The Fox And The Hound (1981)
Two friends that didn't know they were supposed to be enemies
Starring: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailley, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Richard Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Keith Coogan, Corey Feldman
Director: Ted Berman & Richard Rich
Running Time: 83 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: U
Adventure, Animation, Family
On DVD Though Disney are these days intent on slapping the "Classics" tag on seemingly everything they produce, 'The Fox and the Hound' doesn't really fit the bill. It's memorable predominantly because it marked a behind-the-scenes watershed between old faces and new staff at Walt's place, rather than any great examples of animation or story-telling.
Many of the good folks who went on to create vastly-superior flicks such as 'Aladdin', Beauty & the Beast and The Little Mermaid used this one as their launch-pad, which is something you'll be able to hear a lot more about if you watch the featurette on the DVD. In fact, it's probably a more interesting story than the film itself - for us boring grown-ups, at least.
It's a straight-forward enough story. Tod, an orphaned fox cub, becomes best of chums with Copper, a local dog pup. The only trouble is the dog just happens to be nothin' but a hound dog, and after going away with his master for the hunting season, comes back a trained killer. So their friendship, as tends to be the case when one half repeatedly tries to rip open the other half's throat, starts to become a little strained.
Based on a book by Daniel P. Mannix, it's a decent premise but really too lightweight to carry an entire feature-length episode. There's never any real sense of getting to know the characters, with their over-riding cutesy-ness really the only reason we're ever given to care about them. The animation on show is of reasonable enough standard but, like pretty much everything about the film, it's nothing spectacular.
It does, interestingly enough, have several differences from your average Disney flick - most notably that there's no true villain or any sort of magical or fantastical intervention. But it all makes for a fairly boring escapade, which only the youngest of kids are likely to get much enjoyment out of. If it's entertainment for the whole family you're after, stick with 'The Lion King'.
DVD Extras: A half-decent featurette titled 'Pass the Baton', a below-par 'Best of Friends' sing-a-long section, and a stills scrapbook.
It's Got: A typically impressive array of voice-over talents, including Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell and a 10-year-old Corey Feldman.
It Needs: To dump the distinctly tuneless sing-a-long numbers. Only the one instance of get-away music saves the score from complete failure!
Alternatives: The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Piglet's Big Movie
Summary: An inoffensive but also largely unimpressive woodland adventure. Strictly for the little 'uns.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 16th November 2003
External Links
The Fox And The Hound at the IMDB
Comments3 Comments |
| What? This is the greatest Disney film of all time! Anyone who didn't like must have been alsleep while viewing it and dreamed that they saw a bad movie instead of this classic! |
| Comment by:- Byron | | 19 August 2004 | ip: logged |
| this was a fantastic and moving movie, suitable for all ages. |
| Comment by:- Thorne Ryan | - | 19 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| Wonderful classic, with great animation, characters well brought out, and end movie excitement. Keep in mind, that this movie was sent to the cinema in 1983. Don't compare it with Lion King folks. We're in a whole other world. It's as if you compared Rocket Man with Cast Away. Comedy with Drama. It's your preference of genre that will interfere with the movie's rightful rating. If you enjoyed Bambi or Dumbo, then this should be a fine choice. Any Disney animated movie is intended for children. You're going to have to expect a few crummy songs, especially if you're going to watch an older film. The plot is simple, and is intended to be. You don't need a highly complicated story line for an animated film. |
| Comment by:- Pippin | | 13 January 2005 | ip: logged |
