The Fox and the Hound

The Fox and the Hound is probably one of my least favourite Disney animated films. I am not going to harp on it or anything though I did consider skipping it and seeing if anyone noticed (just kidding…sorta). This film does hold a significant place in Disney animation history as it was the last film for many Disney animation veterans and one of the firsts for many of the next generation of animators.

Premiered on: July 10, 1981

Directed by:

Ted Berman
Richard Rich
Art Stevens

Produced by:

Wolfgang Reitherman
Art Stevens
Ron Miller

Based on: The Fox and the Hound written by Daniel P. Mannix

Sequels: The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)

Cast:

Kurt Russell – Adult Copper
Mickey Rooney – Adult Tod
Pearl Bailey – Big Mama
Jack Albertson – Amos Slade
Sandy Duncan – Vixey
Jeanette Nolan – Widow Tweed
Pat Buttram – Chief
John Fiedler – Porcupine
John McIntire – Badger
Richard Bakalyan – Dinky
Paul Winchell – Boomer
Keith Mitchell – Young Tod
Corey Feldman – Young Copper

Supervising Animators:

Randy Cartwright
Cliff Nordberg
Frank Thomas
Ollie Johnston
Ron Clements
Glen Keane

Music:

Richard O. Johnston
Stan Fidel
Jim Stafford
Richard Rich
Jeffrey Patch
Buddy Baker

Songs:

“Best of Friends”
“Lack of Education”
“A Huntin’ Man”
“Goodbye May Seem Forever”
“Appreciate the Lady”

Academy Awards: none

The Story:

The film opens with a scene of forest filled with fog. The only sounds are the wind blowing, birds chirping, and frogs croaking. The opening credits play as the scene pans through the forest. A dog starts barking and suddenly a mother fox with her baby appears. She is running away from the sound of the dog barking. Dramatic music starts to play and Big Mama the owl comes out of her hole in a tree to see what is going on. She sees the fox jump through a farm fence and leave her baby tucked into a patch of tall grass by the fence. She snuggles it before running away. The mother just makes it over a hill before she is shot. Big Mama goes to check on the baby fox. The baby is very scared but Big Mama comforts him. She hears dogs barking in the distance and knows that the fox will need someone to care for him. The baby starts to warm up to Big Mama but she says that she will not be the one to look out for him. Big Mama then hears a woodpecker pecking and leaves the fox there to go talk to the woodpecker.

Boomer the woodpecker and Dinky the finch are pecking into a hole in a tree and trying to get at something. Big Mama finds them and tells them that there is not time to loose and that they must come with her. The three birds fly off, though Dinky is disappointed that they are giving up on whatever is in the tree. After they leave, a little caterpillar pokes his head out of the tree and breathes a sigh of relief.

The birds arrive back at the baby fox and they try to think of who might be able to look after him. Dinky then gets an idea and the three birds huddle up to discuss it. Then Boomer flies off and pecks the door of the nearby farmhouse. Widow Tweed opens up her door and Boomer gets his beak stuck behind the door. She does not notice Boomer but does see Big Mama and Dinky stealing a pair of bloomers off of the laundry line. She chases the birds and they drop the bloomers right on top of the baby fox. Widow Tweed notices him and wonders where his mother might be. She picks up the fox and takes him inside her home.

Widow Tweed bottle feeds the baby fox inside her home and comments that he is such a little toddler. This gives her the idea to name him Tod. Widow Tweed is very happy because she is not going to be so lonesome anymore.

The neighbour Amos Slade comes home in his backfiring car. His old dog Chief is tied up outside and is very happy to see his owner. Amos has a surprise for Chief and pulls out a sack from his car. Chief smells the small bag and it starts to whine. Amos pulls out a bloodhound puppy and says that one day the puppy is going to make a great hunting dog. The look on Chief’s face makes it clear that the older dog does not agree. The puppy just wants to play and Chief is not impressed, but Amos says that Chief is to look out for the younger dog. Chief tries to take a nap in his barrel dog house but the puppy is just in the way! He kicks the puppy out and goes into his barrel to sleep. The puppy ends up curling up against Chief’s leg and falling asleep as well. Chief starts to warm up to him.

Widow Tweed is milking her cow when Tod playfully comes into the barn. He starts to pester the cow and Widow Tweed tells the cow that she needs to be patient with Tod because the fox is now a part of their family. Widow Tweed the squirts some milk right into Tod’s mouth. Tod then goes to play with the baby chicks, which startles the mother hen, who starts to squawk, which scares the cow, and entire chaos results in the barn! Widow Tweed’s bucket of milk gets knocked over and she is not happy with Tod about it! She tries to get mad at him but he starts to act very cute and she tells the young fox not to “butter her up.” But it is too late and she is unable to stay mad at him. Widow Tweed shoos him out of the barn and tells him to stay out of mischief.

