Toon Talk: The Fox and the Hound DVD - Oct 17, 2006

Toon Talk: The Fox and the Hound DVD
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(c) Disney

In the end, The Fox and the Hound is a pleasant if dull minor entry in Disney animation, hardly the fitting swan song nor hint of future greatness its pedigree would suggest.

THE FOX AND THE HOUND: THE CAST

The Fox and the Hound featured an all-star cast of Disney favorites:

  • Jack Albertson (Amos Slade) also appeared in The Shaggy Dog, Son of Flubber and A Tiger Walks.
  • Richard Bakalyan (Dinky) co-starred in Follow Me, Boys!; Never a Dull Moment; The Shaggy D.A.; Return from Witch Mountain and all three Dexter Reilly movies.
  • The distinctive voice of Pat Buttram (Chief) can also be heard in The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and A Goofy Movie.
  • Sandy Duncan (Vixey) made her film debut in The Million Dollar Duck and went on to star in two memorable TV specials set in Disneyland; she also co-starred in The Cat from Outer Space.
  • John Fiedler (Porcupine) will always be remembered as the long-running voice of Piglet; he was also heard in Robin Hood, The Rescuers and The Emperor’s New Groove.
  • Soon after his role as the young Tod in Fox, Keith Mitchell changed his professional name to Keith Coogan (his grandfather was silent film star Jackie Coogan) and co-starred in Adventures in Babysitting and Cheetah.
  • John McIntire (Badger) was in Herbie Rides Again and Turner and Hooch and voiced Rufus in The Rescuers, which also co-starred his wife …
  • … Jeanette Nolan (Widow Tweed) as Ellie Mae; she also appeared in several Disney television shows with her husband.
  • Mickey Rooney (Tod) starred in Pete’s Dragon and was most recently heard in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure.
  • Kurt Russell starred as Dexter Reilly in three popular comedies and many other Disney movies, including The One and Only, Genuine Original Family Band; The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit; The Barefoot Executive; Charley and the Angel; Superdad; Captain Ron; Tombstone; Miracle and Sky High.
  • Yes, that’s Paul Winchell’s Tigger-esque voice as Boomer the woodpecker; in addition to his many turns as Tigger, he can be heard in The Aristocats and Adventures of the Gummi Bears.

Disney’s 24th “Animated Classic�?, The Fox and the Hound was first released in 1981, followed by a theatrical re-release in 1988 before making it’s way to VHS and, eventually, DVD in 2000’s so-called “Gold Collection�?. That edition was far from “golden�?, with a full-screen image and murky transfer. Amazingly, the new “25th Anniversary Edition�? (available in stores today) appears to be pretty much the same quality as the previous release. Even with my lackluster response to the film itself, I feel it should deserve at least a proper restoration, which it is obviously screaming for with the muddy, washed out appearance on display here. Padded with redundant cartoons and some leftover extras from the film’s laserdisc release, this “Anniversary Edition�? is hardly worth celebrating (or upgrading to) and is clearly geared to pre-promote the upcoming Fox and the Hound 2 DVD due later this year.