It's a typical animal adventure, stripped of its guts by an enfeebling if commendable effort to shield young viewers from violence and death.

The real missing element is heart.

Of course we all know what ''Natty Gann'' is leading up to, but it`s a testament to the landscape and to the freshness of Salenger that getting there is such a joy.

The Journey of Natty Gann has an excellent sense of time and place in its multiple settings.