The Fox and the Hound

The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 American animated feature loosely based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July 10, 1981. The 24th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The film tells the story of two unlikely friends, a red fox named Tod and a hound dog named Copper, who struggle to preserve their friendship despite their emerging instincts and the surrounding social pressures demanding them to be adversaries. In the film, the film's protagonists, Tod and Copper, meet when young and become friends. They play together all summer long, however, as they grow up, they become enemies because real hounds hunt foxes for food.

The film was directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich under the working title Tod and Copper. Daniel Mannix's original novel had a more realistic story, which dealt with the quest of a hunter and his dog Copper to shoot Tod after he killed the hunter's new dog Chief. The novel was mainly about Tod's life in the woods. While he was raised by humans he was not childhood friends with Copper and none of the animals spoke. The story was changed to make it more suitable for a family film; instead of a story about the life and death of a fox, it became a parable about how society determines our roles despite our better impulses.

At the time of release it was the most expensive animated film produced to date, costing $12 million. The Fox and the Hound was the last film which was worked on with animation legends like Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston, two members of Walt Disney's original "Nine Old Men" whom also worked on this film, with it being the last film for both, as well as the first film for future Disney leaders like Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Glen Keane, who animated the bear in this film, and later worked on other animated films like The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), in which he designed the beast. It was also the final Disney film to have all the credits in the title sequence as opposed to having end credits and have the words, "The End. A Walt Disney Production" at the end of the film, the last Disney animated film to use the Buena Vista logo, and the last Disney film in which Don Bluth was involved in its production.

Despite originally receiving mixed reviews, the film developed a cult following and was nominated for three awards. The film stars the voices of Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney, Pearl Bailey, Pat Buttram, Sandy Duncan, Richard Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Jack Albertson, Jeanette Nolan, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Keith Mitchell, and Corey Feldman. A direct-to-video midquel, The Fox and the Hound 2, was released to DVD on December 12, 2006.

Plot
The story begins with a mother fox, with fear in her eyes, and a child in her mouth, running all throughout a forest, passing over a mountain, until she reaches a farm. There she hides her baby in a forest glade, quietly says goodbye, and runs away. She is shot, and we hear gunshots twice. An owl named Big Mama (Pearl Bailey), along with her two bird friends, a sparrow named Dinky (Richard Bakalyan) and a woodpecker named Boomer (Paul Winchell), arrange for him to be adopted by the kindly local farmer widow named Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan). She names him Tod (voiced by Keith Coogan), since he reminds her of a toddler. Meanwhile, Tweed's neighbor, Amos Slade (Jack Albertson), brings home a young hound puppy named Copper (Corey Feldman) and introduces him to his hunting dog Chief (Pat Buttram). Big Mama is delighted to see Tod and Copper become playmates, singing the song "Best of Friends". Tod and Copper play together every day for the next tree days, vowing to remain "friends forever." Slade grows frustrated at Copper for constantly wandering off to play, and places him on a leash. While playing with Copper at his home, Tod awakens Chief. Slade and Chief chase him until they are stopped by Tweed.

After an argument, Slade says that he intends to kill Tod at his first opportunity. Hunting season comes and Slade takes his dogs into the wilderness for the interim. Meanwhile, Big Mama explains to Tod that his friendship with Copper cannot continue with the song "Lack of Education", as they are natural enemies, but Tod refuses to believe her. Months pass, and Tod and Copper reach adulthood. On the night of Copper's return, Tod (Mickey Rooney) sneaks over to meet Copper (Kurt Russell). Copper explains that he is a hunting dog now and things are now going to be different between them. Chief awakens and alerts Amos Slade, a chase ensues, and Copper catches Tod. Copper lets Tod go then diverts Chief and Slade. Chief maintains his pursuit onto a railroad track where he is struck by a train and wounded. Copper and Slade blame Tod for the accident and swear vengeance. Tweed realizes that her pet is no longer safe with her, and takes him on a drive though the woods, singing the song "Goodbye May Seem Forever", and leaves him at a game preserve. Tod's first night alone in the woods is a disaster, accidentally trespassing into a badger's den, so a friendly porcupine (John Fiedler) offers to let him stay with him. That same night, Amos Slade and Copper plan revenge on Tod. The next morning, Big Mama comes looking for Tod, and finds Vixey (Sandy Duncan), a female vixen of Tod's age, who is clearly good friends with Big Mama.

