The Fox and the Hound

***The Fox and the Hound*** is a 1981 American animatit drama film produced bi Walt Disney Productions an loosely based on the novelle o the same name bi Daniel P. Mannix. The 24t Disney animatit featur film, the film tells the story o twa unlikely freends, a reid tod namit Tod an a hoond dug namit Copper, that struggle tae preserve thair freendship despite thair emergin instincts an the surroondin social pressures demandin them tae be adversaries. Directit bi Ted Berman, Richard Rich, an Art Stevens, the film featurs the vyces o Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Dick Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Keith Mitchell, an Corey Feldman.

*The Fox and the Hound* wis released tae theaters on Julie 10, 1981 tae financial success. At the time o release it wis the maist expensive animatit film produced tae date, costin $12 million. It wis re-released tae theaters on Mairch 25, 1988. A direct-tae-video follow-up, *[[The Fox and the Hound 2]]*, wis released tae DVD on December 12, 2006.

## Cast

* Mickey Rooney as Tod
* Kurt Russell as Copper
* Pearl Bailey as Big Mama
* Jack Albertson as Amos Slade
* Sandy Duncan as Vixey
* Jeanette Nolan as Widow Tweed
* Pat Buttram as Chief
* John Fiedler as The Porcupine
* John McIntire as The Badger
* Dick Bakalyan as Dinky
* Paul Winchell as Boomer
* Keith Mitchell as Young Tod
* Corey Feldman as Young Copper

## Production
### Development
Wolfgang Reitherman read the oreeginal novelle an foond it parteecularly touchin acause ane o his sons haed ance ained a pet tod years afore. He decidit that it wad mak for a good animatit featur for which production began in spring 1977. The teetle wis initially reported as *The Fox and the Hounds*, but the filmmakers dropped the plural as the story began tae focus mair an mair on the twa leads. Reitherman wis the film's oreeginal director alang wi Art Stevens as co-director. A power struggle atween the twa directors an co-producer Ron Miller broke out ower key sections o the film wi Miller supportin the younger Stevens. Miller instructed Reitherman tae surrender reins ower tae the junior personnel, but Reitherman resisted due tae a lack o trust in the young animators.

In an earlier version o the film, Chief wis slated tae die as he did in the novelle. Houaniver, the scene wis modified tae hae Chief survive wi a cast on his back paw. Animator Ron Clements, that had briefly transitioned intae the story department, protested that "Chief has to die. The picture doesn't work if he just breaks his leg. Copper doesn't have motivation to hate the fox." Likwise, younger members o the story team pleaded wi Stevens tae hae Chief killed. Stevens countered that "Geez, we never killed a main character in a Disney film and we're not starting now!" The younger crew members took the problem tae upper management that wad back Stevens as weel. Ollie Johnston's test animation o Chief stompin aroond the hoose wi his leg in a cast wis eventually kept, an Randy Cartwright re-animatit the scene whaur Copper finds Chief's body an haed him animate Chief's eyes openin an closin sae the audience knew that he wis nae deid.

Anither fecht erupted when Reitherman, thinkin that the film lacked a strang seicont act, decided tae add a muisical sequence o twa swoopin cranes voiced bi Phil Harris an Charo that wad sing a silly sang titled "Scoobie-Doobie Doobie Doo, Let Your Body Turn to Goo" tae Tod efter he wis dropped in the forest. Charo haed recorded the sang an voice tracks which were storyboarded, an live-action reference footage wis shot o her in a sweaty pink leotard. Houaniver, the scene wis strongly disliked bi studio personnel that felt the sang wis a distraction frae the main plot wi Stevens statin "We can't let that sequence in the movie! It's totally out of place!" Stevens notified studio management an efter mony story conferences, the scene wis removed. Reitherman later walked intae Stevens's office, slumped in a chair, an said, "I dunno, Art, maybe this is a young man's medium." He later muived on tae undeveloped projects sic as *Catfish Bend* an died in a car accident in 1985.

### Animation
Bi late 1978, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, an Cliff Nordberg haed competit thair animation. Thomas haed animatit scenes o Tod an Copper usin dialogue Larry Clemmons haed written an recorded wi the bairn actors. This project wad mark the last film tae have the involvement o the Disney's Nine Old Men that had retired early durin production, an animation wis turned over tae the next generation o directors an animators, which included John Lasseter, John Musker, Ron Clements, Glen Keane, Tim Burton, Brad Bird, Henry Selick, Chris Buck, an Mark Dindal, all o whom wad finalize the animation an complete the film's production. These animators had moved through the in-hoose animation trainin program, an wad play an important role in the Disney Renaissance o the 1980s an 1990s.

Houaniver, the transition atween the auld guard an the new resulted in arguments over how tae handle the film. Reitherman haed his own ideas on the designs an layouts that should be used, but the newer team backed Stevens. Animator Don Bluth animatit several scenes includin o Widow Tweed milkin her cow, Abigail, while his team worked on the rest o the sequence, an when Tweed fires at Amos Slade's automobile. Housomeiver, Bluth an the new animators felt that Reitherman wis too stern an oot o touch, an on his 42nd birthday, September 13, 1979, Bluth, alang wi Gary Goldman an John Pomeroy, entered Ron Miller's office an turned in thair resignation. Follaein thair resignations, 13 animators follaed suit in thair resignations. Though Bluth an his team had animatit substantial scenes, thay asked nae tae receive screen credit.

Wi 17% o the animators nou gone, Miller ordered aw o the resignin animators aff the studio lot bi noon o that same day an wad later push the release o *The Fox and the Hound* frae Christmas 1980 tae summer 1981. New animators were hired an promoted tae fill the ranks. Tae compensate for the lack o experience o the new animators, much o the quality control wad rely upon a corp o veteran assistant animators. Fower years efter production started, the film wis finished wi approximately 360,000 drawings, 110,000 painted cels an 1,100 painted backgrounds makin up the finished product. A total o 180 people, includin 24 animators, worked on the film.

### Casting
Early intae production, the principal chairacters sic as young Tod an Copper, Big Mama, an Amos Slade haed already been cast. The supportin chairacters were cast bi Disney voice regulars includin Pat Buttram for Chief, Paul Winchell for Boomer, an Mickey Rooney for adult Tod that had just finished filmin *[[Pete's Dragon (1977 film)|Pete's Dragon]]*. Jeanette Nolan wis the second choice for Widow Tweed efter Helen Hayes turned down the pairt. The last role tae be cast wis for adult Copper. Jackie Cooper haed auditioned for the role, but left the project when he demanded mair money than the studio wis willin tae pey. While filmin the *[[Elvis (1979 film)|Elvis]]* telly film, former Disney bairn actor Kurt Russell wis cast follaein a readin that haed impressed the filmmakers, an completed his dialogue in twa recordin sessions.

## References

## Bibliography

* 
* 
* 
* 

## Freemit airtins

* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
*