DVD 
BLU-RAY REVIEW
The Fox and the Hound | The Fox and the Hound 2
***½
by Rob Humanick on August 10, 2011
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Disney's extravagant approach to storytelling has spanned the quality banner from the textured and sublime to the distasteful and gag-inducing, yet their output has sometimes proven superior when they step away from this kind of showmanship to something approaching subtlety. Lilo & Stitch is the most recent example of this trend, its earthy color scheme and simple art design allowing for greater poignancy and sincerity. Perhaps the ultimate high-water mark of Disney's softer side is 1981's The Fox and the Hound, notable in the canon for being the transition point between the original animators (of 24 feature films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) to the new generation, still at work today. One can readily see how the results culled the best qualities of both groups. The infamous "nine old men" ended their careers by establishing the characters and relationships of the story—which are exquisite, family film or not—while the up-and-coming were left to finish the bulk of the animation. The result is a work of both learned, assured poise and triumphant freshman determination, not far away (in style or quality) from other benchmark-status works, like the aforementioned Snow White or Pixar's Toy Story.
Ultimately, it may even surpass them. The beats of the film always feel natural and are nearly perfect from first to last, while its economy of storytelling (like life, it moves faster than you think) instills its morals and character archetypes with an unprecedented sincerity; lesser hands would have easily rendered them cloying or obtuse. Two fresh lives coincide when an orphaned fox is adopted (and named Tod) by a caring widow and a pup named Copper is bought by a neighboring recluse to be raised into his next hunting partner. An accidental meeting between the two—in the forest, away from society—forges bonds both deep and pure. Expectedly, but no less wrenchingly, it isn't but a few months before the demands and indoctrinations of the world have thrown a wrench between the two, suggesting readings of racism or classicism, but really reflecting anything that might tell us we should follow anything but the voices of our own hearts. When the grown-up Copper and Todd (now voiced by Kurt Russell and Mickey Rooney, respectively) first reunite (briefly, before senseless tragedy strikes), Copper tells him "those days are over, I'm a hunting dog now," and there's something about his face and eyes that suggests he doesn't truly believe his own words. And so The Fox and the Hound addresses our sacrifices to normalcy and the betrayals many commit on their own person. If you're heart isn't breaking within the hour mark, I'd worry that something is missing inside.
The stripped-down simplicity of the story (freely adapted from the 1967 novel by Daniel P. Mannix) is appropriate for its true-to-life bleakness, which isn't to say it's a film without hope (ultimately, it saves the day, or rather, salvages it), but that archetypal singularity is fitting when a story boils down to so many singular acts with permanent, often tragic consequences. Stones cast ripples than cannot be retracted, and sometimes goodbye does mean forever. The complex connections of life are evoked tenderly via a small but rich cast of supporting characters, from nurturers (the human widow Tweed, the owl Big Mama) and instigators (the aging hunter dog Chief, or a grumpy forest badger, the local Tea Party representative) to pacifists (Squeeks the caterpillar) and the necessary comic relief (the caterpillar-hungry birds Dinky and Boomer). A permeating quotidian sensibility is reinforced via numerous asides and vignettes that add texture beyond the immediate plot, easily justifying the fable-esque narrative pull; this may be the closest any Disney film comes to being Altmanesque. And when terror comes, it's of the unyielding, mortal kind ("Education, or elimination!"), be it the maw of the food chain of the barrel of a gun. Children's films have often been more unsettling, but few, if any, exceed The Fox and the Hound for quietly bitter honesty. Its modesty is unsurpassed, and thanks to it, we've been spared its inclusion in the theme-park side of Disney culture. Maybe it's best that the film has been somewhat forgotten; it can shine even brighter out the limelight.
Then there's the abomination that shares disc space with this sublime gem. From its blatant recycling of significant portions of the original film, to its tissue paper-thin narrative (a seemingly stretched-out 69 minutes), to its consistently half-assed and base efforts to whip up energy amid entirely lifeless elements, it's not hard to see this 2006 midquel as a betrayal of everything the 1981 original stood for. Unlike the gimmicky The Lion King 1½, the retroactively inventive (I use that word hesitantly) storyline here fails to mesh with its predecessor on any substantial level (Shrek co-writer Roger S.H. Schulman penned the screenplay, ensuring low quality), so it's best to imagine the whole thing as existing in some unfortunate parallel universe. Offensively low on charm and organic feeling, the plot of this shat-onto-home-video cash-in makes less and less sense the more one thinks about it, and I for one can't wait until I've forgotten it entirely. What was once raw and truthful is now a manufactured, laminated smorgasbord of distractions—not just from genuine meaning, but from the lack of serious creative desire put forth in making it. The basic truths herein (friends > fame) might be of some moral worth to the youngest of tykes, but they'll probably be more drawn in by the basic colors and shapes than the shapeless, uninspired platitudes. Ultimately, The Fox and the Hound 2 is the Hyde to The Fox and the Hound's Jekyll. Fans of the original can save themselves some time and run lemon juice over their next paper cut for a comparable experience.