Tod wakes up after being pricked by the porcupine's quills, falls, and lands right on the badger's den. The badger (John McIntire) scolds Tod once again. Tod tries to apologize, but the badger thinks Tod is making up excuses. The porcupine tries to defend Tod, (with the badger saying to "get out of here you walking pin-cushion!". The porcupine points out that the badger shouldn't be grumpy to a new comer, to which the badger responds telling Tod to "go back where you came from". Tod walks over to reset, depressed more than ever. Vixey remarks that he looks downhearted, and Big Mama tells her that "he was dropped out here all alone without a friend in the world". Vixey decides to try to cheer him up, and Big Mama thinks the idea is perfect. Big Mama sets Vixey into the sun light, just so that she will look as beautiful as possible, and introduces Tod to her. Tod first tries to impress Vixey by catching a fish, only to fail, causing Vixey and the other animals of the game preserve to laugh at him. Angry and hurt, Tod tells Vixey that she's "a silly, empty-headed...female!" Angered, they refuse to speak to each other, but Big Mama intervenes with the song "Appreciate the Lady" and directs Tod in being himself, and Vixey to give him another chance. They get along very well once Tod admits his lack of survival skills. Vixey is now aware of his inability to survive in the wild and helps him adapt. This also seems to bring Vixey and Tod closer in a romantic light.

The vengeful Slade and Copper trespass into the preserve and hunt the two foxes. He sets up the leg-hold traps and hides them with leaves. Tod's foot uncovers one, and as Amos gets ready to shoot, a built comes unloose, causing Tod to steep backward. Tod narawly escapes the traps, running as fast as he can whilst Amos's gunshots ring out, and Copper and Slade chase Tod and Vixey. Tod tells Vixey to head for the burrow under which they slept the previous night, and climbs a rock, ready to attack Copper. As Copper approaches, Tod jumps from the ledge, growling and snarling with rage at his ex-friend. Copper tries to bite Tod, but Tod bites Copper first. Copper chases Tod into the burrow, and Tod and Vixey attempt to exit out the other end. They then flee once again at the sight of Amos and his gun. Amos takes a match and some straw and burns it, flaming the end of the burrow with his hat, and approaches the other side with Copper, ready to shoot the two foxes. Tod tells Vixey that this is their only chance, and he and Vixey flee the back end without getting flamed, putting Amos into pure shock. Tod and Vixey run over the mountain as Copper and Slade chase them all the way to the top.

As Copper and Slade close in upon the two foxes, an inadvertent attack from a bear provokes. Slade trips and gets one of his feet caught in one of his own leghold traps and drops his shotgun just out of reach, and Copper tries to fight the bear but he is no match for him. Slade frantically tries to free himself, but the grip of the trap stills holds his foot as tight as possible, as this self-called battle goes on for a while, whist Copper battles the bear, until the battle ends when the bear knocks Copper out. Tod, hearing Copper's yelping echo, looks back and sees the horror of his very childhood friend being nearly killed. As the bear closes in on Copper, he then gets ready to kill Copper, but just as he gets ready to kill Copper, Tod leaps out of nowhere and attacks him, saving Copper, biting his ear, causing the bear to chase him instead. Tod battles the bear until they both fall down a waterfall. Copper approaches Tod as he lies in the lake below when Slade appears, ready to fire at the fox. Copper interposes his body in front of Tod, and refuses to move away. Slade finally lowers his gun and leaves with Copper, but not before the two former adversaries share one last smile before parting. At home, Tweed nurses Slade back to health while the dogs rest. Copper, before resting, smiles as he remembers the day when he became friends with Tod. On a hill Vixey joins Tod as he looks down on the homes of Copper and Tweed.

