A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Fox and the Hound -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I had never seen The Fox and the Hound. In the post-classic world of Disney, especially after the discovery of Xerox, things weren't what they had been in the past.


With feature animation releasing initial product in 1937 with Snow White, things seems to get better and better. Think about it. Pinocchio, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, the under-appreciated Alice...


Scripts and technology synchronized toward the creation of some of the finest works to hit the great silver sheet.


Even the '60s, another odd period, had The Jungle Book. And some fine films even came out of the '70s. The Aristocats and Robin Hood led to The Rescuers, a sweet and entertaining film. But right around 1980 it almost seems as if the studio ran out of animation steam, and The Fox and the Hound is a perfect example. Animated seemed to be placed on the back burner.


The Fox and the Hound is a sweet, entertaining film for kids, with adequate animation that is, unfortunately, no match for what had come before -- or two decades after, when the studio was finally able to recapture that earlier magic around 1989.


And this leaves The Fox and the Hound in that middle era where things just weren't firing on all 16 cylinders.


As a Blu-ray disc, the film looks good, but certainly not great. This could go back to how it was created, as I presume the elements were handled correctly.


What we could use right now is a Blu-ray of The Little Mermaid.


RAH

 

[Khai L]

Totally agree that we need a Little Mermaid on blu-ray. The DVD was pretty shocking, particularly compared with other Disney high profile releases such as Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. With such a disappointing DVD, here's hoping Disney do the right thing with A Little Mermaid whenever the bluray comes out.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Totally agree that we need a Little Mermaid on blu-ray. The DVD was pretty shocking, particularly compared with other Disney high profile releases such as Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. With such a disappointing DVD, here's hoping Disney do the right thing with A Little Mermaid whenever the bluray comes out.

I only have the first edition of the Little Mermaid dvd, which was pretty durn early in the days of dvd itself. And yeah--it's one crummy looking disc, especially when I try to upconvert it. Forget it! But rest assured, Disney will let Ariel swim through Blu waters soon enough. I have no doubt it'll be at least as good as the "Beauty and the Beast" blu...

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley



I only have the first edition of the Little Mermaid dvd, which was pretty durn early in the days of dvd itself. And yeah--it's one crummy looking disc, especially when I try to upconvert it. Forget it!

But rest assured, Disney will let Ariel swim through Blu waters soon enough. I have no doubt it'll be at least as good as the "Beauty and the Beast" blu...

I never even bothered to upgrade from the late 1990s laserdisc of Mermaid after I read HTF's review of the audio on the Platinum edition (I had met the guy who reviewed it, and he had told me the story behind the infamous Disney Enhanced Home Theater remix of Mary Poppins: they outsourced the remix work to a New York firm who was unfamiliar with the film). The Blu-Ray should be better.


With Fox & Hound, on the other hand, I think this is as good as it gets, considering the lack of affinity for 1970s and pre-Mermaid 1980s titles among Disney management and the animation community, so I'll pick it up, as I only owned it on VHS—there was no US laserdisc and the two DVDs used the 1990s transfer. I just wish they had done more with extras, even if it's just trailers or sketches, or make the first film available separately.

 

[Charles Smith]

I appreciate these words on The Fox and the Hound, because it's from a period in which I wasn't following Disney much, if at all. Then in recent years, while finally catching up with the good stuff, I'd see this DVD in stores and I'd always wonder if it was one of those I could end up liking. A couple of friends said no, they didn't much like it and I was less likely to like it, and I went with that. This clinches it. I did discover, long after the fact, those other gems from the 1960s and 1970s that RAH mentions, so this is all perfectly consistent with how my own tastes have run with Disney. Thank you all, and here's to better things.

 

[Sam Favate]

In relation to this film, I always recall a quote from Tim Burton on his days as a Disney animator: "What's the point if all you're going to do is the Fox and the Hound?"


That kind of dismissal is a bit unfair, since as RAH says, it is a sweet kids' film. But it's nowhere near the heights of what came before or what followed.

In addition to Mermaid, I'd like to see Robin Hood on blu-ray. One of my favorites; love the animation and the Roger Miller tunes.

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

I am just thrilled that THE FOX and the HOUND opens with the original Buena Vista Distribution logo and not a new updated WDP Pixar logo.


I watched the first 15 mins of the film last nite, and it looked decent enough as transfers for animation goes. True it isn't a restoration overhaul which can sometimes be more controversial when many complain over the coloring etc of new BD releases of Fantasia, Beauty and the Beast etc. I am happy with the release but wish we got original film trailers with these releases.

 

[Johnny Angell]

My wife and I both had an intense emotional reaction to the Fox and the Hound when

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

the fox is abandoned in the woods.

That really bothered us and we have never wanted to see it again. I can probably count on one hand the number of films that have effected me that way and caused me not to see the film again. This is not a criticism of the film, just a reaction.

 

[robbbb1138]

While it sucks that they're not getting a Platinum-level restoration, I'm hoping that this, Dumbo, and Alice in Wonderland being released throughout the year (not just 2 Disney animated titles per year) is something we can expect even more of in 2012. Not everything will get a Platinum edition and I'd like to see stuff like Tarzan, Hunchback, Rescuers, etc. on Blu-Ray before 2018.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by robbbb1138

While it sucks that they're not getting a Platinum-level restoration, I'm hoping that this, Dumbo, and Alice in Wonderland being released throughout the year (not just 2 Disney animated titles per year) is something we can expect even more of in 2012. Not everything will get a Platinum edition and I'd like to see stuff like Tarzan, Hunchback, Rescuers, etc. on Blu-Ray before 2018.

I would, too, but please, Disney, don't forget Hercules which is one of my favorites.