The Dog of Flanders

Nello Daas, a talented young artist living in a village near Antwerp, Belgium, helps his frail grandfather make ends meet by delivering milk to the city market. His closest companion is Alois Cogez, the daughter of his harsh landlord, who considers Nello unworthy of her social standing and forces their separation by sending Alois to a school in Antwerp.

During his routine trips into the city, Nello learns of an art competition connected to the revered Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. The prize money—and the chance to study art in Antwerp, near where Alois has been sent—gives him a clear ambition to pursue, even as mounting setbacks threaten to cut his hopes short. Beside him through every hardship is Patrasche, the devoted dog Nello rescued from a brutal owner, whose loyalty becomes his steadfast support as their story moves toward its poignant conclusion.