Cast

 * Mickey Rooney as Tod (young by Keith Coogan), a young fox whose mother was killed by a hunter. Luckily for him, a loving widow who lived nearby took him in and raised him to adulthood. Young and naive, he becomes friends with a hound puppy named Copper, but their friendship is interrupted by the fact that Copper's owner, Amos Slade, hates any fox that isn't dead. When they grow older, they find their friendship divided.
 * Kurt Russell as Copper (young by Corey Feldman), the cute young hound puppy (whom looks a beagle or a basset hound) belonging to Amos Slade. Copper is Tod's best friend when young; he befriends Tod during his childhood. However, he is the first to break this friendship and becomes Tod's bitter enemy but is also the first to protect him. He is a fast learner through growing up. In his first year of hunting he tops Chief.
 * [Pearl Bailey]] as Big Mama, a kindly old owl (similar to Friend Owl from Bambi) who (literally) takes Tod under her wing on several occasions. It is she who recruits the help of Dinky and Boomer in getting Widow Tweed to take care of Tod, and later she warns him of the dangers of hanging around with a hound dog. Her last really important job in the film is establishing the romance between Tod and Vixey.
 * Jack Albertson as Amos Slade, a mean-spirited old hunter who will kill just about anything that is wild, but for some unknown reason he has a special hatred for foxes (it may have something to do with the fact that he keeps chickens). He is the owner of Copper and Chief, and throughout most of the film tries to kill Tod. Unlike most of Disney's villains, however, he doesn't come across as being evil. Instead, he hunts for a living and is very professional at it and is motivated by revenge, rather than the "just because" brand of evil that you see in too many villains.
 * Sandy Duncan as Vixey, a vixen with whom Tod falls in love with after being released into the wild. She is much more used to the forest, so it makes sense that she is a step ahead of Tod. When she says, "I think six would be just right," it seems to imply that she is talking about the number of kits she would like to have, but Tod is confused and has no idea what she is talking about.
 * Jeanette Nolan as Widow Tweed, a kindly old lady who took Tod in and raised him as a pet.
 * Pat Buttram as Chief, a nasty, aging senior first hunting dog of Amos Slade. He shares his master's philosophy that the only good fox is a dead fox. He tries to teach Copper everything there is about hunting but is ultimately beaten by the younger dog. In the novel, Chief is the old dog and Copper is the new one. This is an exampe of the differences between the two.
 * John McIntire as The Badger, a badger in the same reserve who is first seen when Tod comes into his home, as Tod was new to the reserve and didn't know anyone lived there. The morning after this, Tod falls from the porcupine's tree directly onto the entrance to the badger's home, making the badger angry. After the porcupine tells the badger of Tod and what he's been through, the badger simply tells Tod to go back to where he came from, not knowing that Tod couldn't.
 * John Fiedler as The Porcupine, a porcupine in the reserve that Tod is dropped off in, he tries to explain to the badger exactly what happened to Tod, but it doesn't really work for Tod. He gives Tod shelter the first night in the reserve.
 * Richard Bakalyan and Paul Winchell as Dinky and Boomer respectfully, two friends, a woodpecker and a sparrow, who are seen either helping Big Mama act out a plan or trying to catch Squeaks, a caterpillar. Dinky and Boomer are seen at many times trying (unsuccessfully) to catch him. At the end of the film, Squeaks becomes a butterfly and flies away.
 * Frank Welker as Bear, an unnamed bear that was accidentally woken up by Copper and Slade. He breaks a log above a waterfall, which sends him and Tod downward. He is never seen again from that point on, and is presumed dead. Although the bear's growling noises were reused from Brutus and Nero's growls (voiced by Candy Candido) from The Rescuers, Welker provided the vocal effects for the character.

