The Fox and the Hound 2
Year: 2006
Directed by: Jim Kammerud
Starring: Jonah Bobo, Harrison Fahn, Reba McEntire & Patrick Swayze
Runtime: 69 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 08/08/22
Directed by: Jim Kammerud
Starring: Jonah Bobo, Harrison Fahn, Reba McEntire & Patrick Swayze
Runtime: 69 mins
BBFC: U
Published: 08/08/22
Another day another midquel in the land of Disney Animated Sequels. Yes, twenty-five years after the release of The Fox and the Hound, Disney decided (in their infinite wisdom) that it was due a sequel. Why? Not sure we’ll ever know as the brand was not exactly rife for new stories and whilst the original film was popular enough to warrant a sequel, it is definitely one of Disney’s lesser-known Animated Classics. One of Disney’s most subdued and mature films, The Fox and the Hound definitely doesn’t need any tampering. But yet, apparently, we needed to see more of a young Tod and Copper.
The county fair is in town and Tod (Jonah Bobo) and Copper (Harrison Fahn) want to go see the fireworks. When Copper gets himself involved with the ‘Singing Strays’, a band of singing dogs led by Cash (Patrick Swayze), and discovers his hidden talent of singing, he is whisked away into a life of fame leaving Tod behind. Abandoned by his best friend, Tod meets Dixie (Reba McEntire), a former Singing Stray, who seeks to trick Tod into getting Copper kicked out of the band.
It would be easy to call The Fox and the Hound 2 a total waste of time, but it’s not as clear cut as this. Because the story at the centre of the film is actually reasonably entertaining for Disney direct-to-DVD standards. However, it’s the fact that the Fox and the Hound property was haphazardly shoehorned in and does nothing but sour the reputation of the 1981 original that makes the film a bad sequel.
The county fair is in town and Tod (Jonah Bobo) and Copper (Harrison Fahn) want to go see the fireworks. When Copper gets himself involved with the ‘Singing Strays’, a band of singing dogs led by Cash (Patrick Swayze), and discovers his hidden talent of singing, he is whisked away into a life of fame leaving Tod behind. Abandoned by his best friend, Tod meets Dixie (Reba McEntire), a former Singing Stray, who seeks to trick Tod into getting Copper kicked out of the band.
It would be easy to call The Fox and the Hound 2 a total waste of time, but it’s not as clear cut as this. Because the story at the centre of the film is actually reasonably entertaining for Disney direct-to-DVD standards. However, it’s the fact that the Fox and the Hound property was haphazardly shoehorned in and does nothing but sour the reputation of the 1981 original that makes the film a bad sequel.
Had this been an original property about a group of singing dogs who recruit a new and naïve member I could have been totally on board with the whole thing. But the fact that this is supposed to take place somewhere in the middle of The Fox and the Hound honestly makes me angry, because it’s nothing like the original film in any way.
The original film is a slow paced, sombre, coming of age story about two cubs who want to be friends, but their environment and their nature says otherwise. It’s horrendously sad at any given opportunity but teaches powerful lessons about the value of friendship and the power of prejudice. The Fox and the Hound 2 meanwhile is a happy-go-lucky slapstick comedy about singing dogs that has more Benny Hill inspired chase sequences than I cared to count. It’s so wildly different that it’s borderline disrespectful to the source material.
That being said, The Fox and the Hound 2 does have some good gags, and its musical numbers are generally pretty strong. So, it’s a shame that these elements that are actually quite good, are hampered by the fact that this story exists within the wrong film universe. A film like Oliver and Company, or maybe even The Aristocats would have been a better fit for this kind of sequel than The Fox and the Hound.
The overall presentation of the film is also rather strong. Animation looks clean and slick, with lots of detail and plenty of imaginative shots. It does ditch the Xerography style that the first film employed so beautifully, but the new style fits well within the framework of this story as it’s brighter, more colourful, and more child friendly. The voice work is also pretty strong with Swayze and McEntire delivering good quality performances, as well as some powerful vocals for the songs.
The Fox and the Hound 2 is a mixed bag, overall I would say I enjoyed the film but the fact that the property has been so flagrantly misused in this setting is difficult to look past. It’s like having a sequel to Home Alone where Harry and Marv are a realistic interpretation of burglars, violently beating people into submission and stealing their stuff…it wouldn’t necessarily be bad but why use the Home Alone property to do that?
Showcasing some good animation, likeable performances, and some catchy songs The Fox and the Hound 2 is sure to be a hit with families, but in terms of being a sequel to The Fox and the Hound, it sucks.
The original film is a slow paced, sombre, coming of age story about two cubs who want to be friends, but their environment and their nature says otherwise. It’s horrendously sad at any given opportunity but teaches powerful lessons about the value of friendship and the power of prejudice. The Fox and the Hound 2 meanwhile is a happy-go-lucky slapstick comedy about singing dogs that has more Benny Hill inspired chase sequences than I cared to count. It’s so wildly different that it’s borderline disrespectful to the source material.
That being said, The Fox and the Hound 2 does have some good gags, and its musical numbers are generally pretty strong. So, it’s a shame that these elements that are actually quite good, are hampered by the fact that this story exists within the wrong film universe. A film like Oliver and Company, or maybe even The Aristocats would have been a better fit for this kind of sequel than The Fox and the Hound.
The overall presentation of the film is also rather strong. Animation looks clean and slick, with lots of detail and plenty of imaginative shots. It does ditch the Xerography style that the first film employed so beautifully, but the new style fits well within the framework of this story as it’s brighter, more colourful, and more child friendly. The voice work is also pretty strong with Swayze and McEntire delivering good quality performances, as well as some powerful vocals for the songs.
The Fox and the Hound 2 is a mixed bag, overall I would say I enjoyed the film but the fact that the property has been so flagrantly misused in this setting is difficult to look past. It’s like having a sequel to Home Alone where Harry and Marv are a realistic interpretation of burglars, violently beating people into submission and stealing their stuff…it wouldn’t necessarily be bad but why use the Home Alone property to do that?
Showcasing some good animation, likeable performances, and some catchy songs The Fox and the Hound 2 is sure to be a hit with families, but in terms of being a sequel to The Fox and the Hound, it sucks.