Outside Tod sees Dinky and Boomer and goes to see if they want to play. The two birds fly to a tree and think that the caterpillar Squeeks is not going to get away this time! Dinky peeks into the tree and sees Squeeks relaxing in his home. Dinky points out where the caterpillar is to Boomer and then the woodpecker starts pecking away at the tree. But Boomer gets his face stuck in the bark which allows Squeeks to escape. Boomer tries to get Squeeks again when Tod shows up. The fox wants to play but Dinky tells Tod to go away. The birds chase after Squeeks but the caterpillar once again escapes. The two birds start to argue over whose fault it was and so Tod starts to walk away. He gets distracted by a butterfly and chases it right onto Amos Slade’s property.

Chief and the puppy Copper are having their breakfast. Copper catches the scent of something that he has never smelt before and Chief tries to smell it as well. Chief just thinks that it is the master cooking grits but Copper does not agree. Chief tells the puppy that he has a lot of learning to do but Copper still wanders off in search of the scent. Chief warns him that the master will not like Copper leaving but the puppy says that he will not get lost because he can smell his way back.

Tod is still playing with the butterfly when Tod and Copper meet. Tod asks Copper what the dog is sniffing and Copper says that he is on the trail of something but does not know what. But then he realizes that he is on the trail of Tod! Copper then gives a very pitiful sounding howl and Tod asks what he is doing. Copper says that is what he is supposed to do when he has found what he has been tracking. The two become friends and start to play hide-and-seek Big Mama spots them and starts to sing “Best of Friends” as the fox and the hound play together. During the song, Amos calls Copper to come back home. The next morning, Tod arrives at Amos’ farm to play with Copper again. Copper sneaks by Chief to go play. The two take off the meadow and declare that they will always be friends. They go swimming in a nearby pond.

Amos discovers that Copper is gone again and so he and Chief go out to look for the puppy. Copper hears Amos calling him and tells Tod that he needs to get going home. Tod is disappointed but tells Copper that he will see him tomorrow.

The next day when Tod arrives to play, Copper is tied up to his barrel. Tod just says that they will play there then but Copper warns him about Chief. Tod goes to take a closer look at the sleeping dog and Copper tells him to get out of there. Chief starts to dream about chasing something and Tod thinks that it is really funny. But then Chief wakes up and starts to chase Tod, even though the dog is tied up to a barrel. He chases the fox around the farm and crashes in the hen house, causing all of the chickens to get loose. Amos Slade joins in and starts shooting at Tod. Tod hides in the mailbox with Boomer and Dinky but then Amos shoots the mailbox and Tod continues to run. He sees Widow Tweed leaving in her car and chases after her to hide in the car. Amos then starts up his own car to join in the chase. He shoots at Tod, who has made it into the car, but shoots holes in the milk jugs in the car instead. Widow Tweed stops her car and yells at Amos. She takes his gun away and shoots his radiator. She then shoots the last bullet into the air and gives the empty gun back to Amos. The two neighbours yell at each other and argue about Tod chasing the chickens. Amos says that he will shoot Tod the next time the fox is on his property!

The next scene is in Widow Tweed’s home. She is sad that she needs to keep Tod cooped up inside. Tod is looking out the window like he wants to play. There is barking outside and both Tod and Widow Tweed see Amos packing up his car. Widow Tweed says that he must be going on a long hunting trip. When Widow Tweed is not looking, Tod sneaks out through a small crack under the window.

Amos Slade unties Copper from his barrel and tells the dog that he and Chief are going to teach him how to be a real hunting dog and that their hunting trip is going to last until next spring. The puppy hops into the front of the car but Chief tells Copper that he has to sit in the back and each his way to the front. Tod then appears as the car starts to drive away and he and Copper watch each other with looks of forlorn. Big Mama finds Tod and asks the fox what he is doing. Tod says that he was planning on saying goodbye to Copper but he was too late. Big Mama says that he needs to realize that Copper is a hunting dog and she starts to sing “Lack of Education” as Dinky and Boomer arrive. But Tod does not believe that Copper will become his enemy so Dinky and Boomer show Tod Amos Slade’s shed where numerous traps and fur pelts are kept. Big Mama tells Tod that Copper is going to come back a trained hunter, but Tod still has some hope that they will remain friends.

The seasons changed from summer to fall to winter. Squeeks the caterpillar is very cold and makes his way to Widow Tweed’s home to warm up. Dinky and Boomer chase after him in the snow but do not catch the insect in time as Squeeks goes through the keyhole of the door. He warms up by the fire. The two birds are not impressed that they are outside freezing their beaks off while Squeeks gets to stay warm. So the take off and head south for the winter, waving goodbye to Big Mama along the way.

