Darby O'Gill and the Little People

Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) is a Disney family fantasy worth watching online if only to catch Sean Connery three years before he became James Bond. Darby is an old estate caretaker who loves spinning leprechaun yarns at the village pub — until the night he tumbles down a well into the underground realm of the Little People.

Down there rules the crafty King Brian, and Darby talks him out of three wishes. The catch is that one careless word turns any gift into a trap, so the old man has to out-fox a king who has been granting and stealing wishes for centuries. A romance runs alongside it: Darby's daughter Katie has her eye on Michael, the strapping young fellow sent to take over his job. Connery plays Michael, and he even gets a song or two. The finale, with a wailing banshee and a ghostly death-coach rolling up the lane, is surprisingly spooky for a kids' picture.

Director Robert Stevenson would later make Mary Poppins; here he blends Irish folklore, optical trickery and the earnest magic of 1950s Disney. The shrinking-leprechaun effects hold up nicely for their day. It's a fine pick for a family evening and lovers of vintage Disney. Stream Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) online on iFILM.