July 10, 1981 – The 24th Animated Feature Film, The Fox and the Hound, is Released to Theaters
“My, my, look at that. A fox and a hound, playing together.”
On July 10, 1981, the animated feature film The Fox and the Hound was released to theaters. The film was loosely based on the novel by Daniel P. Mannix, and is notable for being the premiere effort of a new generation of animators, including John Lasseter, who would go on to help create Pixar. The film was directed by Art Stevens, Ted Berman, and Richard Rich. It stars Mickey Rooney as Adult Tod, Keith Mitchell as Young Tod, Kurt Russell as Adult Copper, Corey Feldman as Young Copper, Pearl Bailey as Big Mama, Pat Buttram as Chief, Sandy Duncan as Vixey, Dick Bakalyan as Dinky, Paul Winchell as Boomer, Jack Albertson as Amos Slade, and Jeanette Nolan as Widow Tweed.
The film began production in 1977, but was delayed by a dark part of Disney’s history: Don Bluth and a group of animators defected from the studio, wanting to make films that were reminiscent of the glory days of Disney animation, which they strongly believed couldn’t be done at the Disney studios at that time. There were many arguments in-house about how the film should be handled, with Wolfgang Reitherman, one of the members of the Nine Old Men, championing the idea that the film stay true to the book, which was much darker, ending with the deaths of both Tod and Copper. The film was changed, however, to make it more of a family film.
A baby fox is left by his mother at the edges of the Widow Tweed’s farm for his own protection
The film opens in the forest, where a mother fox is carrying her baby away to safety as she is being chased by dogs. The mother leaves her baby at a nearby farm before running off again; a gunshot is heard soon after. An owl named Big Mama flies down from her perch and calms the orphaned fox; with the help of Boomer the woodpecker and Dinky the finch, they alert the Widow Tweed, who decides to take in the fox and raise him. She names him Tod, after remarking that he is “such a little toddler.” Meanwhile, her next-door neighbor Amos Slade brings home a puppy, who he assures will grow into a hunting dog alongside his other dog, Chief.
Time passes, and Tod is growing nicely, curious about everything in the barn. He causes trouble when he tries to eat one of the chicks, and Abigail the cow kicks over the widow’s bucket of milk. Widow Tweed sends Tod out to play, and he spots Dinky and Boomer, hoping they’ll want to play. Dinky and Boomer, however, are on a mission to capture a caterpillar that keeps escaping their clutches. Tod turns to leave and spots a butterfly; curious, he begins to follow it, leading to Amos’s property. The puppy, now named Copper, smells Tod’s scent, and goes to find out what’s making that strange scent. They meet, and Tod asks Copper if he wants to play hide and seek. The two play for hours, quickly becoming the best of friends, until Copper is called back by Amos, in trouble for leaving.
Tod looks curiously at the sleeping Chief, while Copper continuously warns Tod to stay away
Early the next morning, Tod calls out for Copper to come play, and Copper sneaks past a sleeping Chief to go play in the woods, while Big Mama watches from a tree. Amos notices that Copper has gone missing, and calls out for him. Copper heads home, promising Tod to meet him tomorrow, but instead finds himself tied to his doghouse, unable to wander off again. Tod appears, wondering what happened to his friend, and when Copper says he has to stay home, Tod decides they can just play there. Copper warns Tod about Chief, and when Tod goes to take a look at the older dog, Copper can only hide his eyes. Chief opens his eyes to see Tod and attacks, chasing after the fox. Amos grabs his gun and begins to shoot as his farm erupts into chaos, and Tod races for home, jumping in Widow Tweed’s car as Amos begins to drive after her, shooting at the fox. Amos shoots the milk cans the widow is carrying, so the widow takes his gun and shoots his radiator. Amos threatens that the next time Tod is seen on his property, he will shoot him, and he won’t miss his shot.
Out of concern, the Widow Tweed decides that Tod will need to stay inside from them on. The two look out the window to see Amos, Chief and Copper going off on a hunting trip. Tod sneaks out of the crack in the window, wishing to say goodbye to his friend. Big Mama flies down from her perch and begins to teach Tod the truth about foxes and hounds, declaring that if Tod stays friends with Copper, he’s liable to be stuffed on Amos’s wall. Dinky and Boomer show up and open the door to Amos’s shed, showing Tod all the traps and pelts he has hanging up. Big Mama gives the upset Tod a hug, warning him again that Copper will come back a trained killer, but Tod refuses to believe his friend Copper will end up that way.
Caught trespassing in Amos’ yard again, Tod is chased by Chief and by Copper, and has to make a run for it in the woods
The seasons pass, with Tod waiting for Copper’s return, and Copper being taken out for hunting training. Chief soon becomes jealous that Copper is besting him in hunting. Finally, spring arrives, and Amos heads home. Tod hears Copper’s howling, and is excited, still convinced that Copper is still his best friend. That night, Tod heads over to Amos’s yard, and the two greet each other warmly before Copper warns him that he shouldn’t be there. Tod asks if they’re still friends, but Copper tells him that those days are over. Tod is heartbroken, and Chief wakes up, alerting Amos, who brings out his gun. Tod is chased through the woods, with Copper finding him. Copper leads Amos off the scent, telling Tod that he’ll let him go just this one time. As Tod tries to make his way home, he is caught by Chief on the railroad tracks, just as a train passes by. Chief is knocked from the tall tracks, badly injured. Copper blames Tod for Chief’s injury and swears vengeance. Tod makes his way home to the Widow Tweed, and Amos shows up at her door, ready to kill him. Although the widow is able to keep Amos away, she comes to the conclusion that although she loves Tod, she has to release him into the game preserve.
Tod has trouble acclimating to the woods after being considered a pet for so long. Caught in a storm, he runs into a porcupine, who offers him shelter for the night. Amos notices the widow coming back without Tod, and swears to Copper they’ll get him, showing the hound dog the trap he’ll use to catch him. The next morning, Big Mama is searching for Tod, and runs across a female fox named Vixey, giving Big Mama the idea to play matchmaker with the two. It’s love at first sight for Tod when he sees Vixey, and their romance begins on a rocky road, but the two come to understand their mutual attraction.
Copper steps in front of Amos’ gun, refusing to let his master shoot his friend
Consumed by revenge, Copper and Amos break into the game preserve to track down and kill Tod. The two set traps out all over the preserve, and Tod eventually comes into their line of sight, narrowly missing getting caught on Amos’s traps. Copper chases after him, with Tod warning Vixey to escape and head for the burrow. The two friends begins to battle it out, but Vixey and Tod end up trapped in their burrow, with Amos on the back end trying to smoke them out. The foxes narrowly escape, with Copper hot on their trail, until Amos and Copper run into a very angry bear. Amos is wounded in the scuffle with the bear, getting his foot caught in a trap. Copper runs to defend his master, and ends up battered by the bear. Tod hears his friend’s cries of pain and leaps into the fight, attacking the bear. Tod ends up in a precarious position over a cliff, and he and the bear fall down into the river below. Tod, fortunately, makes it out alive, although badly injured. Copper finds Todd, and Amos is ready to shoot him, but Copper steps in the way, protecting Tod from Amos’s gun. Amos lets Tod go free, and he and Copper go home.
The Widow Tweed is seen taking care of Amos, who continues to complain and keep his not-so-sunny demeanor. Copper and Chief are seen lying in the yard in their barrels, and Copper reminisces about when Copper and Tod swore to be friends forever. In the distance, Vixey sits with Tod as he watches over the people he once knew.
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