The Fox and the Hound is a good movie, unusual among Disney
animated features for its dark tone and the ethical questions it raises.
It's a high-quality film, but I find it rather depressing. Not so its
sequel, last year's oddly subtitle-less The Fox and the Hound 2.
There are many Disney features in which the main characters start off
as children (or pups, or kittens, or whatever) and wind up adults
halfway through the film or so. This leaves the door open for lots of
cheapquels involving cute cuddly young characters, generally facing far
less monumental problems than they will once they're grown up. Here,
hound Copper (Harrison Fahn) is still a pup who trips over his own ears.
He's not much of a hunter, and because Tod (Jonah Bobo), the fox kit
who is his best friend, is still under the care of kindly Widow Tweed,
Copper's cantankerous owner Amos is less likely to take a shot at him,
and his crusty old dog Chief (Rob Paulsen) doesn't pose much of a
threat.
Though his life may not be in great immediate danger,
Tod is still on Amos' radar, so his friendship with Copper is
problematic and leads to a chaotic scene culminating in Copper's
banishment to a barrel that serves as a doghouse. Poor Copper feels like
he can't do anything right. And then the fair comes to town, and
suddenly the world seems much brighter...
That's when Copper
meets with a group of singing dogs and discovers that he too has a voice
of gold. After prima donna Dixie (Reba McEntire) goes off in a huff
following an argument with star vocalist Cash (Patrick Swayze), he
invites Copper to be her replacement. None too pleased, Dixie begins
plotting to regain her starring role, enlisting the aid of Tod, who just
wants his friend back.
The songs are enjoyable and very
country-flavored, and the dynamics of the group, with its Johnny
Cash-like leader, his diva-ish ladylove, a duo of dim-witted crooners
and a sassy old granny, are entertaining. The story is thoroughly
engaging with plenty of comedic moments that don't seem out of keeping
with the original, especially those involving the reluctantly romantic
Widow Tweed and Amos Slade. Also hilarious: the hapless talent scout
from the Grand Ole Opry, led by an ambitious but oblivious young girl
scout. The animation is top-notch, with expressive characters and
nuanced landscapes. As offerings from the Disney Sequel Factory go, this
one's pretty darn good, and at only an hour long it's no great
sacrifice of your time if you happen to disagree.
No comments:
Post a Comment