Lovely animated film, we loved it as children! It includes both some really sad moments (including the death of sympathetic characters - a topic rarely treated in children's films), but also some funny ones, like the hilarious scene where the two geese get drunk or the scenes that feature the two stupid dogs. It is a nice, moving, often funny, sometimes serious story both children and adults can well relate to. I would recommend it to anyone interested in "non-Disney" animated movies.
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meitschi19 November 2001
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TheLittleSongbird15 October 2011I have seen many animated movies, and while The Little Fox is not quite up there with my favourites(though it was when I was a kid) it is a very charming, funny and unique movie. The film is a little short, too short perhaps. However there is beautiful music that is also haunting and memorable, great animation done in a very unique style, very colourful yet with hints of anime, the script is touching and funny and the story is simple yet very charming and well paced. The characters have great personalities as well, and the voice work is top notch across the board.
All in all, a delightful film. 9/10 Bethany Cox -
avonfoxglove18 November 2015I remember watching this when I was a kid. The English version is called The Little Fox and the main character is called Vick instead of Vuk. My cousin and I always would argue over who got to have the VHS at their house because we had to share it. It's a great movie for kids, especially if they like animals. I don't recall any stupid or annoying songs in this movie so that's a major plus if you have kids. You won't be listening to something like "let it go" for 10 hours a day for the next year, which isn't even a bad song until it grates on your nerves for so long. It's also nice to have that classic animation style rather than everything being forcibly represented in CGI.
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joestratocaster8617 November 2006This was my absolute favorite movie as a kid. Foxes were always my favorite animals, and I believe this movie was what started that. This had to be one of the first movies I saw because I watched it for years and years after that. It still brings back many fond memories. I can't quite put my finger on the reason why I liked it so much, but I don't really care to anyways. I liked it then, and I still like it now.
Watching it now as an adult I can see the juvenile aspects of the film, as well as the non-North American influence. The animation is very unique (almost like anime, but completely different). This isn't a flaw, but instead a part of the film that makes it that much better. The dialogue is almost humorous in that it is very juvenile, but I can't bring myself to criticize this film. As a children's movie in the early 90's it was utterly flawless, but today's kids are getting smarter and probably wouldn't appreciate a film like this (unless they were very young).
I still have the old VHS copy of the movie, but would like to find and purchase a newer copy so that someday my kids could enjoy it as well. They need to re-release it as a classic on DVD. I'll bet many people could appreciate something like that.
If you've never seen this film, find somebody who owns an old VHS copy and watch it with your young children. You'll find that it is a welcomed escape from some of the distasteful modern cartoons they put out these days. I can't say everybody who watches it will enjoy it simply because people have different tastes. But you will have to admit that it is unique in a good way.
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standardbearer30 December 2005The screenplay of this animated movie had been based on the classic novel by István Fekete, of the same title (freely, but not aggressively). The story starts with a tragedy in the fox-family, which leaves Vuk the little fox as an orphan, all alone in the woods (I wouldn't call this a spoiler... Right after the film boosts off, hell breaks loose). Despite the fact you haven't get to know his family too much, this scene surely gonna bring tears to your eyes... for the first time in this movie. For its a story about LIFE itself, with all its tragedies and joys. We follow Vuk from this moment till the time himself becomes a father too. Through this period, we watch him as he explores the world around him, learns to hunt, to move like a shadow, meets new friends and foes, falls in love, and eventually: grows up. We see as the many events in of the story changes the motivation in the way he lives his life, and we get the chance to watch this character advancing WITHOUT being forced to struggle trough several morals of the fable, and several annoying cliché's you might get used to in cartoons. Simply: wonderful!:)
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Reigen_Hitotsu26 June 2009It's funny how I stumbled on this movie. It all began with a fan fiction character I created named "Roka Embers" which is a Hungarian name. I got curious and typed that name on you tube. I found some old Hungarian cartoons including this title. I watched it in Hungarian, and then found an English version.
I love the movie! It is one of the few animated movies that you really just fall in love with. The comic relief mixed in with the more serious and idealogical aspects make this a classic I won't soon forget. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for an old cartoon to watch. I was surprised to actually find the English version. But a good fellow on you tube has a collection of obscure movies and he had some other foreign and domestic films that are rarely seen. But all in all, this is one great movie. -
I have seen above post just now, and even it is an old comment, I must react. The original story of Vuk the fox has been written by a Hungarian author, István Fekete in the 1950's. The book became very popular, so the animation has been created 1981. The author died in 1970, so the answer for the question: was The Glacier Fox the story he used, is NO.