Production
Production of the film began in 1977. The film marked a turning point in the studio: Walt Disney's "nine old men" did initial development of the animation, but by the end of production the younger set of Disney animators completed the production process. To craft the film, then Disney CEO Ron Miller decided to mainly use new talent to make their debuts with the film, as the pioneers of the company, referred to as the "Nine Old Men", were nearing retirement. It would the last film Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Wolfgang Reitherman, considered "legends" of Disney, would work on.

The animators and screenplay writers were primarily new, as were the film directors Art Stevens, Ted Berman, and Richard Rich. Wolfgang Reitherman was producer, Richard Rich was production supervisor, and Larry Clemmons was head of the story team. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston did much of the early development of the main characters. The newer generation of animators, such as Don Bluth, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, and John Musker, would finalize the animation and complete the film's production. These animators had moved through the in-house animation training program, and would all play an important role in the Disney Renaissance of the eighties and nineties.

However, the transition between the old guard and the new resulted in arguments over how to handle the film. Reitherman had his own ideas on the designs and layouts that should be used, however the newer team backed Stevens, except Don Bluth, who felt Disney's work was stale. Bluth walked out, taking eleven others with him, and formed his own animation studio. The exodus of the animators forced the cancellation of the film's original Christmas 1980 premiere while new artists were hired.

Early in production, Don Bluth left Disney, taking 11 Disney animators with him to start his own rival studio, Don Bluth Productions. This studio, which eventually became Sullivan Bluth Studios, was Disney's main rival through the 1980s and produced The Secret of NIMH and a number of other well-known films. With 17% of the animators now gone, production on The Fox and the Hound was delayed. Bluth had animated Widow Tweed and her cow, Abigail, and his team worked on the rest of the sequence. Four years later the film was finished. Approximately 360,000 drawings, 110,000 painted cels, 1,100 painted backgrounds made up the finished product. A total of 180 people, including 24 animators, worked on the film.

In the original screenplay, Chief was slated to die the same as in the novel, but Stevens did not want to have an on-screen death and modified the film so that he survived, like Baloo in The Jungle Book, and Trusty in Lady and the Tramp.

The directors on the film were Ted Berman and Richard Rich, as well as Art Stevens, whom was a co-director. Berman previously had credits as a character animator for the 1961 film One Hundred and One Dalmatians and writer for the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He would later be co-director for the 1985 film The Black Cauldron.

Rich had been a Disney employee since 1972 but this was his first major assignment. He would also serve as a co-director for The Black Cauldron. He would later found Rich Animation Studios. Stevens was previously credited as a character animator for the 1953 Peter Pan, the previously mentioned One Hundred and One Dalmatians and the 1973 Robin Hood. He had also previously directed the 1977 film The Rescuers.

John Lasseter started out working at Disney on this film and others such as Mickey's Christmas Carol before leaving to join Pixar in 1986. With Disney's purchasing of Pixar, Lasseter has gone full circle and has returned to the company he started his career with.

Other new animators who worked on this film and some of their future successes:
 * John Musker and Ron Clements (story artist and animator): Producer-director team of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet.
 * Tim Burton (assistant & development artist): Producer of Batman Forever and Director of Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, and many other acclaimed films.
 * Glen Keane (animator): Animation creator and designer of characters Ariel, Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas.
 * Jerry Reese (animator): Director of The Brave Little Toaster.
 * Brad Bird (animator): director of Warner Bros.' The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and previously of The Simpsons.
 * Chris Buck (animator): Director of Disney's Tarzan.
 * Don Bluth (animator): Director of The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and All Dogs Go to Heaven
 * John H. Williams (animators): Producer of Shrek and Shrek 2.
 * Jeffrey J. Varab (character animator, special effects supervision): Uncredited Special Effects animator for Toy Story and Toy Story 2
 * Nik Ranieri (character animation supervision): Animator for Roger Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
 * Virgil Ross (character animation supervision): Worked on Winnie The Pooh and a Day For Eeyore
 * Ennis McNulty and Dave Bennett (character aniamtion supervision): Supervising Animators in Disney animator Rick Reinert's unit.

