I’ve been trolling around the web this morning, checking out all of the reviews that have been posted to date for “The Fox & The Hound 2.” And the general consensus seems to be that this “midquel” to Walt Disney Productions’ 1981 release, “The Fox & The Hound,” is … Well … a dog.
Which — to me, anyway — seems kind of unfair.
Copyright 2006 Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Okay. I’ll grant you that this Jim Kammerud film has a very different style & tone than the first film. The original “Fox & the Hound” was basically this low-key animated feature that explored the nature of friendship. Whereas “The Fox & The Hound 2” … It’s more of a smart-ass show business-based tale. Where Little Copper — who can’t ever seem to do anything well enough to please his grouchy old owner, Amos Slade — is tempted to leave the farm & run off with an all-dog musical group, “The Singing Strays.”
But to just dismiss this new home premiere outright by calling it “yet another unnecessary sequel” … That doesn’t seem fair to the many talented folks who worked on “The Fox & The Hound 2.” I mean, if one were to just sit & actually watch this movie (Rather than automatically sit in judgment), you couldn’t help but notice how well animated this DisneyToon Studios production is.
Which is understandable. Given that — if you were to burrow deep down into the credits — you’ll find that master animator Eric Goldberg actually worked on “The Fox & The Hound 2.” Working with his talented wife, Sue, and their “Animation in the Basement” operation, these two contributed some memorable footage to this traditionally animated film.
Copyright 2006 Walt Disney Home Entertainment
And then there’s the alleged historical significance of this particular home premiere. If the current rumors coming off of the Disney lot actually prove to be true, “The Fox & The Hound 2” should be the last sequel / prequel / midquel that DisneyToon Studios will ever produce. Sort of.
To explain: While DTS is reportedly getting out of the sequel business, several already-in-production projects that support previously existing Disney franchises (I.E. Disney Princesses, Disney Fairies, Mickey Mouse & Winnie the Pooh) are still going forward. Which is why we’ll still see “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time” & “The Tinkerbell Movie: The Ring of Belief” in 2007 & “The Little Mermaid III” in 2008.
As to what this all means to Sharon Morrill, the head of DisneyToon Studios, and the rest of Sharon’s charges who are currently holed up in the Frank Wells building … Who can say? Sure, the movies that Morrill & Co. made over the past 12 years have added hundreds of millions of dollars to the Disney Company’s bottom line. But at the same time — by flooding the market with these “brand extenders” — some have argued that the Mouse accidentally undercut the value of its own traditional animation operation. Which led to that unit actually being shuttered back in 2003.
Copyright 2006 Walt Disney Home Entertainment
And given that Ed Catmull & John Lasseter, the new ubermeisters, are reportedly this*close to officially reviving the studio’s traditional animation unit … Well, it just doesn’t make sense that DisneyToon Studios would still be allowed to produce home premieres that could then be seen as competition (sort of) for these new traditionally animated productions like “Enchanted” and “The Frog Princess.”
Which brings us back to “The Fox & The Hound 2.” Which — in a way — is the end of the line. At least for this sort of film from the Mouse Factory.
And — if that’s really the case … Well, I guess that we can at least say DisneyToon Studios’ home premiere business went out on top. For “The Fox & The Hound 2” is certainly a good looking movie. And it features animation that rivals the quality of the work that WDFA was turning out back in the mid-1980s (circa “Oliver & Company“).
Okay. So the screenplay that Rich Burns & Roger S.H. Schulman created for this midquel is loaded with anachronisms. I mean, if Amos Slade is supposed to be this backwoodsman from the 1930s, then why is he suddenly spouting ESPN-friendly terms like “three-peat” ? And since when is kindly old Widow Tweed channeling for Moe Howard ?
Copyright 2006 Walt Disney Home Entertainment
And what’s the deal with “The Singing Strays,” anyway? At the end of this movie, these dogs are shown performing on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. And then Widow Tweed is shown shaking her booty as the Strays’ new hit song is played on the radio … Does that mean that these canine quintet can now actually sing? Or do they (as we were clearly shown in the state fair sequence of this home premiere) just howl?
*Sigh*
It’s probably not good to ask too many probing questions about an animated feature like this. Which is — after all — just a cartoon. Which is why I should probably try & overlook this film’s faults and — instead — stress all of “The Fox & The Hound 2” ‘s positives. Like the great voice work that Reba McEntire, Patrick Swayze and Vicki Lawrence all do for this home premiere. And the several spritely tunes that Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town and Lucas Grabeel have contributed to this movie’s soundtrack.
Beyond that … I guess it’s now time to call in the dogs and see if the Walt Disney Company actually does put this sequel studio to sleep. Or — now that DisneyToon Studios has completed its work on “The Fox & The Hound 2” — whether Sharon Morrill is able to teach this old dog of a unit some new tricks.
Your thoughts?