The story itself is very sweet, enjoyable for kids and for adults as well. Nowdays it is even recommended book for elementary school children, so if you find the book version, don't hesitate to buy it. For smaller kids the comic book is available also. Have fun with the book or VHS/DVD as well :) -
Inry4 April 1999Full-length movie about foxes. The main hero, a little fox Vuk lost his parents and was adopted by another old fox, Karak. When he grows up, he avenges a hunter and rescue a vixen Panny from the cage. Style of that movie is classic, but not Disney's, Hungary made own different animation (and this is not anime!). The movie himself exists in two version: one for TV in two parts and second for movies. That versions slightly differs in some episodes.
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laci-59 December 2002In case of movies that were commented by a lot of users, it might work, but to give 5.8 for this movie when out of 40 votes (at present) only 3 was below seven, and 42% voted this movie 10, it is really not working. This movie is simply great, beautiful, moving, I loved it with my all heart as a child and cried together with the other kids in the kindergarten...I don't repeat the story, but this is really a uniquely nice movie and it is really a shame that it seems to be some 5.8 crap only because of this weighted rating.
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And I mean it. This cartoon was the most successful of the 80's Hungary for a reason. Unlike Gát's "Kis Vuk" labeled monstrosity, which in no way connects to this one despite being titled as "A Sequel", Vuk delivers allegory of freedom and slavery (The Foxes are on the rebel side, fight for Nature and the Spirit of The Fox, while the Hunters and their dogs represent Slavery, kinda like any dictatorship in history, including the Soviets, under whose power Hungary was first tortured, then unhealthily spoiled.) Gát György says "they were working on the footsteps on this one". Well, with a movie that makes no sense, lacks a story, and is just outright a mockbuster, you may claim you are into Video Brinquedo footsteps rather than the master of Hungarian Animation's, whose name was Dargay Attila. And Dargay, Indeed, was an angel in the Makuta's pool of evil, which needed his works to think about freedom. The line included many masterpieces, like "Ludas Matyi" which decipted a medieval Hungary, and a boy who stroke the power of an evil man in power. Vuk did the same: Decipting a world where Foxes fought for their freedom against the Hunters, who killed their families. If Disney contacted Dargay to work on a sequel right away, it would be a better fate for this Classic than have a mockbuster claim itself as a Sequel. Before Lion King, and After the year Vuk was released, Disney was living it's golden age. So why not? Why didn't it happen? Well, maybe that's for the best too, because Hungarians are a bit sensitive towards their materials. My respect goes for the now dead Dargay, who borough us tales of freedom. And one of them was told in the POV of foxes. And they deserved it, because most of the time, Foxes USED to be the villains or bad guys in stories. Here, we find out they are not. And why they aren't.
SPOILER Oh and the sequence when Karak teaches Hunting to little Vuk? That's cute! -
Mara-Jade-Skywalker-2328 June 2019Intro: The Little Fox is a movie that I'm sure many people have never heard of. But that doesn't mean it's not a great movie. The Little Fox is a film worth watching, and possibly, one of the best animated films of all time.
The Story & Characters: Centering around a young fox (named Vuk), who's parents are killed by a hunter, is taken in by his generous uncle. And is taught by him, so he can one day get back at the hunter. It's not much, but with likable characters, and other elements that make it work. The film is a surprising breath of fresh air.
Now, the two main characters of the film, are great protagonists. As Vuk is forced to grow up faster, after the death of his parents. And his uncle is a well meaning mentor figure, who can often let his stress and frustration get to him over the mistakes that Vuk repetitively makes. But still, the willingness to protect his nephew, is also a trait that I really liked.
The weakest character for me, was either the hunter, or the girl fox that Vuk gets antiquated with later in the film. The hunter is just kind of a generic character, he really just doesn't have much to him, and I really can't go into detail with him, 'cause his character has no detail. And the girl fox, who I don't remember the name of, so I'm calling her girl fox. She's just kind of the female character, and that's about it.
