The Fox And The Hound [VHS] [1981]

I first saw this gem at my grandparent's house when I was about eight, and then several more times till I was 11. The story I find is lovable and gripping, and is just one of the most enjoyable and emotional Disney films of all time. It was made in 1981, only 22 years ago, but the animation still remains lovable to this day, as are the characters. Some scenes are sad and emotional, others are exciting, and some are just hilarious!! I am thinking about buying this now considering I haven't seen it for nearly five years! Though some say it is aimed for kids, I would say this is for anyone of any age. I may be 16 now, but that has not stopped me from enjoying this underrated masterpiece, and I'm sure many people around and above my age will agree with me. This film is has plenty of bright, uplifting scenes perfect for a rainy day. Scarily enough I cannot watch this film without weeping at least once!
You can never be too old to enjoy a Disney film. This is by far one of the best. If you want it, buy it. I know I will!

Disney films have been the best part of childhood. Its always been a magical thing for me and i still get that lovely feeling everytime i watch one. Its about a fox called Tod and a Hound dog named Copper. They become best friends until Copper goes away to be trained as a hunting dog. If you haven't watched it i wont spoil it, but its great. It teachs children the value of friendship. There's great characters like Dinky and Boomer, two birds desperate to get the same caterpillar, and Chief, an old dog who is grumpy and miserable. altogether another classic Disney film!

Disney's Fox & The Hound is considered to be only a minor classic. Produced during Disney's 80's doldrums it suffers from a lack of pace and a heavy handed approach to a simple story and a truly awful intrusive music score!

Disney, as such recognising it as not being one of their most note worthy films, has decided against giving the film the usual extensive clean up and restoration it has offered pretty much all of it's other titles to date and so what we have here is a very lacklustre release with a faded print (complete with marks and blemishes) and a rather woolly soundtrack. Whilst it is a "high Def" transfer unfortunately with out the restoration/remastering work this only highlights and draws attention to the flaws and processes of the original animation.

Now of course this is a kids film and the target market is for the very young so are they really going to notice and care about the presentation of this minor film? Certainly not enough to warrant a full blown expensive restoration. However that does beg the question why bother with many of the other "minor" titles that actually have been done?

There is a sizeable minority who are collectors and enjoy animation as a process as well as enjoying the story and the nostalgia of their youth. These people do appreciate the care, time and money spent on restoring these films and as such are prepared to spend their own money on the special editions and releases when they become available.

A sloppy transfer and a botched release such as this one damages the brand and makes the collection if not worthless at least devalued and after several negative reviews will seriously sway floating purchasers away from buying the product.

Having bought this on a 2 for 1 pro-motion I have only paid about £8 for it - which is perhaps a fair price. However if I had purchased this at full price I would be very disappointed and would hold off buying any further titles until the reviews confirm that a decent job has been done on the transfer.

I hope this review is a salutary warning to both would be purchasers and to any one at Disney reading about this product.