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Fox And The Hound (The)
R1 - America - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (13th November 2006). |
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The Film
 It's hard to believe that 25 years has passed since "The Fox And The Hound" was released into cinemas, the years go by so fast and you don't realize it until you see the DVD packaging proclaim it an 'Anniversary Edition', once the minor shock wares off that you've aged a considerable amount over that time, the memories of a classic film re-enter the thoughts. "The Fox And The Hound" holds a special place in my memory, It was the first Disney film I had seen as a kid that I actually liked at the time. Some may say otherwise but I was a pretty savvy kid back then and didn't care for singy-dancy-happy-all-the-time-sugar-coated fairy tales that the House of the Mouse made their coin off of, such films as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) and "Cinderella" (1950) never interested me, and they still don't (although I did like "The Little Mermaid" (1989) and "The Lion King" (1994)...I know what you're thinking and I can't understand it either). "The Fox And The Hound" however was something else entirely, the film continued a tradition of talking animal films but this time they weren't cute bunnies or whatever falls under that category the animals were a Fox (a predatory creature) and a Hound (who helps hunters seek out the Fox for game). Now this was something I could sink my teeth into! I somehow managed to block out the fact that the filmmakers did in fact cute-i-fy these animals for animation, after all this is a kid's film. In any case "The Fox And The Hound" not only managed to garner my interest as a child but others too and was a box office success. "The Fox And The Hound" tells the story of a Fox, Tod, who lost his mother when she was killed by a hunter. Tod was found alone by Big Mama, an woodland owl that helped Tod find a home with a local Widow. While on the farm Tod makes friends with a young blood hound, Copper. They quickly form a bond, but after a long winter the two have grown up. Copper has been trained as a hunting dog, but Tod still thinks they can be friends but when an accident nearly kills Chief the elder dog, Copper vows revenge on Tod who was the cause of the accident while running away for his life. "The Fox And The Hound" would be the first Disney animated film released in four years back in 1981, the film's production was compromised when animators left to work for another company, it was also considered a transitional film for the Disney company. The film was made by the more recently trained Disney animators as opposed to Walt's Disney's "nine old men" as they neared retirement from the long careers creating memorable animations over the years. Additionally this film would be the last animated project undertaken by Disney made with entirely analogue techniques. The result is classic cell animation, a lost art nowadays with CGI animation taking over, it's refreshing to watch a traditionally animated film once in a while, however I'm sure that the style might seem dated to the modern crop of kids. Despite the archaic animation, the film's story and themes are what holds it together. Themes of friendship and bond can be appreciated by anyone from any culture that speaks any language. Some themes and concepts are limitless, additionally there is a deeper message of prejudice and bigotry and that these attitudes can destroy even the strongest of relationships. You can always count on Disney to deliver an emotionally charged message to the masses. Unlike most Disney films however, it does not have a clean cut happy ending, a staple of Disney feature animations. Some would consider the ending happy but certainly not in the traditional sense, I would categorise it as a bittersweet conclusion. A brave move from the new crop of storytellers from the Disney family with their first major feature, I was also somewhat surprised with the violence in the film but also welcomed it, it adds a level of depth and reality to the film that many classic Disney films lack. From Tod's mother's death to Chief's accident on the railway line ending with the exhilarating fight with the grizzly bear at the film's end. All good stuff. The film did have it's light hearted moments and these came in the form of the comedy relief characters, Dinky and Boomer. Two birds after a caterpillar that manages to out smart them and avoid capture. Their "Laurel and Hardy" antics are amusing and delightful. "The Fox And The Hound" has entered the 'classic' domain 25 years after its release and still remains a fantastic film for both kids and adults. Highly recommended.
Video
Presented in a 1.33:1 full screen ratio, there has been some controversy over the film's original aspect ratio. Some sources state that the film was presented in 1.66:1, other claim 1.75:1 and thus far Disney has never released the film in a widescreen ratio on any home video format. It's also difficult to say whether this transfer is open matte or pan and scan. In any case this transfer is much better than the previous DVD release, but still still far from being perfect. The image contains a lot of print flaws such as white lines and specks primarily in the opening credit which looks faded. The image quality fluctuates from soft to sharp, with many mid-shots and wide shot being quite soft. I also noticed some other print flaws such as dirt. The transfer is still watchable but it would have been nice if Disney had given the film a full restoration considering it is its 25th anniversary.
Audio
Three audio tracks are included for this release, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as a French Dolby Digital 5.1 and a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its English soundtrack, which has all the makings of an up-mixed mono track. The dialogue is clear but the depth is non-existent. Surrounds are used rarely and the track is mainly focused towards the front speakers. Optional subtitles are also included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
The disc is broken down into sections the first section is: Music & More We have a "The Best of Friends" sing-along which runs for 2 minutes 28 seconds, the video plays with lyrics at the bottom of the screen, you can sing them with or without the help of Big Mama. The next section is Games & Activities in this section you will find: "Forest Friendship" game with alternate "Find and Match" mode is a game where you use your arrow keys on your remote to help Copper find Tod who is hinding somewhere. "Disney Storytime" DVD storybook: "New Best Friends" (you can choose from "Read-Along" and "Read-To-Yourself" modes that features Big Mama reading out the story of how Tod and Copper became friends. The final section is Backstage Disney which features: "Passing the Baton" a featurette that runs for 6 minutes 35 seconds and tells us about the new animators that starting work on this film taking over from the 'nine old men' of Disney. It's short and features very little that is memorable or worthwhile. Next up is an art gallery that features 14 pages of art work from sketches to charcoal drawings and final art from the production of the film and provides a wonderful illustrative resource. 2 cartoon short films are also featured on this disc, they are: - "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" from 1952 and runs for 8 minutes 16 seconds. A wonderful little short about a Lion raised by sheep. - "Lend a Paw" from 1941 which runs for 8 minutes 7 seconds. This is a Mickey Mouse short that has Pluto competing with a stray kitten. Rounding out the extras are a series of bonus trailers for: - "Cars" which runs for 1 minute 8 seconds. - "The Fox and the Hound 2" which runs for 1 minute 20 seconds. - "Peter Pan: Platinum Edition" which runs for 1 minute 35 seconds. - "Meet the Robinsons" which runs for 52 seconds. - "Cinderella III: A Twist in Time" which runs for 1 minute 10 seconds. - "Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: A Kingdom of Kindness" which runs for 1 minute 12 seconds. - "Tinker Bell" which runs for 1 minute 29 seconds. - "Air Buddies" which runs for 38 seconds. - "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" Disney Channel promo which runs for 32 seconds. - "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey Saves Santa and Other Mouseketales" which runs for 20 seconds. The first four previews listed are start-up previews and can be skipped. I wish that more substantial extras could have been included for this new release, aside from the slightly better transfer and 5.1 sound (which isn't that great) it doesn't leave fans with much of a reason to upgrade from the older Gold Collection release. Unless you have some kids that like gimmicky interactive games.
Packaging
This DVD is packaged in an amaray case that is housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
Considering we have yet to confirm the actual ratio, I cannot give the picture transfer a total fail.
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