But I digress. Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?
Original release: July 10, 1981
Oh, I hear you. You just went "aww." This movie is widely known as one of Disney's saddest. It is the tale of an orphaned fox kit, raised by a widow, and a hunting hound puppy who lives nearby. The two kids, named Tod and Copper respectively, soon become playmates and promise to each other that they'll "always be friends forever." But the two are separated over the course of that winter, and by the time they reunite, their conflicting instincts have grown stronger. I'm not going to say much more than that for now.
This movie is undeniably heartfelt. It's hard not to get a little choked up when the friends are separated, when Tod has to fend for himself, when the two protagonists have to decide how deeply to honor their former friendship. As one of my dormmates said after we were finished, "That's the biggest emotional trip I've been on in a while." I know there were definitely tears forming in my eyes at a few moments there. It's no wonder this film is remembered so fondly: anything that tugs on your heartstrings at such a level has to be at least a good movie, if not an excellent one. Watch the following scene to see what I'm talking about.
But, like everything else, it's not perfect. There were several rather hokey moments involving silly facial expressions, unrealistic dialogue, and a character talking to him-/herself. (You may have noticed some funny mouth movements made by the widow in the above video, for example.) Also... oh, man. The scenes with Vixie. Ha! Those were the scenes that made us all laugh as we watched. Disney is well-known for its use of innocent romance. Generally the relationships that end up resolving at the end of the film start developing in the earlier half of the movie. Not so here. Tod and Vixie meet more than halfway through the film, and BAM! Infatuation. Not to mention Vixie has got to be the ditziest female character Disney ever created. I won't reiterate all the risque jokes that we made, but you get the idea.
Interestingly enough, most people don't know that this movie was actually loosely based on a novel. The 1967 novel by Daniel Mannix is actually just the story of the life of a fox, initially raised by humans and killed by hunters. In the book, Tod and Copper were never friends; the fox kills Copper's fellow hunting dog Chief, and Copper and his owner swear revenge...and get it. In the movie, Chief is still seriously wounded while chasing Tod, and Copper and his owner head out to get him, but Disney's famous family-friendly adaptations this time around included (a) leaving everyone alive at the end and (b) introducing the childhood friend element. What's rather intriguing is that the introduction of the latter actually helped to make the movie deeper, due to the conflicts of the two characters.
So. While this film clearly has its weak moments, there is more than enough substance to make it worth your time. You won't regret watching this, I can guarantee you.
Mahewa's rating: 3.8/5
Critics generally thought that while the animation was quite well done (this was the first work of their new, younger animation team), the plot and characters seemed formulaic. Check out IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes for more information.