But the main story with the main two characters, is honestly great. So, that's enough to carry this film.
The Animation: The animation is really original. It's kind of like a blend of anime and western styles. Crafting something that really doesn't look like any other film. I love the animation, it's easily one of my biggest praises with the film.
Conclusion: The Little Fox is a great film for children. It might be a little too simple for adults, but I believe this film should get a watch from everybody. It's a great kids film, a great animated film, and just a great movie. -
Horst_In_Translation13 January 2022"Vuk" or "The Little Fox" is a Hungarian animated movie (i.e. Cartoon film) from 1981, so this one is already over 40 years old now. At under 80 minutes, it is definitely not a long movie, but also not super short. European animated films from a long time ago are usually not extremely long and there's quite a few shorter ones than this one here even. The director and at the same time one of three writers is Attila Dargay. He was over 50 here already and had been part of the industry for over 20 years, even if he had mostly focused on short films and television series/episodes before this one. Only one full feature film he made before this fox-themed cartoon. I would say visually in terms of the looks you can see that it is not American, even if there are Eastern European animation movies from a long time ago where you can see it more easily and it's far more obvious from the style. Also quite a coincidence that this one here came out the exact same year like Disney's The Fox and the Hound. Indeed a coincidence though I am sure and not planned, but a pretty big one because not only are both films about foxes at the center of the story, but also about dogs and at least one dog in here was not completely wicked and among the antagonists compared to the other dogs and in the Disney film the dog is a full-on good guy anyway. But back to this one here now obviously: This was the second time I watched this film and well, what can I say. I think I liked it a little more on first watch, which was not too long ago either, but it's still decent and overall no hesitation for me in giving this a thumbs-up. What caught my attention is how this film is really packed with talking animals such as the foxes of course, but also poultry, cats, crows, owls, frogs, hedgehogs even and many others perhaps that I am totally forgetting about now. Of course, I appreciated the hedgehog especially. Many of those really had one scene only, but better than nothing I guess.
Speaking of the talking animals, it can also be said that the title character, the one you also see on the poster here on imdb, was voiced by a female between the age of 35 and 40. But why not? If Bart Simpson can be, then Vuk certainly can as well. Her name is Judit Pogány and she is almost 80 today. I still wonder if other countries also took females for their dubbed versions. As this film felt really dialogue-driven on many occasions, I thought that it would be fairly difficult anyway to come up with good dubs. It already started with the title character's name and how each letter stood for a character trait. This was still doable, but there were bigger challenges ahead. Most of it was alright though in the version I watched today. I do think that maybe what some of the characters said was among the very best the film had to offer. Most of all, some of the stuff Vuk said. I will mention a few examples. Almost all of it had to do with how he was still inexperienced and we witness him explore and find out about the world surrounding him. Especially nature. This includes how he learns about birds being able to fly or how he clearly underestimates a frog's ability to get away. In an utterly playful manner. My favorite quote maybe from the entire film was when he responds to a question linked to hunters and their best friends. That was pretty hilarious. And still it showed that even if he was a bit cocky there, he was still smart and knew that "darkness" was the correct answer.
The element of how foxes are hunters is included here on several occasions. The film does not sell them to us as cute and harmless animals. Okay with the "cute" it maybe does here and there, but we are nonetheless occasionally reminded that they are predators like when Vuk is asked if he wants chicken or goose for dinner and his response there was funny too. Or when he chases the frog of course with the intention to kill him, but he was not a talented hunter at that point yet. He is though when the film jumps a year ahead and we see grown-up Vuk now. For example he catches a bird on one occasion and we see the remains of the bird on the ground like the bead for example and even if there is no blood or anything visible, it was definitely something you did not really see depicted in Disney films. There, the American Vuk maybe would have liked the taste of the flower. Especially if we are talking films from that era. But on the other hand, it is also realistic and even a minor documentary aspect and an approach that makes sure we do not forget that foxes are predators. The main antagonists here are humans nonetheless. Or one human, namely a hunter as well. The one surrounded by dogs and he is pushed around by his wife still. A gruesome act at the very beginning that we do not get to witness luckily makes it pretty clear that no animal is the villain here, but men are the real monster and way worse than any territorial fox rival or snitching crow. Pay attention to how "human" is even used as an insult here without any adjectives ahead of the word to describe him. Or what his gun is called.
