The Fox and the Hound DVD (25th Anniversary Edition) (1981)

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The Fox and the Hound marked the last collaboration between Disney's older artists, including three of the "Nine Old Men" (Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Woolie Reitherman), and the young animators who would make the record-breaking films of the '90s. Based on a book by Daniel P. Mannix, the film tells the story of a bloodhound puppy and a fox kit who begin as friends but are forced to become enemies. Tod and Copper barely establish their friendship before Copper begins his training as hunting dog. Unfortunately, neither character develops much of a personality, which makes it difficult to care about them. The screen comes alive near end of the film, when Tod and Copper have to join forces to fight off an enormous bear. It had been years since Disney produced a sequence with this kind of feral power--and years would pass before they surpassed it. The Fox and the Hound ranks as one of the studio's lesser efforts, but it suggests that better films were soon to follow.   This special 25th Anniversary edition includes the classic 1981 The Fox and the Hound movie in its entirety and an abundance of special features including a Backstage Disney featurette, two interactive hide-and-seek games, sing-along, read-along, art gallery, and two Disney shorts. The fascinating six-and-a-half minute Backstage Disney segment "Passing the Baton" emphasizes the The Fox and the Hound's place as a historical turning point in Disney animation; chronicling the process by which legendary animators Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston, three of "Disney's Nine Old Men" whose names were synonymous with Disney Animation from the Snow White era, began work on The Fox and the Hound characters and their relationships and then encouraged a whole new generation of young Disney animators including Glen Keane, Randy Cartwright, Ron Clements, and John Musker to build upon that foundation, completing the movie's animation and effectively initiating a whole new chapter in Disney animation that would later culminate in movies like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. The "Passing the Baton" segment also touches upon The Fox and the Hound's underlying messages about friendship, racial prejudice, stereotyping, and bigotry. The "Art Gallery" features a large selection of original art from the movie and includes concept art rendered in both pastels and storyboard pencil sketches, live action footage shot with co-director Art Stevens acting as Amos Slade, footage of voice and musical talent, as well as merchandising and publicity art. Two captivating, eight-minute bonus shorts are also included. The 1951 Lambert the Sheepish Lion tells the story of a young lion cub mistakenly delivered to a mother sheep by a confused stork and promotes acceptance and tolerance of diversity and the 1941 Lend A Pawis a Mickey Mouse short in which Pluto rescues a drowning kitten and learns important lessons about kindness and acceptance.

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