D52–The Fox and the Hound

Released in 1981, The Fox and the Hound follows the doomed friendship between a fox and a hunting dog. It had been four years since Disney had released an animated feature and the company was entering its darkest period to date.

Much like The Rescuers, the biggest problem with The Fox and the Hound is that it just feels hollow. What should be a deeply touching story about friendship between two characters that the world believes should be enemies simply feels rote. This is probably due to the fact that the audience never really gets to see the two as friends, relegating that to two short scenes before tearing them apart. As a result, when Todd returns to save Copper in the finale, it doesn’t feel earned. There is some nice animation, though nothing noteworthy, and some good character work by the supporting cast, but the whole thing seems to keep the audience at arms length.

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit when I was younger. There is enough going on and plenty of interesting characters to make it worthwhile. Viewing it as an adult, its flaws become much more apparent. It’s certainly not a bad film, but definitely one of Disney’s lesser efforts. Young children will enjoy it, but most other will only find it to be a mild diversion.

The 1981 teaser trailer for The Fox and the Hound

Up next: The Black Cauldron (1985)