The Fox and the Hound (1981)

I'll tell you why so serious

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is a charming movie with a couple of very strong scenes, but it also has a couple of flaws that really drags it down. Let us start with the good stuff. I still find the colours pretty and true to the forest and rural environment without being on par with Bambi for example. The owl, Big Mama is a likable and sincere side character and adviser for the young Tod. The human characters are good as opposites to one another. The establishing of the friendship between a fox and a hound is generally a good premise, because in the countryside setting of the movie they are naturally hunter and prey. It really begins when Tod grows up. He gets in trouble with the movie's antagonist, Amos Slade, and it forces Tod's owner to take him back to the forest in a heartfelt tear-jerker scene. When he is chased by Copper and the older dog, Chief, it is really intense. But here is my major problem with this movie. The point of no return part of the movie also leads to maybe the most disappointing anti-climax in Disney history when Chief falls off a bridge. Watch the movie and you will know. To the bad stuff. In short, the side characters, Boomer and Dinky are just the most forgettable ones and do not serve a remarkable purpose in the movie. Every time I watch it, I don't remember a word they said and didn't care that much of their antics. As said, those two parts of the movie have always been bucking me. But aside from them it is a recommendable watch for the family with some chilling scenes and likable characters.

First of all, the critical issue here is the way we treat one another based on things we can't control. Tod and Copper were born to be enemies, but as little ones ignored all that. But as they grew they were forced to forget their empathy. It's truly sad how we often treat one another based on the superficial. The downside, if one wants to take this seriously, is that these are natural adversaries, and in the natural setting, would not hesitate to kill. One could say that Disney's pairing of them is a bit unfair. Even in a Biblical sense, people and animals carry labels, and, in some circumstances, it is said that it's the way things are. But I think the former message prevails here. This is a good film for young children to absorb that sense of the clash of differences which can be deadly.

This film, despite the flaws that several critics give it, is one of my favorite Disney movies so far. In fact, it started my fascination with red foxes due to its combination of light and dark. This is more of a PG film, as I was genuinely horrified by pictures of Tod snarling at Copper, not to mention thematic elements, peril, and animal/firearm violence. That is one of the main reasons why I just adore this movie, but it is simultaneously an era of change for Disney, as Don Bluth left during development and a combination of old (Wolfgang Reitherman) and new (John Musker, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, John Lasseter, Tim Burton, Brad Bird, and even Joseph Barbera and Iwao Takamoto) faces would contribute to the animation. The songs are slightly forgettable but are still very fun or provoking to listen to (particularly Goodbye May Seem Forever), and despite the failures of Dinky, Boomer, and Squeeks as comic reliefs, the drama more than makes up for it. You will not regret seeing it, even if you don't like foxes or some of the big name actors in the film (Paul Winchell, Mickey Rooney, Corey Feldman, and Sandy Duncan are some examples).

The Fox and the Hound is nothing more than another Disney film about animals gallivanting around, having merry old time. At least to a child. Seen as an adult, it's a bit more than that.The movie is about two young animals. A fox named Todd, taken in by an elderly woman and nursed to adulthood as her pet. And a hunting dog named Copper, owned by a curmudgeon aging hunter. The film follows their lives through their days as two innocent young cubs and into adulthood where their roles in the so called circle of life start to assert themselves.The story itself isn't all that complicated and I'm pretty sure most of its underlying themes go straight over the head of most children. But its those themes that give this movie its depth and weight. The themes of childhood innocence, societal roles and expectations, defying one's place in the grand scheme of things, of friendship, bravery and regret. It's also one of the Disney films with an ending that isn't pure sugarcoated saccharine, fittingly so, given the subject matter.The Fox and the Hound is not one my favourite Disney films, mainly because I find the two main characters to be somewhat bland, but I do find it to be one of the subtlest Disney movies and well worth a watch as an adult even if you haven't seen it as a child.