Disney: The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou, 1971

Part 1:
A fatherless youngster named Jeanot lives in the backcountry of Louisiana and hangs around with his pals. He is resolved to recover a church bell that has been sunk in Dead Man's Bayou in remembrance of his father.
Part 2: Finally, Jeannot carries on with his search for a lost church bell. Without much prodding, he comes up with a strategy and a means of avoiding a big alligator that prowls the bayou where the holy object is kept.