A Disney "classic" that before I had rewatched it for reviewing purposes I hadn't seen in way too long. You could also accuse this Disney film of having some darker overtones to the story. Maybe this is just my mind at work here, maybe due to my love of horror films, but there does seem to be death that looms over the story. What is great though is that it is not a dark look at death, but rather a realistic view at it.
The story is about a little fox named Tod (Keith Coogan) whose mother is shot and killed. It does sort of have a little bit of a BAMBI like beginning. Yet, little Tod is taken in by a sweet old lady named Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan). Across the way is the miserable Amos Slade (Jack Albertson) who just happens to have a new hunting dog named Copper (Corey Feldman). The two befriend each other, but as time passes the older Copper (Kurt Russell) now wants to hunt and kill his old friend Tod (Mickey Rooney).
Film also includes Pearl Bailey as Big Mama, Pat Burttram as Chief and Paul Winchell as Boomer. They all do a wonderful job and the voices really add to the richness and enjoyment of the film. There really are great secondary characters here and are not underwritten. Boomer is particularly great as he is almost like Bill Murray in CADDYSHACK. His whole point to the film is to catch a caterpillar that he does in great comic fashion. The music by Buddy Baker really works and is quite effective.
The story is about a little fox named Tod (Keith Coogan) whose mother is shot and killed. It does sort of have a little bit of a BAMBI like beginning. Yet, little Tod is taken in by a sweet old lady named Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan). Across the way is the miserable Amos Slade (Jack Albertson) who just happens to have a new hunting dog named Copper (Corey Feldman). The two befriend each other, but as time passes the older Copper (Kurt Russell) now wants to hunt and kill his old friend Tod (Mickey Rooney).
Film also includes Pearl Bailey as Big Mama, Pat Burttram as Chief and Paul Winchell as Boomer. They all do a wonderful job and the voices really add to the richness and enjoyment of the film. There really are great secondary characters here and are not underwritten. Boomer is particularly great as he is almost like Bill Murray in CADDYSHACK. His whole point to the film is to catch a caterpillar that he does in great comic fashion. The music by Buddy Baker really works and is quite effective.