It stars Peter Finch and James MacArthur, and was Disney's second production based on a novel by Stevenson, the first being Treasure Island.

In 18th-century Scotland, young David Balfour (James MacArthur) takes a letter of introduction from his recently deceased father to the House of Shaws, where he is greeted without much enthusiasm by his miserly uncle Ebenezer (John Laurie).

Alan Breck Stewart (Peter Finch), the only survivor of the boat, is brought aboard and pays for his passage, but the captain plots to kill him for the rest of his money.

Evading the soldiers, the two make their way back to the House of Shaws, where Alan tricks Ebenezer into admitting his crimes within the hearing of a hidden witness, allowing David to claim his inheritance.

[1] Despite having the same first and last names, and with Disney press materials claiming for years that he was a distant relative of author Robert Louis Stevenson, the director said that they were unrelated.

[4] The lead role was given to James MacArthur, who had just made The Light in the Forest (1958) and Third Man on the Mountain (1959) for Disney and been signed to a two-picture deal with the studio (the second film would be Swiss Family Robinson).

[5] Filming started 27 April 1959 on location in Oban in Scotland, with studio work done at Pinewood in London.