Full of Fun: Darby O'Gill and the Little People

    Disney has never done much for Saint Paddy's Day, but they didn't do nothing. A film that goes under this category is The Gnome Mobile, but even more so is Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Released in 1959, Darby O'Gill is one of those obscure but actually quite enjoyable Disney Films.

      Once upon a time, an old man named Darby O'Gill, in the Irish town of Rathcullen, is spending his time at the local pub drinking and telling stories of his dealings with King Brian, ruler of the Leprechauns, who lives on the nearby hill of Knocknasheega. With his daughter, Katie, Darby is the caretaker of Lord Fitzpatrick's property. But now Fitzpatrick has brought someone to take his place: Mr. Michael McBride, a handsome young man from Dublin. As for Darby and Katie, Lord Fitzpatrick has given them a cottage to move into, even though Darby knows he and Katie won't want to leave the home they already have.
    Meanwhile, Darby O'Gill and the King of the Leprechauns are constantly trying to outwit each other, being what you might call, "frenemies." But now that Michael is here and Darby has been replaced, they will attempt to make Katie and Michael fall in love so that they won't have to leave the property. But Darby has yet to tell Katie that he's been replaced, and Pony Sugrue, a mean but handsome man of Rathcullen, wants not only Darby's job, but Katie as well. Will Darby tell his daughter the truth and succeed in making her fall in love, or has the time come for him to say goodbye to King Brian and the Little People?

  Darby O'Gill and the Little People is honestly a perfect film to watch on St. Patrick's Day. It is also perfect for giving audiences a small taste of Irish culture and folklore. Most people knew that the Irish love to drink, and many know of their legendary figures. The movie is not so much about the little people but mostly focuses on little King Brian. Darby tricks him into granting wishes, and Brian manages to trick Darby a few times as well. But dark times arrive in the film, and that's when they face the Banshee. The Banshee is the Irish messenger of death. If you hear the Banshee loudly wailing, it means that someone is about to meet their doom.
     King Brian brings us and Darby into a world of pretend. Leprechauns, Banshees, Knocknasheega. Such films help the imagination to wake up and bloom in anyone. Audiences may find it wonderful for Walt Disney to encourage make-believe when in the opening of the film, an acknowledgment from him appears saying, "My thanks to King Brian of Knocknasheega, whose gracious co-operation made this picture possible."

       Whatever the reason for its obscurity, Darby O'Gill and the Little People is still a marvelous film for multiple reasons: The film is not without magic, song, and dance, and it uses a more elderly person for the protagonist. Even better is that our protagonist is smart and quite funny. What better Disney film could we watch on St. Patrick's day? Even if it doesn't actually have anything to do with St. Patrick himself, Darby O'Gill and the Little People is not a film that should be ignored when you want an Irish Disney movie on an Irish holiday. (Not to mention that there is the handsome sight of a young Sean Connery.) 

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