The next scene shows Amos, Chief, and Copper hiking through the snow. Chief ends up having to carry Copper through the deep snow. The winter continues and Copper copies everything that Chief does, but with more enthusiasm. His enthusiasm is sometimes too much like when he chases a rabbit but then slips on the ice, allowing the rabbit to escape.  Over the winter months, Copper grows quite a bit. One day, Copper and Chief start to sniff in opposite directions and Copper ends up finding a bush full of pheasants. Amos shows Copper appreciation and Chief is jealous. Then it is time to pack up and go back home. Copper rides in the front of the car on the way home and old Chief has to ride in the back.

It is springtime at the farms and Big Mama sees that Tod has grown up. Dinky and Boomer come back home and don’t ever recognize Tod at first. The fox has a new collar on. Widow Tweed opens up her door and puts a plant out on the deck. She does not understand why the healthy plant died because she does not notice Squeeks, who has eaten all of the heathy leaves. Widow Tweed waters the plant and the cold water causes Squeeks to sneeze, and the sneeze causes Squeeks to fling himself backwards and into the drainpipe. Dinky and Boomer chase Squeeks again but once again the caterpillar escapes.

Amos arrives back at his home and is singing ““A Huntin’ Man.” Chief is very annoyed with Copper. Tod sees that Copper is back and even though he knows that Copper is a hunting dog, he still does not think it will make a difference in their friendship. Big Mama warns him to be careful and tod says that he will only go visit Copper after Amos and Chief are asleep.

Chief and Copper are tied up at the barrels and Chief is trying to sleep but Copper wants to scuffle. Chief does not want to play with the younger dog and goes to sleep. Copper sniffs a scent and sees Tod. He tells Tod that it is great to see him but that the fox should not be there. Tod says that he just wanted to see Copper and asks if they are still friends. Copper says that they are but their days of playing together are over. He tells tod to get out of there before Chief wakes up but Chief does wake up right then. Chief starts to bark, which wakes up Amos, who starts to shoot at Tod. Tod runs away and Amos and Chief chase after him. Widow Tweed hears the commotion and is worried about Tod. Chief chases Tod up a rocky mountain side. Copper appears and finds Tod hiding. Amos is approaching and Copper tells Tod that he does not want to see Tod killed. He will let Tod go this one time and then Copper leads Amos off in the wrong direction. Tod runs away and onto a train bridge. Chief suddenly appears in front of him and chases Tod. A train approaches from the other direction and knocks Chief off of the bridge and into the water below. Chief is alive but badly hurt. Copper reaches him and sees Tod above. Copper yells at Tod that he is going to get him for this. Widow Tweed finds Tod after wandering through the forest.

Back at Amos’ farm, he angrily bursts out of his door with his shotgun. Copper thinks that the situation is all his fault and that he shouldn’t have let Tod go. Amos marches over to Widow Tweed’s home and bangs on her door. This scares Tod into hiding. Amos tries to barge his way into Widow Tweed’s home but she will not let him in. Amos threatens that she cannot keep him locked up forever.

Widow Tweed sadly looks at a photo of Tod in the morning and then wakes him up. She brings him to her car and drives away. Along the way, we hear her thoughts of reminiscing about her time with Tod. Tod starts to sense that something is wrong and tries to comfort her. Once they stop, Widow Tweed carries Tod into the forest. She puts him down and takes off his collar. She hugs him goodbye and a chorus sings ““Goodbye May Seem Forever.” Tod tries to follow Widow Tweed but she will not let him and she leaves him in the forest and drives away. It starts to rain and Tod watches all of the families of animals huddle together. The rain turns into a storm and Tod tries to find a place to hide but no animal will let them into their homes, especially a grumpy old badger. A porcupine takes pity on Tod and lets him stay with him.

Widow Tweed arrives home and Amos knows that she must have dropped the fox off at the game preserve. Inside Amos’ home Chief is resting his busted leg. He is not too upset about his situation because he gets to sleep by a warm stove on a soft pillow, with plenty of food. He hears Amos and Copper coming inside and he thinks that they are coming to visit him. So Chief acts like he is in far more pain that he actually is for attention. But it does not work because Amos and Copper are only focused on planning on how to catch Tod.

The next morning, Big Mama flies to the game preserve to visit Tod. She thinks that she has found him but it turns out to be a female fox named Vixey. Vixey asks what Big Mama is doing there and the owl says that she is looking for a fox that is new in the forest. She describes Tod as young and handsome and Vixey volunteers to help Big Mama find him.

