So Dear To My Heart is a 1949 Walt Disney-produced film that combines live action and animation to tell the story of a young farm boy (Jeremiah) and his pet lamb (Danny). Danny turns out to be rather rambunctious, causing Jeremiah's grandmother to wish Jeremiah would get rid of it. Jeremiah's only support comes from Uncle Hiram, a local blacksmith who persuades the boy to enter Danny into the county fair's blue-ribbon contest. The lamb runs away during a fierce storm, but returns the next day. The grandmother, seeing how much Jeremiah loves the lamb, softens her stance and allows the boy to enter Danny in the competition.
The animated sequences come alive from a scrapbook Jeremiah has assembled, and illustrate several "life lessons" which dovetail nicely into the live action segments. Burl Ives, as Uncle Hiram, sings "Lavender's Blue" in the film, which became a hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
