The Fox and the Hound

'The Fox is down'

Disney 2D animated children films are considered classics by most people, critics and audiences alike. Snow White, Bambi, even the more recent ones like Hercules and The Emperor's New Groove are loved and respected. I have recently been on a trek to track down my childhood in the films and trends I loved as might be noticed by the recent reviews for Bambi and TMNT. I found this old gem lying around in a Giant's grocery store and had to watch it. I don't remember much about this film except that it was a story about the strength and bond between two best friends in a world that drives them apart. That and it had a cool owl and that I used to love it before I discovered the rest of the Disney canon. So here we go!

The most interesting part of this film from the get-go is the fact that Kurt Russel and Mickey Rooney are the two main voice actors. Snake Plissken made a frigging Disney film! Sweet animated apocalypse! Besides that though, the movie doesn't have too much going for it outside of the fond nostalgia and the novelty of seeing a badass do a Disney film. Although I guess it can work, I mean hey, Vin Diesel did the awesome voiceover for The Iron Giant. The animation in the film is fairly generic and the use of shadow is applied only in times of danger, which is an interesting idea. The problem is when it isn't used the scenes seem too flat. The story itself is okay and has a sort of Romeo & Juliet were best friends feel. A fox and a hound, good buds early in life, grow older and are driven apart and then they must decide what to do with their friendship in the new context of life or death. The fact that they grow up in one summer apart is really impressive, I wish I could grow that old that fast...at least I did when I was a kid. Since then, there have been other thoughts. The heart of the story is basically overpowered by the amount of tangenital stuff happening. There are the birds and the owl who watch over the fox and there is the watchful stern eye of the master and Chief over the dog. Then there are the scenes that prove that the filmmakers were more interested in some of the ancillary characters than the main ones. Like the numerous scenes of Boomer and the other small gangster bird, (no seriously, if you watch they do the whole gangster thing and pay respect to Big Mama the friggin owl)chasing after the poor green caterpillar who always manages to escape. It is eerily reminiscent of the modern day adventures of Scratch in the Ice Age movies, except not as funny. To give it due respect these scenes help with the suggestion of the passage of time, but they are actually unnecessary. Then there are th several random songs that try to fit in with the country background but seem to be too jazzy. The entire thing is mish mash of ideas and situations from Disney and its other films that are mishandled and detract from the plot or establishing a connection with the characters. The fox comes across as a self certain brat who has no idea as to the problems he incurs and their consequences on others, yet we should care because he has red fur and gets chased by his friend to be killed. I admit that their are some dark undertones at times, but nothing is balanced evenly at all. Like this review, it just sort of rambles.

The voice acting is delightful and amusing. Big Mama and the stereotypes of the gangsters as portrayed by the birds are interesting to see. Kurt Russell is okay and Mickey Rooney is excellent as always. The thing that keeps the movie watchableare the number of random events and scenes thrown in. although it detracts from the main story, the main story isn't developed enough in the film to be interesting on its as a whole, so the tangenital stuff keeps things interesting by making the audience stay on its toes about whatever the heck may happen next. It's not the worst Disney film, not by a lonnnnnnng shot. But it certainly cannot hold itself together enough to make a solidified message or to be captivating for itself which keeps it from being a classic. But still, Death Proof + Disney = Fox and the Hound? Yay, Kurt Russel and his muskrat hairdo make me happy!

Conclusion:
The films weakness is its rambling structure. This is also the saving grace of the film as the story on its own is not enough to carry the movie. The animation is so so and the story feels like a mish mash of previous Disney truisms. The voice acting and the inclusion of the kid friendly ganster world keep the film interesting as does the dark tones of death by hound dog and hunter combination. Not the greatest and sure as hell no Bambi, but its a fun nostalgic romp through better summer days and countryside. It probably didn't help that it has three directors either.

3.45 out of 5

Wannabe