O Cão e a Raposa

I really liked the way this film followed two different characters on their life journeys. It was a departure from the usual Disney plot structure. These characters are well fleshed out and engaging. The only reason I didn't rate this higher was because of a certain unbelievable bridge scene.

This is without a doubt one of Disney's most under appreciated classics. Great animation, fantastic voice acting and lovable characters and before all the PC nonsense that bogs down most newer Disney productions. This is Disney at its best, much better than the likes of Hunchback, Tarzan, Pochonatas, Hercules, Aladdin etc. If you haven't seen this one, give it a try, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise!

One of Disney's finest motion pictures, extremely underrated and forgotten to a pulp. Kurt Russell, Mickey Rooney and even Corey Feldman all give their talent to this story of a fox and a hound who become friends, only to turn on themselves in later years because they are expected to. Not only is the film engaging, but it also has a metaphorical story going on. I understand it is supposed to represent humans and racism, but apart from the preachiness of it all the film is quite good on the level of a whole. A definite must-see. The ending is bittersweet and at many times during the film you will actually start to feel for these creatures. On a sidenote, I used to have a dog just like the one in this movie. It was just like the one in this film.

**** 1/2 out of *****

This has got to be one of the most underappreciated Disney classics yet. The Fox and the Hound is probably the most heartwarming Disney film yet. It mixes humor, action, and romance as well as any other Disney film, except for a select few such as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, or Tarzan. Nevertheless, I cannot believe this is rated only a 6.6. Several Disney films that are rated above this movie come nowhere near close to it in quality (i.e. Snow White, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, etc...). I cannot comprehend how it is rated so low...9/10 (Ranks right up there with the likes of Robin Hood and Pinocchio).

Looking back as child having watched this film, it never struck me for anything more than fuzzy/singing/talking animals that pandered to all my childish wants and needs. After all, that's why you watched Disney movies as a kid, right? It's just what you did in your childhood.

Now, watching it again, about to embark on adulthood and all that it entails, it really moved me. How Todd and Copper, a young fox and a hound were the best of friends. Todd having been taken in by a kindly old women and nursed backed to health while right next door, Copper, owned by a mean and bitter old hunter, is being groomed as hunting dog.

Yet, like children, they don't judge. They don't know about the differences between each other and they don't care. They just want to play hide and seek. It is when they grow older that they realize that it was never meant to be. How sometimes societal rules can stamp out the most innocent of ventures. Much like becoming an adult, reality sets in. Life is unfair.

It's a truly beautiful movie, for it's simplistic yet universal message and unlike the vast library of previous Disney inventions, as stated before, it lacks the happy ending. The proverbial feel good formula that is the frame work for all Disney movies. It's because of it's bittersweet delivery and surprising realism, that it's become a lifeline to my childhood that I will carry with me for as long as I live.