Tod is curled up asleep with the porcupine in a tree. Tod wakes up and freaks out because he has no idea where he is! He falls out of the tree and lands on the grumpy badger’s home. The badger is very angry with Tod and asks him why he does not go back to where he came from. This makes Tod very sad and he walks away. Big Mama and Vixey spot him and Vixey comments that he looks so sad. Big Mama tells Vixey his story. Big Mama then starts to talk to Tod and tells him to cheer up and look around because the forest really is beautiful. She purposefully points him in the direction of Vixey and he is instantly smitten. Big Mama encourages him to go over and talk to her.

Tod does and they are instantly smitten with each other. Vixey asks Tod if he can catch a fish for her from the stream and Tod is overconfident that he can. But he fails miserably and everyone around laughs at him: Vixey, Big Mama, the Porcupine, and Boomer and Dinky who have arrived. Tod is offended and he storms off. He calls Vixey a silly, empty headed female and the two foxes get mad at each other. Big Mama tries to fix it and sings “Appreciate the Lady.” It works and Tod and Vixey start to fall in love.

Amos and Copper arrive at the game preserve and they read a sign that says “no hunting” but Amos states that they are not going to be hunting; they are just there to get one fox. He cuts the wires of the fence and they go inside the preserve. Copper starts to track and he picks up on Tod’s scent so Amos knows exactly where to lay the traps.

The next morning, Tod and Vixey wake up and Tod comments that he has never been happier.

Amos finishes setting up all of the traps right before the foxes approach. Vixey senses that something is wrong because the forest is too quiet around them. Tod does not believe her and he heads down to where Amos and Copper are hiding. He narrowly misses the traps but then he hears Amos in the bushes and runs away. Copper starts to chase him and Tod sends Vixey ahead and he stays to fight off Copper. Tod and Vixey then get trapped in a fox hole with Copper on one end and Amos on the other. Amos sends fire down into the hole to smoke them out and he then waits at the other end with his shotgun. But Tod and Vixey brave the fire and burst through it and run away. They climb up the side of a waterfall and Copper and Amos follow. Suddenly a bear appears and attacks Amos. Amos falls down off the cliff and into one of his own traps. Copper fights off the bear to protect his master. But the bear hurts Copper and Tod hears Copper whining in pain. So the fox runs down to help. He fights off the bear and both he and the bear end up falling down the waterfall.

Tod does end up surviving and Copper goes to see him in the water. Amos appears and is about to shoot Tod but Copper stands in the way. He whines at his master not to shoot Tod and Amos has a change of heart and puts down his gun. Amos and Copper go home.

In the next scene, Big Mama is woken up by some pecking sound as Boomer and Dinky are still trying to get Squeeks. They peer into the tree and watch Squeeks turn into a butterfly! The butterfly flies off and Big Mama says goodbye to Squeeks and tries to get back to sleep but is woken up again by Amos screaming in pain as Widow Tweed tries to bandage his hurt leg. Chief shakes his head at Amos for making a big deal about a little hurt leg and Copper shakes his head at Chief because that is exactly what Chief did. Copper goes back to sleep and dreams about when he and Tod were little and declaring that they were best friends forever.

Tod and Vixey appear on a hill over the farms and look out over everyone.

Trivia:

• Widow Tweed’s cow is named Abigail.
• The Fox and the Hound was the first film to begin production after Walt passed away.
• The director Art Stevens was the live action model for Amos Slade.
• Wolfgang Reitherman drew inspiration from a fox that one of his sons had raised.
• The Fox and the Hound 2 is more of a midquel than a sequel. It takes place after Tod and Copper have met but before they grow up.
• This was Kurt Russell’s 10^th film for the Walt Disney Studios, though it was his first animated film. Since then he has starred in four other films under the Disney umbrella.
• Composer of “Best of Friends” Richard O. Johnston was the son of animator Ollie Johnston.
• This film was released as a double bill with Once Upon a Mouse.
• This was the last film to be produced by Wolfgang Reitherman.
• Disney voice acting veterans Candy Candido and Clarence Nash did the snarls and growls of the bear.
• This was the last Disney animated film to begin with opening credits and to end with “The End.”
• The Fox and the Hound is known as the film that “passed on the baton.” This was the last film that any of the Nine Old Men worked on and was one of the first for many up and coming animators such as Ron Clements, John Musker, Tim Burton, Glen Keane, Brad Bird, and John Lasseter. This was even reflected in the film as Copper starts to replace Chief as the number one hunting dog.

Representation in the Disney Parks:

There is currently no representation of The Fox and the Hound in any Disney Park.

Check out the other films of Disney’s Bronze Age:

The Aristocats (1970)
Robin Hood (1973)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
The Rescuers (1977)
The Black Cauldron (1985)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Oliver and Company (1988)