The Fox and the Hound

I really liked the way this film followed two different characters on their life journeys. It was a departure from the usual Disney plot structure. These characters are well fleshed out and engaging. The only reason I didn't rate this higher was because of a certain unbelievable bridge scene.

Halfway through production, Don Bluth mutinees, taking most of Disney's best animators with him. Another bunch resign. One dies. Drawings are stolen. Production is delayed endlessly. You would think that if ever a Disney feature were destined for disaster, this was it. Instead, 'Fox and the Hound' is probably the best Disney animated feature of its generation. You could clear a space about 10 years either side of it before you ran into something that gave it serious competition.

We start with an orphaned fox kit - pardon me as my jaw doesn't drop in amazement. There have been, what - TWO Disney films where both parents survive? And, well, he is adopted by an elderly widow named Tweed, he develops a friendship with a hunting dog owned by Widow Tweed's crochety neighbor, and he starts to grow up, and life suddenly becomes very difficult, dangerous, and emotionally complicated.

I won't give it away, in case you haven't seen it, but for my money this movie has close to the saddest, most desolate, tear-jerking scene in any Disney film I can think of. But don't worry, it bounces back well and truly. This is a long way from being a morose film. In fact it's an excellent balance of drama, action, pathos and humour. My only minor complaint is that there are a couple of comic sidekicks in this movie that are pretty annoying and contribute just about nothing to the story.

Coming after 'The Rescuers', 'The Fox and the Hound' might have been the start of a Disney resurrection, but perhaps Bluth's departure really was a body blow. As it is, 'Fox and the Hound' is a moment of beauty and brilliance in the otherwise pretty murky first 20 or so years after Walt's death.

Although it didn't cause much of a stir at the time, it has developed a deserved base of loyal fans in the twenty-three years since it was made.

The film tackles themes of conflicting loyalties, friendship, love, identity, and somehow does it with a minimum of schmaltz and a maximum of heart. It's one of Disney's best, and you owe it to yourself to see it.

9 out of 10

Historical Note: Mickey Rooney plays the adult Tod, the fox in 'Fox and the Hound'. According to Rooney's 1991 autobiography, when he was 5 years old he wandered into an office at Warner during breaks between shooting in one of his child-star films, and introduced himself to a bloke who turned out to be Walt Disney, and who was in the process of drawing a new mouse character, who he decided on the spot to name after Mickey. It just tops it off nicely, doesn't it?

One of Disney's finest motion pictures, extremely underrated and forgotten to a pulp. Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney and even Corey Feldman all give their talent to this story of a fox and a hound who become friends, only to turn on themselves in later years because they are expected to. Not only is the film engaging, but it also has a metaphorical story going on. I understand it is supposed to represent humans and racism, but apart from the preachiness of it all the film is quite good on the level of a whole. A definite must-see. The ending is bittersweet and at many times during the film you will actually start to feel for these creatures. On a sidenote, I used to have a dog just like the one in this movie. It was just like the one in this film.

**** 1/2 out of *****

This is my favorite Disney movie of all time. It is, in my opinion, one of their finest. Why do I think so? First, I like its realism. It is not some fantastic fairy tale, nor is it some good-against-evil-good-eventually-triumphs story. There are no heroes or villains in this story. This lack of good and evil made the story and the characters seem more alive than the ones you usually see.

I also like the message this movie gives. It is simple yet powerful. The two main characters wanted only the most innocent of things - friendship. Yet society couldn't allow this friendship to be. This movie tugs at your heart, and it doesn't stop tugging. And the realism didn't diminish any by the movie's close. The main characters' problems remained unresolved, yet each finished the movie in contentment. I feel that this lack of a "everything's okie-dokie again" finish like you see in traditional animated movies gave this story a powerful element.

If you're looking for songs your children can sing over and over again, you've come to the wrong movie. Each song is sung in a flavorful yet discreet manner. Little orchestration. Yet if you're looking for memorable characters, you've come to the right movie. Each character is very well developed, motivated by true emotions and the things that the everyday person wants - love, food, companionship. Each character is vibrantly drawn, and this vibrancy is matched by the character's personality. I saw a real person within the animal. Nobody is created in an idealistic image.

From realistic characters come a realistic story. Nothing felt written or hacked. Everything felt like it was supposed to happen. There was nothing outlandish about the entire story. And if you're looking for comedy, you'll find none. This is pure drama, yet it's drama that kids can easily understand. This movie had a story that seemed like it could've easily happened to the average person. This is a rare and endearing quality.

Basically, I loved this movie for what it had, a heart of gold, but also for what it lacked, a traditional formula. If you're looking for a story with a difference and a bittersweet flavor, this is the movie for you! It is nice, quiet, yet provocative and emotional. To sum it up, it is good clean fun with a touch of heartache, a true drama!

This is a film that both delighted me and deeply upset me, because it seemed so happy, and yet, so unfair at the same time. The two best friends, the "Fox and the Hound", meet again after they are fully grown adults, or, when they are old enough to face the fact that their friendship was never meant to be. That broke my heart, because it was such a beautiful friendship, unfairly tarnished by a cruel world. If only our world was a happy place, where races and cultures didn't matter, and if only we could recognize those characters as our friends, and not our enemies simply because of our ethnic differences. Years later, Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" brought up that same point with a vengeance. And, like "The Fox and the Hound", it shows how much that beautiful friendship between people won't last because of how society determines our friends and enemies. It makes no sense, and it's unfair. What's more, Tod, the fox, endures more than any other character in the film. Other characters, and especially the hunter, discriminated against him without thinking. And we the audience had to endure seeing him go through this misery, all because he was born a fox! It's insane! Sadly, it's true to life. And that is the main reason it was made for kids, to point out how wonderful a friendship is, and how ridiculous it is to tarnish it because of a racial or ethnic difference! And although this film runs on the standard Disney formula, with the songs, the comic relief, the love interest, and the villain, this film really touched me, because I wanted to see their friendship go on. And although it did go on in some form, there is always that feeling of "he doesn't belong" being uttered by many of the other characters. Why? Well, this film asks children and adults alike, that very question.