Thank you for being a friend

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Rated: G

Runtime: 83 minutes

Princess/Heroine: Vixey

Prince/Hero: Tod, Copper

Sidekicks: Big Mama, Boomer, Dinky, Widow Tweed

Villain: Amos Slade, Chief

Music: “Best of Friends”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 3 ½ ears. ½ for Vixey, 1 for Tod/Copper, ½ for Big Mama/Boomer/Dinky/Widow Tweed, ½ for Amos Slade/Chief, 1 for “Best of Friends.

This movie scared me/made me cry. And I hear the book is more terrifying/sad. Tod and Copper are cute and have lots of fun together, but then sadly can’t be pals anymore. Big Mama, Boomer, Dinky, and Widow Tweed are very caring; Vixey is a good girl to have by your side after you lose your best friend. Amos Slade is a bad man, and Chief is mean, mostly because Amos made him that way. “Best of Friends” is the only song worth mentioning; it is really good and captures the mood of the movie.

From start to finish, I think this is by far Disney’s saddest movie. Dumbo and Bambi had their moments, but my girlfriend cried for basically 83 minutes ... and then hugged our cat for a while. The friendship between two unlikely animals and the sentimentality should give this movie a “root for the underdog” status in the bracket.