Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly charming and underrated, August 7, 2003
By A Customer
The Fox and the Hound was probably somewhat of a crossroads for Disney studios. The last of the old animators left with this underrated gem. It doesn't need to bombast young viewers with unnecessary action or dumbed down pseudo-epic storylines to attract attention. It's simply the story of a friendship that manages to transcend nature's dictations and any trials thrown at it. This is a tale told with such heartfelt sincerity that it moves and touches viewers with its story alone; no need for semi-Broadway moments every ten minutes or cheap, carefully masked lewd humor sprinkled in for potential bored adults. The characters are endearing and artlessly likeable, and the lessons learned are timeless. There are engagingly subtle touches that augment the main story, such as the ongoing battle between two determined birds (one with a curiously Brooklyn accent) and one very lucky caterpillar. The conclusion to this humorous yet strangely realistic chase is a startlingly touching revelation in beauty. This is Disney at its best: a simple and touching movie that doesn't need anything else to make itself an enjoyable experience for everyone. Even the greats of the 90s seem a little cheap after this. I first watched this as a little kid, and have been in love with it ever since. Right now, in that nebulous span of years between being able to drive and being able to drink, I'm probably entitled to bouts of rebelliousness and scorn for movies like this. But this is one Disney creation I'm proud to say that I love, something you plan to pass on to your children and grandchildren: a classic.
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55 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Correct screen ratio! This movie IS FULL FRAME!, October 9, 2006
O.K. I can answer the many questions about the correct screen ratio of THE FOX AND THE HOUND.
I was a movie projectionist at the time and I had access to look at a 1988 re-release 35mm print of the movie and it was FULL FRAME! Yes, the movie is 1:33 to 1 , NOT WIDESCREEN!
You have to understand the thinking of 1980's Hollywood. Theaters were getting smaller, all movies ended up on television, and VHS & Beta home video tapes were becoming the popular way to watch movies. Therefore, many producers started filming their movies in the full frame television format, knowing that it is the way most people would see the film then.
Paramount even shot all of their 1980's comedies in full frame. Airplane I & II; Naked Gun I, II, III; Addams Family I & II; The Bette Midler movies , Throw Mama from the Train are part of the countless list of FULL FRAME movies that DVD is offering in a masked 1:85-1 format.
We should be glad that Buena Vista is offering THE FOX & THE HOUND in the ratio that it was produced.
The movie itself falls short of a Disney Classic. It seems any Disney movie short on songs seems to be overall less appealing. The basic story line is good and could have made for a very successful classic, but the execution of the story lacks the right elements.
This new release is no big deal, you gain a short behind-the-scenes clip that appears to be pulled from another special and you lose the 1988 theatrical trailer on the original DVD release. That's right, the FIRST DVD RELEASE EXTRA OF THE PREVIEW TRAILER HAS BEEN DELETED HERE!
The movie itself has gotten NO RESTORATION, but my opinion is that it still looks good on a regular large TV.
I was hoping of the Angela Lansbury TV special done in the early 1980's that showed some behind the scenes of the making of The Fox and the Hound, but sadly that is not to be here.
Bottom line:
If you missed the first DVD release, then buy this.
If you have the first DVD release you can pass on this unless you are a Disney completist.
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46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loss of Innocence, August 29, 2002
Disney studio's 1981 production of THE FOX AND THE HOUND seems to have been made mostly by the newer generation of artists at the studio. The film's look is similar to 1977's THE RESCUERS. Dismissing the high strung and flamboyant personality traits possessed by the likes of Bernard and Miss Bianca from the previous film, THE FOX AND THE HOUND concentrates on the more homespun qualities that were created for the bayou characters. This folksy and laid-back approach bolstered by Pearl Bailey's songs sung as Big Mama Owl and Buddy Baker's unpretentious score at once sets THE FOX AND THE HOUND apart from previous Disney animated films. In fact this film has a very un-Disney look about it. The film leisurely unfolds a story about an orphaned fox named Tod adopted by Widow Tweed, a farming woman. Tod befriends a puppy named Copper owned by Widow Tweed's neighbor, the hunter Amos Slade, and they become friends. The fox and the hound make a pact of lifelong friendship. Inevitably after Copper is trained to be a hunting dog and they both grow up the two must confront each other. One is the hunter and one is the hunted as is ordained by nature. The film does not create genuinely frightful images thanks in part to the loosely drawn animation and its good-natured tone, yet its message is perhaps stronger than any Disney animated film. Things are much simpler when you are young. Once you grow up things appear in a much different light depending to what degree you were taught. The film uses the allegory of the fox and the hound, natural enemies in real life, and their pact of friendship to demonstrate the adversities of life's realities and the effects it has on each of us. This film seems deliberately aimed at very young viewers, yet its message spans the range of anyone old or young enough to comprehend it. I'll admit that this was never one of my favorite Disney films. Even my daughter did not like it. It is not showy or flashy. Even the animation is very simplistic. After watching it again recently I now see that I missed the film's payoff. As film viewers, the older we get the more sophisticated we become. Sophistication breeds complacency sometimes to the point where we miss the point! What looks like a cute little movie with fury animals on the surface to an adult, may be an emotionally awaking experience for a little child, a glimpse of what lies ahead. I think the filmmakers gave our young ones more credit for deductive feeling and emotion than we did. As an adult I found watching the first two thirds of this film a rather laborious task. The final third is where it comes alive and also comes full circle. For a very young child however, the entire film is very entertaining. For the very young child the lesson learned is a bonus. The payoff for me is the final scene where Copper begins to fall off to sleep and we hear an echoing voice of his pact of lifelong friendship to Tod that was made when they were children. It was very reminiscent of the final scene in THE YEARLING and I felt a tear run down my cheek. Sometimes the only tangible thing we have left of a happier time is our ability to revisit that time in our dreams. This is an important film.
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