The Black Stallion is a 1979 American adventure film based on the 1941 classic children's novel of the same name by Walter Farley.

It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, a boy who is shipwrecked on a deserted island with a wild Arabian stallion that he befriends.

It was directed by Carroll Ballard and stars Kelly Reno in his film debut, Teri Garr, Hoyt Axton, Michael Higgins and Mickey Rooney with the Arabian horse Cass Ole playing the eponymous Black Stallion.

In 2002, The Black Stallion was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

[2][3] In 1946, Alec Ramsey is travelling by steamer off the coast of North Africa, where he sees a wild black stallion being forced onto the boat.

Alec is thrown overboard by the waves and grabs the ropes of the stallion's restraints just as the ship explodes, rendering him unconscious.

The next day, Alec finds the stallion in the barn of Henry Dailey, a retired racehorse jockey.

El Mokhtar, an Egyptian Arabian racehorse, was the producers' first choice to portray The Black, but they were unable to secure his services for the film from his owners, who declined any offers.

He does appear in The Black Stallion Returns, alongside Cass Ole, by which time the studio bought out the syndicate of owners to secure El Mokhtar's services.

Napoleon was portrayed by Junior, that previously appeared in National Lampoon's Animal House as Trooper, Niedermeyer's horse.

Caleb Deschanel was nominated for Best Cinematography by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.

In 2002, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

There was also a television series called The Adventures of the Black Stallion, which aired from 1990 to 1993 and starred Mickey Rooney and Richard Ian Cox.