One character I really must talk about here is Karak, the old fox who brings up the orphaned Vuk and teaches him everything he knows. This character really grew on me throughout the film and I must say he is the MVP for me and not Vuk. So I was also especially sad with what happens to him in the end. The idea of how he and Vuk compliment each other, but say before that that they should not listen was a bit funny I thought and almost a running gag, even if it was just included twice I think. But there is much more to Karak. I am not sure why, but I even mistook him for a potential antagonist first. Maybe because of the darker voice in the English dub if I remember correctly. He is a patient teacher and be it only the small lessons like when you carry something (or somebody) in your mouth and there is a huge abyss below you, then you must not speak. This was also a charming little scene and moment in the first half of the film. Karak is nonetheless pretty tough as we find out when Vuk clashes into another fox and they start discussing who owns this certain terrain. So yeah, there is certainly a lot to like to this little movie, even if I would maybe not say it is as good as all the other reviewers said it was and the rating here on imdb with the 8 on the left side of the comma is also a bit exaggerated.
Some stuff I also did not like too much, so I cannot be more generous. The closure with the female fox and the young ones in the end is of course a nice reference back to the start when Vuk was one of the young foxes. I must still say the female fox added almost nothing story-wise. Sure freeing her brought in quite a bit of tension because the two male foxes had to get close to humans, but that is really it. When she was free and with them, she was basically just there. Also the aforementioned closure with the young foxes felt pretty rushed too in the end I must say. This could have been done better. Some of the sweetness got lost this way. In general, I think the first half of the film was superior compared to the second half. This also has to do with the two drunk geese (I think it was geese) for example, which was a massive comedic inclusion, but I did not like it at all unfortunately and did not make me laugh. Other stuff did though and I mentioned a lot of it already. Yeah, that's it then. I give a thumbs-up and positive recommendation, but without truly dedicated enthusiasm. It was alright, here and there quite nice. Nothing more. Still, if you like animal cartoons (Can I call it animaltion?), especially old ones, then this is one you can give a go. Its popularity has also helped the film become available in all kinds of other countries and not just Hungary, so it's far from impossible and much easier get a hand on this one than you might think it would be for a Hungarian film from the early 1980s. -
Adapted from the novel by István Fekete which as the title indicates viewers get to witness the point of view of the fox, particularly the one named Vox which at the opening craves to be a hunter like his dad. And then from the time he returns home, his family is nowhere to be found, only to be taken up and raised by his uncle Karak. As the foxes only source of food is normally from farms guarded from sometimes incompetent dogs.
This movie doesn't seem to do anything for me if I as a an adult were to watch this as opposed to a child. Another thing I am troubled with are animals in general understanding one another before it is killed and eaten. I know it's life but a better point of view is nature documentaries about the fox as opposed to watching as a cartoon even though some of the hunting habits aligned with what other foxes do, it does not exactly scratch the surface. -
I know this is an animated movie,where the animals talk and not a documentary.But I wonder if maybe it was made in response to it.I saw this on cable a long time ago,when I was 10.The movie is about a little fox cub,named Vuk, who decides to wander off from the safety of his den.He lives with both his mom and dad,and shares the den with many young,sleepy siblings.Before he even returns home though,he is greeted by his uncle,who has some unsettling news.While he was gone,an evil farmer and his two stupid mongrels killed his entire family.His uncle helps raise him,and they have some fun and exciting adventures.Later on when he is grown up,he and his uncle rescue a vixen named Panny from a cage.The farmer had caught her and put her in there to kill her,or trap Vuk and other male foxes. Together, he and his uncle decide to settle the score with him and his mongrels,by taking something really important to them.The two dogs are humiliated and made fun of by the other neighborhood dogs.This is a great family movie with both sad and funny moments,especially with what happens to the dogs.Watch what becomes of two geese,who are drunk on wine.They're so busy laughing up a storm,slurring their speech and being clumsy,they don't know what will hit them.They had stolen the wine from the farmer,while he wasn't looking.All around great movie,I give it 91/2 * out of 10.Was this Hungary's version of a sequel for The Glacier Fox?Just asking,so please don't flame.
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DogePelis201513 April 2021It's a good Hungarian movie; the story is very simple but nice, the animation is good and the soundtrack is very nice; I recommend it.