Film Review# 70: The Fox and the Hound 2

Now imagine a film that completely shits upon whatever made the original flick any good.  The Fox and the Hound was among the darkest and most emotionally moving Disney Films made prior to the renaissance and was the most powerful film in the era from 1970-1985.  This film does the original no justice whatsoever, simply acting as a cheap tie in that is as cripplingly awful as the message any fan of the original adds.

Plot:  Tod and Copper decide to pay a local county fair a visit.  One of the main attractions is a group of singing dogs.  But when one of the lead dogs leaves the show, Copper is allowed to show off his singing chops, and is offered an opportunity to sing, so long as he acts like a stray.  Being shunned by his best friend doesn't sit well with either the dog that left (Reba) and Tod, so the two hatch a plan to reunite the friends and get Copper out of the band.

What's Bad?: I could go in depth about the things that are wrong with this movie, but compared to the ultimate reason why this film is awful, this is a moot point.  No matter how you look at this film, it is a midquel.  Therefore, the film needs to take place between two specific parts in the original film.  In this case, this probably takes place between the chase between the hunter and Tod when he was a kit, and Copper's departure for the hunting trip.  Any way you look at it, the film still ends with their friendship being torn apart by society,  The only way a sequel could work for this film is if it were an actual sequel.  No midquel could have possibly been effective at all.

While I'm no big fan of country music to begin with, the absolute focus on country music by the musical score and songs is mildly annoying.

None of the new characters add any depth.  This is where one of the older characters, like Big Mama, would have worked.  Obviously, Pearl Bailey would not have reprised her role, but the film needed something to counteract the dull and boring aspects about the other band members.

What's Good?: There is no law ordering you to buy this...yet.

Overall: The film is a weak interpretation of what the original film offered.  Nothing works, nothing is reasonably tolerable, and the film still ends with the audience knowing that society would tear the Fox and Hound apart once more.  Awful.

Final Grade: F