Abigail Disney evokes Old Yeller in plea to reject Republicans after Kristi Noem kills dog

Exclusive: great-niece of Walt Disney issues appeal to appalled voters on behalf of Progressive Change Campaign Committee

Evoking the classic Disney tearjerker Old Yeller, in which a family is forced to put down their beloved dog, the US film-maker and campaigner Abigail Disney exhorted voters to oppose the Republican party of Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor whose story of killing Cricket, a 14-month-old dog, shocked the world and seemingly dynamited her hopes of being Donald Trump's running mate.

My great-uncle Walt Disney knew the magic place animals have in the hearts of families everywhere," Disney wrote in an email released by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and obtained exclusively by the Guardian.