Oddly enough for a Disney film, I think one of the weakest links of The Fox and the Hound is the characters. The supporting characters come and go without making much of an impression with the Boomer/Dinky/Squeeks comedic relief bit never quite connecting. Yes, Todd and Copper are lovably irresistible in their youth, but once they attempt to duplicate Bambi by having them both grow up, I lose the connection with these characters. As nature would have it, Todd and Copper begin drifting apart, and that is where the story breaks down. When the climatic moment comes for Copper to stand in between Amos Slade and Todd, it falls flat because of that lost connection. I think therein lies my major problem with The Fox and the Hound. The story simply isn't strong enough to maintain the audience's attention and empathy for more than thirty minutes. If this story has been a short film, maybe even appearing in a package film, this would be a classic. In fact, if the film had just ended once Todd and Copper complete their childhood instead of proceeding to adulthood, this would be one of my favorite films in Disney history. Instead, it slowly becomes a poor remake of Bambi in the final thirty minutes or so. This film is essentially a tale of two halves, and the characters are not strong enough to make both halves memorable.
The soundtrack for The Fox and the Hound is mediocre at best, but the film's anthem, "Best of Friends," is simply spectacular. Todd and Copper's best characterization comes within the lyrics of this song quite honestly. It is a testimonial to the power of friendship regardless of the societal hurdles. Otherwise, the soundtrack is not memorable whatsoever. Without "Best of Friends," this would be one of Disney's weakest musical offerings. The animation is pretty good overall, but the final climatic sequence featuring a giant black bear chasing Todd who is also being chased by Copper and Amos Slade is breathtakingly beautiful. It is stunning and absolutely gorgeous. The Fox and the Hound is known as a "passing of the torch film" as a brand new generation of animators have now stepped up to assume the mantle of carrying Disney magic forward, and with that final scene, we clearly see Disney was going to be in good hands moving forward in the eighties and into the Disney Renaissance.
It is nearly impossible to leave The Fox and the Hound without fighting back tears and receiving those infamous feels. That is the genius of Disney. Even in the midst of mediocre characters and a thin story, they still create magic. You know how much I love and look for signature moments to brand a film a classic, and while The Fox and the Hound comes close to having a signature moment with that "Best of Friends" sequence, it falls just shy. By no means is this film a classic film, but it is still a supremely emotional film. It remains a really good film despite all the critiques I have with it, and it is all because of that legendary Disney magic.
Rating: 7.5/10
Historical Significance: As I referred to earlier, a fresh batch of animators started working for Disney in the late seventies and early eighties with their first project being The Fox and the Hound. Two notable animators who worked on the film are Tim Burton and John Lasseter. Legendary director Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland) did some uncredited work on Vixey, which was a challenge for Burton because of his darker style of character animation. Burton began working exclusively on distant shots of Vixey and would only begin work on her close-ups when he grew to like the character. Pixar chief John Lasseter was charged with working on the introduction to Copper as well as collaborating with another legendary Disney animator, Glen Keane, to bring the climatic bear chase scene to life. Furthermore, this would be the final film to feature members of Walt's Nine Old Men. Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas would focus on the story more so than the animation for the film.
Behind the Scenes: The Fox and the Hound was the first Disney animated film to feature computer graphics, which can be prominently seen towards the end of the film when Amos Slade traps Todd and Vixey in a burrow and sets it on fire. Additionally. interestingly enough, this was the final Disney film to feature "The End...Walt Disney Productions" as a closing. The next film, The Black Cauldron, would place the credits at the end. Also, according to Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, the bear at the end of the film is not a Disney villain because he is simply acting on instinct and possesses no premeditated evil.
Favorite Character: You know my overall dissatisfaction with the characters of The Fox in the Hound, but I would have to say that Copper is my favorite of the crew. With Todd, there is no character evolution. Even though his environment drastically changes about halfway through the film, he remains the same as he was in the beginning: fearlessly devoted and quite naive. For Copper, though,he realizes how absurd this friendship is and he adapts accordingly, even though he never completely abandons Todd. Plus, I always smile when he jumps on Todd and proudly states, "I'm a hound dog!"
Favorite Scene/Song: The "Best of Friends" sequence is as close as The Fox and the Hound comes to achieving classic Disney status. This scene is one of pure joy and delight. The performance by Big Mama (voiced by the excellent Pearl Bailey) is flawless and is the perfect compliment to this superb scene. Todd and Copper's interactions during this scene are so amazing that it almost single-handedly elevates this film to the next level. It is simply sublime.
Updated Ranking: The Fox and the Hound is a strange film to review because despite all its flaws (which are unfortunately plenty), I still find myself leaving it emotionally satisfied and entertained. Here's how it stands in my rankings thus far.
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Peter Pan
- Cinderella
- The Jungle Book
- Sleeping Beauty
- Pinocchio
- Lady and the Tramp
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Alice in Wonderland
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- 101 Dalmatians
- Fantasia
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
- The AristoCats
- Fun and Fancy Free
- The Fox and the Hound
- Robin Hood
- Melody Time
- The Three Caballeros
- Saludos Amigos
- The Rescuers
- The Sword in the Stone
- Make Mine Music
Next up, Disney goes dark (and by dark, I mean very dark) with one of their most controversial films, The Black Cauldron!
-Cody Fleenor
No comments:
Post a Comment