officers. Meanwhile, the trout farmers worry about their goose raising a brood on her own and a pretty young woman who's come to fly fish.

The Footloose Goose

1975

Two Against the Arctic poster
NR

Two Inuit children, stranded in the Arctic Circle, decide their only hope for survival is to cross the open tundra and try to reach their village. Filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Nome; and St. Lawrence Island, its sensational movie poster barks, "A couple of Eskimo kids fight the battle of their lives for their lives!"

Two Against the Arctic

1974

The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures poster
7.0

Animals of all kinds are filmed in different moments of habitat.

The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures

1975

The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures poster
7.0

Animals of all kinds are filmed in different moments of habitat.

The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures

1975

Prowlers of the Everglades poster
7.4

Part of the "True-Life Adventure Series"; Disney filmmakers take their cameras to Florida, not to document the swamps that would become Walt Disney World, but to capture the lives of creatures in the everglades. Focusing primarily on alligators, we also see the behavior of animals such as snakebirds, raccoons, and even otters who like to "play" with the alligators.

Prowlers of the Everglades

1953

Carlo the Sierra Coyote poster
8.0

A coyote tries to escape the encroachment of man onto his territory and is befriended by the wife of a couple monitoring the environment for the government. The husband is suspicious of the coyote, but Carlo helps lead rescue dogs to him when he is lost.

Carlo the Sierra Coyote

1974

Carlo the Sierra Coyote poster
8.0

A coyote tries to escape the encroachment of man onto his territory and is befriended by the wife of a couple monitoring the environment for the government. The husband is suspicious of the coyote, but Carlo helps lead rescue dogs to him when he is lost.

Carlo the Sierra Coyote

1974

Seal Island poster
7.2

Seal Island is a 1948 American documentary film directed by James Algar. It won an Academy Award in 1949 for Best Short Subject (Two-Reel).

Seal Island

1948

The Secret of the Pond poster
NR

A spoiled city youngster learns the hard way that there may be some truth to the legend of a mysterious man roaming the backwaters of Virginia.

The Secret of the Pond

1975