Image/Sound:
The transfer quality is roughly equal across both films: colors are vibrant, and every detail—hand-drawn or otherwise—is sharply rendered. Sound is similarly top-notch. Dialogue and music are carefully balanced amid the rest of the minimalist sound design of the original; great care has been taken to maintain the personality of the audio even in the digital format. The unnecessarily noisy 2006 film is an entirely different story. Music tends toward the rear speakers, while the bouncing around of effects from channel to channel reinforces everything asinine about the film. It sounds good despite not being worth listening to.
Extras:
Very few. The Blu-ray disc, which holds both films, has a bunch of previews and an advert for Disney's line of 3D discs that's "hosted" by The Lion King's Timon and Pumba. The recycling of animation is both obvious and shameless, and I'm sure I'd have disliked it even when I was eight and actually enamored with that film. The only other extra here is the featurette "Unlikely Friends," which looks at other unexpected relationship between animals, but mostly serves to include as many different Disney clips as possible. DVD copies of each film are available, with their own meager offerings in the extras department. On The Fox and the Hound, you'll find the recycled but worthwhile "Passing the Baton," which interviews several animators present during the tumultuous production, and a karaoke video for the song "Best of Friends." The Fox and the Hound 2 has a music video and a doc on the production of music for the film.
Overall:
A top-heavy double feature that provides an excellent representation of one of Disney's most underrated works, while simultaneously illustrating the best and worst of the problematic studio's tendencies.
Disc Features:
Specifications:
- Blu-ray Video | DVD-Video
- Three-Disc Set
- Dual-Layer Discs
- Region A
Aspect Ratio:
- 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
- 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Dolby Digital Formats:
- Spanish 5.1 Surround
- French 5.1 Surround
DTS Digital Formats:
- English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles/Captions:
- English Closed Captions
- Spanish Subtitles
- French Subtitles
Special Features:
- "Unlikely Friends" Featurette
- "Passing the Baton" Featurette
- "The Making of the Music" Featurette
- "Best of Friends" Sing-a-Long
- "You Know I Will" Music Video
- Disney 3D Blu-ray Promo
- Previews
- Director(s): Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens, Jim Kammerud
- Screenplay: Ted Berman, Larry Clemmons, Roger S.H. Schulman
- Cast: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Keith Mitchell, Corey Feldman, Pearl Bailey, Pat Buttram, Sandy Duncan, Dick Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Jack Albertson, Jeanette Nolan, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Jonah Bobo, Harrison Fahn, Patrick Swayze, Reba McEntire, Jeff Foxworthy, Vicki Lawrence, Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings, Stephen Root, Russi Taylor, Jeff Bennett
- Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Street Date: August 9, 2011
- Runtime: 83 | 69 min.
- Rating: G
- Year: 1981 | 2006
Comments
- Adam Zanzie on August 11, 2011, 02:52 AM
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Excellent work, Rob. I love The Fox and the Hound, and next to Beauty and the Beast it might have even been Disney's last masterpiece. It's terribly underrated, and I think the reason why it always gets so lost in discussions about late twentieth-century Disney is because Don Bluth and Gary Goldman famously staged a walkout during production and took dozens of disenchanted Disney animators with them. Therefore, I suppose the people at Disney just don't like to talk about this movie — because making it was, apparently, sheer hell. For one thing, I can perfectly understand why Bluth and Goldman walked out at that time, as none of the Disney films from the 60's or 70's had lived up to the earlier classics. But had they waited until *this* film was finished, perhaps they would have changed their mind. This film IS made of classical magic.
For me, the most profound moment in the film occurs when Amos nearly shoots Todd down at the bottom of the waterfall before Copper silently convinces him to stop. The look on Amos' face at that moment always makes me burst into tears. Jack Albertson's voice work here is unforgettable.
I'll probably pass up on this DVD, though. Disney still hasn't learned how to properly re-release classic films to DVD. I don't want all these kiddie extras featuring sing-a-longs, treasure hunts, unnecessary sequels and "trivia" notes. I'd like to know how the movie was made. And Disney is underestimating the intelligence of juvenile viewers who also might like to know more about the history behind the movie.
