Cap und Capper
The ending of Mannix's novel and "The Belstone Fox" film are similar to each other, though inverted. In the Mannix novel, the now elderly fox drops dead when the hound chases him to the point of exhaustion. While the hound initially lives, the hunter must later euthanize him upon being forced into a nursing home. In James Hill's film, the fox and the hound reconcile with each other and survive but the hunter himself drops dead of a sudden heart attack while pursuing the fox. Meanwhile, the Disney version of "The Fox and the Hound" ends with the hunter giving up his quest for vengeance after the fox and the hound reconcile once the fox saves the hunter's life. The ending varies in different editions of Rook's novel, with some versions being closer to the Disney film. A British edition of the novel entitled "The Belstone Fox" to tie in with the film largely ends as Rook's picture does. There is the slight difference that the hunter dies from pneumonia after collapsing of exhaustion rather than a heart attack, despite the best efforts of both the fox and the hound to keep him warm using their body heat. An American edition of the tie-in novel carries the alternative title "Free Spirit" and is closer to the Disney version of "The Fox and the Hound". In "Free Spirit", the hunter gives up his quest for vengeance after the fox and the hound save the hunter's life by successfully insulating him.