Disney Era Analysis – The Fox and the Hound
As mentioned in the first blog post in this series, I’ll be writing analysis content on all 60+ Disney animated feature films and their film making eras.
The fourth era is the Bronze Age, which ran from 1970 to 1988 and started with The Aristocats. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Bronze Age is also known as the “Dark Age,” as the films during this era were the first ones made after Walt Disney’s death.
Without Walt Disney’s creative direction, the animators tried new things with the animation style during this era, which ended up being criticised as cheap and lazy, due to their use of xerography and recycling animation. As well as the heavy use of xerography and recycling animation, this era is also known for its darker and edgier films, which were the brainchild of the then-new generation of animators from Cal Arts.
So how well did The Fox and the Hound measure up to these famous features?
Use of xerography and recycling animation:
The famous black lines from the xerography process was very clearly seen, specifically with the designs of the characters, both human and animal.
In terms of recycling animation, I couldn’t spot any obvious recycling, however there was some sound recycling with the bear’s snarl being the same snarl as Shere Khan from The Jungle Book and the crocodiles (Brutus and Nero) from The Rescuers. There was also a recycling of a plot element, with the death of Tod’s mother being similar to the death of Bambi’s mother in Bambi.
Some interesting animation tidbits about this film include the fact that it was Disney’s first animated feature film to use computer graphics, and that it was one of few Disney animated feature films to show blood.
Being a darker and edgier film:
Like its predecessor, this film definitely had its darker and edgier moments, such as the start of the film, the hunting scenes, and the climactic battle scene between Tod, Copper, Amos, and the bear. However the film as a whole wasn’t completely dark and edgy, as it had comedic and musical elements as well.
My overall thoughts:
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this film, not because it was a bad quality film, but because the tone of the film was uneven; starting dark and tense, then becoming cutesy with Tod and Copper’s friendship as pups, then musical and comedic, than back to dark, and ending on a heartbreaking note. I also felt that the film was trying to tell two stories at once – Tod and Copper’s friendship, and Tod’s romance with Vixey, and that also made the film feel uneven, especially its plot and premise.
This film, as a whole, felt a little all over the place.
The next part of the Disney Era Analysis series will focus on The Black Cauldron.
Fun Facts and Trivia (according to the film’s IMDb page):
- At the time of the release, this was the most expensive animated feature film made.
References:
Loveday Writing 