After his stern Uncle Daniel describes him as a "millstone" for neglecting his chores, ten year old Toby Tyler runs away from his foster home to join the circus. There he soon befriends Mr. Stubbs, a frisky chimpanzee. However, the circus isn't all fun and games. His employer Harry Tupper, the candy vendor, is dishonest and greedy. He convinces Toby that his Aunt Olive and Uncle Daniel don't love him nor want him back and hides their letters. Toby resigns himself to circus life, even scoring himself a much bigger role, when he replaces the uppity, self-centered boy bareback rider after an injury. When Toby discovers, with the help of Mr. Stubbs, that Harry lied to him about his aunt and uncle he departs the circus for home. Mr. Stubbs follows him and Toby decides to take the chimp home with him. Soon after, though, Mr. Stubbs is chased by a hunter's dog. The hunter, Jim Weaver, accidentally shoots Mr. Stubbs just as Harry arrives to haul Toby back to the circus. Back at the circus, Toby finds his aunt and uncle in attendance, leading to a tearful reunion. When Harry tries to pursue Toby, he's obstructed by Ben, who confronts him for tampering with Toby's mail and warns him to leave him alone. Joyfully, just before Toby's performance, with his family in attendance, he discovers that Mr. Stubbs has survived his wounds, having been brought back to the circus by Jim. Relieved, Toby begins his performance on horseback, only to have Mr. Stubbs jump down from the trapeze to join him, thus creating a wonderful new act for the circus.
Cast
Reception
of The New York Times wrote, "The kids will love 'Toby Tyler' and his circus world. Leave it to a shrewd old master like Walt Disney to package a simple, warm and sentimental little yarn about an orphan boy and the big top." Variety called it "a warm-hearted, chucklesome film" with a script that "has a number of good laughs, and consistently maintains interest even for the more sophisticated adults." John L. Scott of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Disney's knack of taking a simple theme, usually a small boy and his pet animal, and building it into a box-office product is again exemplified in 'Toby Tyler'... Mr. Stubbs, it must be said, just about steals the movie, too." Harrison's Reports wrote, "The Disney brand of cinemagic has been applied to a tested and true circus story and the result is a whimsical, delightful film for the youngsters and those adults who like their entertainment nostalgic and nonsensical." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the story, though familiar, "should still give pleasure to children. On the other hand, there is little sense of the real circus; and not enough fantasy or natural child charm to make up for this lack."
