"Donovan's Kid" was a film made by the Disney company during their doldrums...the period in the 1960s until the mid-1980s when the company mostly made crap and the company's fortunes waned. It was so bad that there was serious talk about the company being broken apart and sold! Much of this was due to the company choosing to mostly make insipid live action films instead of the classic cartoons that made them famous. "Donovan's Kid" is one of these insipid live action movies and it's not bad...but it certainly is not especially memorable.
Tim and Old Baily (Darren McGavin and Mickey Rooney) are Disney sorts of grifters. While they clearly are crooks, in this story they only seem to cheat people who are evil. That, and much of the film they seem more like traveling social workers than crooks!
During their travels, Tim goes to see Grace...the woman he was briefly married to until her father had the marriage annulled. But Tim is in for a surprise...as it turns out his brief non-marriage led to a child, Jamie. However, this reunion if short-lived, as her uncle returns and tosses Tim out of the house.
After Tim and Old Bailey leave, soon Jamie arrives and announces she's going with them. She doesn't know that 'Uncle Tim' is her father but he's apprehensive to send her back because he wants to get to know her...this despite bounty hunters and police looking for them because of this 'kidnapping'. Most of the film is about their adventures.
There is nothing wrong with this film. However, there is nothing right about it either. It's bland and nice...nothing more. The acting is decent but the story just doesn't offer much in the way of excitement or connection with the characters. Overall, a decent time-passer and not much more.