- franklinshepard on August 11, 2011, 02:17 PM
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I love this movie too, but I think it's more out of nostalgia than anything else (this was the first film I ever saw in theatres.)
Rob, I think you do a good job of pointing out the films strengths, but you completely gloss over its weaknesses. The soundtrack, for one—this easily has the worst songs in any pre-Tarzan film. Even the faux-Carpenters score of The Rescuers and the limp Mancini songs in Great Mouse Detective are better than the songs here (with the possible exception of "When You're the Best of Friends"), simply because they have melodies. I just re-watched this last night, I'm sure I've seen it dozens of times throughout my life, if not hundreds, and I can't hum a single tune, outside of "Friends".
The entire relationship between Tod and widow Tweed is extremely saccharine. Mickey Rooney's and Kurt Russell's vocal performances seem to belong to two entirely different films. And the other major problem I have is the Eisner and Katzenburg-mandated change to the last third of the film—originally, Copper is furiously hunting Tod because Tod is responsible for Chief's death. But Eisner and Katzenburg said there was no way they could allow the death of a major (and likeable) character in this movie, so they added a few inserts where we see Chief just has a broken leg (hit by a train head-on, and only a broken leg!) This makes Copper's violent rage against Tod seem disproportionate to say the least. The last scenes in the film are still affecting—the bear fight, which is marvelously animated and directed, and the final confrontation between Amos, Tod, and Copper, as Adam mentions above. But ever since I became a discerning adult, I could never watch this movie without thinking of all the ways it might be improved.
- robhumanick on August 11, 2011, 04:28 PM
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Thanks, Adam. I was really happy with how this one turned out. You're right about that climax—it's one of the best things in the Disney canon, period. And I don't think there's a speck of character inconsistency about it. The DVD/Blu-ray package is a definite disappointment though; like most of Disney's releases, it's all about the family-friendly kiddie game fluff. Did they ever think about recording a commentary track with the original animators, for any of their films? What a waste, and a senseless one at that.
franklinshepard, I understand the arguments about the film's musical weaknesses (Dan Callahan's excellent review from a few years back articulates this well), but I simply don't share them. They strike me as small injections of character that words of images couldn't have achieved, and I also happen to find them memorable. Anything more (bigger, more "musical," if you will) strikes me as potentially upsetting the tenor of the film.
As for Chief's injury, it's the one moment in the film that once struck me as less-than-credible. But, it's arguable that killing a character might have been going to far for this film's tenor (I also think anyone indoctrinated like Copper could also lose himself so readily), and there's also the fact that we don't SEE Chief getting hit. He could have leapt out of the way, albeit not entirely successfully, at the last moment. Then again, I'm also known for giving movies a lot of leeway with things like this.
- Adam Zanzie on August 11, 2011, 05:29 PM
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My own thoughts regarding Chief's planned death is that while it probably would have been a more credible provocation for Copper's revolt against Todd, it might have affected the movie's ending a little too drastically. If you notice, the movie ends with a final shot of Todd and Vixey staring out at Amos' farm, while (if I remember correctly) Copper sleeps beside Chief on the ground. It's arguably necessary for Copper to still have a fellow dog companion if he's going to continue hunting animals under Amos' reign.
Had Katzenberg killed off Chief, the movie would end with Copper all alone on Amos' farm — while Todd gets to fool around with Vixey off in the woods. That probably would have been too unfair for kids in the audience to accept. So even though sparing Chief's life seems like a bit of a cop-out at first glance, it also establishes some moral equivalency so that by the end of the film, everyone (except the bear) can finally live in peace.
- franklinshepard on August 11, 2011, 09:05 PM
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I just rewatched this again (it's great finally being able to see in widescreen again for the first time since its theatrical release!), and I wish I could love this movie as much as you two do. Obviously I like it a good deal, but I still am struck by the same weaknesses I articulated. (I like the Vixey subplot, but I don't care for Sandy Duncan's vocal performance either.)
And my major problem isn't even that Chief is alive, but that the scene they added to show he's alive is such an oddly out-of-place comic relief scene. And the punchline is Amos threatening to break Chief's other leg? It completely minimizes the impact of the scene where he gets hit by the train, which is very harrowing. They could've kept Chief alive in a scene where his injuries are grievous and Copper's not sure whether he will live or die—that would've given the ending the needed weight. Or something like that. But that comic bit really jars with the tone of the following scenes.
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