"Darling, forever is a long long time. And time has a way of changing things." -Big Mama the Owl (dropping a hard truth on little baby Tod)
Initial thoughts before viewing: The Fox and the Hound was a part of my childhood VHS collection growing up, so I was pretty familiar with the heart-breaking nature of this story. I don't recall it ever being a favorite, and as I grew up I realized that this movie is known amongst Disneyphiles as probably the most depressing Disney movie ever made (if that doesn't make you want to read on, I don't know what will).
If you have never seen The Fox and the Hound or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the plot summary.
Disliked:
-The humans in this movie are shit. I'll start with Amos Slade, the crotchety hunter (and the movie's primary antagonist) who owns young Copper (the titular hound) and Chief, an older hunting dog (and secondary antagonist). Aside from being a ruthless hunter, Amos the walking piece of human trash does the following:
Keeps his dogs tied up on short leases attached to barrels outside his home.
Repeatedly shoots at Tod (the titular fox) and his human owner Widow Tweed
Verbally assaults Widow Tweed with all sorts of sexist crap like "you blasted female," "you muddle headed female", and "you meddling female."
Turns sweet and innocent puppy Copper into a part of his hunting murder machine.
Breaks into the game reserve (where there is a clear "NO HUNTING" sign) to hunt down Tod.
Starts a forest fire to try and trap Tod and his mate, Vixey.
Tries to kill Tod one last time AFTER Tod risked his own life to save both Copper and Amos from a bear.
As for Widow Tweed, her great mistake is that she abandons her beloved domesticated fox in a forest. Tod has literally been her pet his entire life -- he has NO SURVIVAL SKILLS and will surely die within a matter of days. Which leads me to my next point...
-The "Goodbye May Seem Forever" sequence. Also known as that time Widow Tweed left Tod in the woods and ripped our hearts out. Forget Bambi's mom being shot or Mufasa's death scene -- this moment of Tod's abandonment is the saddest thing ever created by Disney. What makes it worse is that it was unnecessary and beyond stupid - Widow Tweed thought she was saving Tod from Amos Slade, but in reality he had no way to survive in the wild (and guess what, Amos found him immediately anyway!). If Widow Tweed truly cared about Tod, she would have found another solution that didn't result in his complete and traumatic abandonment. If this sequence doesn't have you huddled in a fetal position bawling your eyes out, it will surely leave you in a distraught rage against Widow Tweed's idiocy. Like I said, the humans in this movie are shit.
Highlights:
-I appreciate the movie's surprisingly mature message about prejudice. It's a simple story about how society puts pressure and expectations on people. Copper starts out as a carefree, loving puppy who doesn't see Tod as anything but his best playmate. As time goes by though, Copper sadly changes into what his master Amos expects of him: a hardcore hunting dog. While their friendship is salvaged somewhat by the end, the movie's bittersweet, ambiguous finale is a welcome departure from Disney's other overly saccharine endings.
-Climactic bear fight scene. The whole movie is slightly tedious and formulaic, so the climatic fight between Copper, Tod, and the bear seems like a breath of fresh air. It's fast paced, dramatic, and honestly the only piece of this movie would watch again willingly. It also forces the renewal of Tod and Coppers friendship, as Tod intervenes to save Copper at the last moment. Copper, in turn, defends an injured Tod when Amos attempts to kill him (yet again). This traumatic event forces all the characters (human & animal) to abandon their feelings of hate and finally move on with their lives.
-Amos Slade gets his comeuppance . I cheered when Amos got his foot caught in his own hunting trap. Take that, you souless bastard.
Random Thoughts I Had While Watching:
-The motive for hating Tod is weak. At first, Amos wants to kill Tod because he thinks the fox was after his chickens (he wasn't). Later, Amos and Copper want revenge against Tod because Chief (the OTHER dog) broke his leg (he gets hit by a train) while attempting to catch Tod. Big whoop, a broken leg because Chief was stupid enough to run into an oncoming train. Is that worth both characters suddenly vowing revenge against a ten pound fox? It feels like an especially big character shift for Copper, who was of course Tod's beloved best friend only a few minutes prior.
Closing Thoughts:
-The Fox and the Hound will emotionally destroy you. Raise your hand if you have ever felt personally victimized by The Fox and the Hound. šāāļø This movie both pissed me off and made me miserable. Between the overload of cute baby animals in the beginning, the sad separation of friends, the frustrating behavior of the humans, and the traumatizing abandonment of Tod, this movie is exhausting to watch. If this is one of your favorite Disney films, kudos to you for your iron will and emotional stability. But it's absolutely a no from me, dawg.
-This movie is formulaic and dull. When this movie isn't emotionally wrecking you, it's painfully boring and predictable. It has a handful of uninteresting animal side characters that clearly have only been added for comedy relief purposes. The movie is not really fun to watch, and even the songs, which are usually a reliable highlight of Disney animation, are only so-so. There are moments that approach that old Disney charm (like when Tod and Copper meet for the first time), but they number too few for this movie to really be a winner in my book.
The Fox and the Hound turns forty years old this year, but there's no denying that it is one of Disney's weakest animated films. It takes too much emotionally without giving back enough to make the viewer feel like the experience was worth it. Watch it once (with tissues handy) and then try to forget the emotional damage you've just inflicted on yourself.
My Rating: 3.5/10
My Rating Scale/System:
10 - Masterpiece / Award Worthy š¤©
9 - Almost perfect / Exceptional š„°
8 - Great / Well-crafted š
7 - Good / Noteworthy š
6 - Above average / Memorable š
5 - Solidly average š
4 - Mixed feelings / Mediocre š
3 - Uninteresting / Struggle bus š„±
2 - Barely watchable š”
1 - Failure / Why is this a thing? š©
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