This is an example of the phenomenon wherein a movie can be great but not very good. The Black Stallion had a strong cast, amazing locales, it stayed faithful to the source novel, it reproduced its time period meticulously, its animal performers were remarkable, and yet I recall being bored by this film as a child, and my recent re-acquaintance with it wasn't much different. It's strange when movies that seem to have everything going for them don't quite pull off that x-factor that makes you enjoy them.
A lot to love, and like everybody else, I don't.
What IS kinda interesting is that it stars Mickey Rooney- who was also in NATIONAL VELVET (1944).
I kind of like MICKEY ROONEY... just not that movie.