Release
The Fox and the Hound premiered in theaters on July 10, 1981. It was re-released to theaters on March 25, 1988. Its first home video release, on VHS format, came on March 4, 1994 as the last video of the "Walt Disney Classics" collection (it was not included in the "Masterpiece Collection"). On May 2, 2000, it was released to Region 1 DVD for the first time under the "Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection". A 25th anniversary special edition DVD, featuring a remastered version of the film and a disc of extras, was released on October 10, 2006.

Reception
Although the film was a financial success, reactions from film critics were mixed. Critics of the 1980s, while offering praise for the animation, were disappointed in the story, and that the predominantly young creative staff, many of whom had only recently joined the company, had produced a movie that seemed very conservative in both concept and execution. Since then it has become a hit for its conservative syle.

Leonard Maltin in his book The Disney Films noted that the film was a "good news/bad news" for Disney. The good was that Disney's young animation team seemed to be in "firm control." The fight scene between Copper and the bear, by Glen Keane, in particular received great praise in the animation world. The bad news, according to Maltin, was that the film relied too much on "formula cuteness, formula comedy relief, and even formula characterizations," causing a step back for the studio. Maltin suggests that perhaps this safeness came from the fear of displeasing the memory of Walt Disney.

Craig Butler from All Movie Guide stated that the film was a "warm and amusing, if slightly dull, entry in the Disney animated canon." He also called it "conventional and generally predictable" with problems in pacing.

However, the film had its fair share of praise, too. Richard Corliss of Time Magazine, praised the film for an intelligent story about prejudice. He argued that the film shows that biased attitudes can poison even the deepest relationships, and the film's bittersweet ending delivers a powerful and important moral message to audiences. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Times also praised the film, saying that "for all of its familiar qualities, this movie marks something of a departure for the Disney studio, and its movement is in an interesting direction. The Fox and the Hound is one of those relatively rare Disney animated features that contains a useful lesson for its younger audiences. It's not just cute animals and frightening adventures and a happy ending; it's also a rather thoughtful meditation on how society determines our behavior."

Cart of Variety.com calls the film "...A solid, beautifully crafted animated feature...". Vincent Canby of the New York Times says, "...A pretty, relentlessly cheery, old-fashioned sort of Disney cartoon feature, chockfull of bouncy songs...".

JB of "Thestuffyougottawatch" said the film has aged like "fine wine", and went on to say, "Like all great Disney films, THE FOX AND THE HOUND is populated with wonderfully characterized secondary players who get their share of the spotlight, such as the two birds Dinky and Boomer, voiced by Richard Bakalyan and Paul Winchell, who spend most of the film trying to catch and eat one measly little caterpillar who eludes death time and again. There is also Big Mama the Owl, played deliciously by Pear Bailey, who gets to sing a handful of pleasant if forgettable tunes.

The one real weakness of comes once again from the Disney people pulling their punches when it comes to tragedy. One character was supposed to be killed while chasing Tod, thus leading to Copper swearing eventual vengeance. Yet, as in THE JUNGLE BOOK and LADY AND THE TRAMP, the character turns out only to have been injured, thus undermining the emotional impact of Copper's hatred for his former friend. With all that the film does offer, it is easy to overlook this lack of courage on the part of the filmmakers, but it does get a little tiresome to see the same cheap trick used over and over."

The film gained a considerable following and it was awarded a Golden Screen Award at the Goldene Leinwand Awards in 1982. It was also nominated for a Young Artist Award and the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. It has a "fresh" 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews with a 6.7 score, with a consensus that states, "The Fox and the Hound, is a likeable, charming, unassuming effort that manages to transcend its thin, predictable plot". Among users, the film scored 87% with a 7.1 rating.

Legacy
Although most famous as a film, The Fox and the Hound is also a 1967 novel by Daniel P. Mannix. Similarily to the Disney film, it follows the lives of two characters who are pittied against each other, a fox named Tod and hound named Copper, and is Mannix's best-known work.

It follows Tod from his first contact with humans as a kit and Copper from his first encounter with Tod. They are living in a changing world; the wilderness present at the beginning of the book gradually gives way to a more urbanized setting, causing problems for Copper, his Master, and Tod.

It alternates between Tod and Copper's point of view. Of the ten chapters in the book, four are from Copper's point of view and six are from Tod's. Both of the animals are presented as smart if not on a level with humans, and the book constantly emphasizes the point that both are creatures who rely on their sense of smell as much as humans rely on sight, particularly Copper.

Copper's chapters focus on his relationship with his Master as he assists him in hunting, primarily for Tod; Tod's actions kill the Master's favorite dog early in the novel. Tod's chapters focus on his life as a wild fox, avoiding death both natural and man-made while attempting to father pups. The novel ends with the death of both main characters. Tod's lifeless pelt is hung and Copper is shot by his owner.

A direct-to-video midquel, The Fox and the Hound 2, was released on December 12, 2006. The film takes place during Tod and Copper's youth, in which Copper is tempted to join a band of singing stray dogs, and therefore does not follow the events that occur at the end of this film.

As well as adaptations of the film itself, comic strips featuring the characters also appeared in stories unconnected to the film. Examples include The Lost Fawn, in which Copper uses his sense of smell to help Tod find a fawn who has gone astray; The Chase, in which Copper has to safeguard a sleepwalking Chief; and Feathered Friends, in which the birds Dinky and Boomer have to go to desparate lengths to save one of Widow Tweed's chickens from a wolf.

A comic adaptation of the film, drawn by Richard Moore, was published in newspapers as part of Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales. A comic-book titled The Fox and the Hound followed, with new adventures of the characters. Since 1981 and up to 2007, a few Fox and the Hound Disney comics stories were produced in Italy, Netherlands, Brazil, France and USA.

Soundtrack

 * "Best of Friends", Music by Richard Johnston, Lyrics by Stan Fidel, Performed by Pearl Bailey. A song is about the beauty and magic of friendship, and how Tod and Copper were great friends even though they are supposed to be enemies. It is also about how sometimes adults can get in the way and not let you play and can't understand friendship's magic.
 * "Lack of Education" Music and Lyrics by Jim Stafford, Performed by Pearl Bailey. A song about how if Tod plays with Copper he will be hunted by Amos Slade because Copper has to hunt like he was told. The education is knowing the fact that Copper will become a hunting dog, the elimimation is the hunting of Tod that will happen when he doesn't listen to Big Mama and plays with Copper anyway.
 * "A Huntin' Man" Music and Lyrics by Jim Stafford, Performed by Jack Albertson. A short song, basicly saying that Amos Slade is hunting man with no job, who would rather have a dog then a dollar.
 * "Goodbye May Seem Forever" Music by Richard Rich, Lyrics by Jeffrey Patch, Performed by Jeanette Nolan. A song similar to Baby Mine from Dumbo, Someone's Waiting For You from The Rescuers, and You'll Be In My Heart from Tarzan. What it's about is how Tod and Widow Tweed first meet after his mother was killed by hunters. They were happy together, and when the storm came they would rest by the fire. But now Amos Slade is going to kill Tod so she has to give him up, so Goodbye May Seem Forever, Farwell is like the end, but you'd still be in my heart forever.
 * "Appreciate the Lady" Music and Lyrics by Jim Stafford, Performed by Pearl Bailey. A song about how Tod wanted to impress Vixey, but he did it wrong because he can't really fish. To be sucessful, you need to stop showing off saying you can do something that you really can't, and appreciate the lady by being yourself and you'll be appreciated right back.