Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this straight-to-DVD sequel shows a close friendship tested by the one of the friends' ambitions. One friend encourages another to lie and later exposes the lie to get his friend in trouble. A character is scolded viciously by his owner and feels worthless until his best friend helps him figure out what his unique talent is. Country and bluegrass music buoy the story along.
Families can talk about Tod and Copper's unlikely friendship and what it's like to befriend someone very different from you. How do they support each other? You can also talk about Copper's participation in the band and the problems it caused. Have you ever had a big argument with a close friend? How did you work it out? If you put a family band together, what would everyone play?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nancy Davis Kho
At the rather bittersweet end of Disney's 1981Fox and the Hound, best friends Tod the fox and Copper the hound were grown up and going their own ways into adulthood. THE FOX AND THE HOUND 2 travels a more lighthearted road.
Here, Tod and Copper are rambunctious young friends again, chasing crickets and dreams of stardom in a roller coaster tale of friendship that's filled with country music and top-notch vocal and singing talent.
The movie opens as Tod (voiced by Jonah Bobo) and Copper (Harrison Fahn) frolic in lushly animated fields, enjoying the détente between their owners that allows a fox to play, relatively unthreatened, with a hunting dog. Copper's lack of hunting talent is a major disappointment to his owner and the senior hunting dog, Chief (Rob Paulsen), so they leave Copper home while they go enjoy a traveling fair. In an attempt to cheer up his self-critical friend, Tod frees Copper so they can visit the fair as well.
Entertainment at this lively carnival includes the "Singing Strays," a group of howling dogs led by Cash (Patrick Swayze) and fronted by diva dog Dixie (Reba McEntire). When Dixie stomps off in huff, Copper discovers that he's a natural addition to the group. Soon he and Cash are buddy-buddy while Tod plays handmaiden and waits for his friend to return. Dixie and Tod work together to derail the new friendship that threatens both of them.
The movie moves along at a bouncy pace, rich with rapid-fire, homespun colloquialisms like "nervous as a flea on dip day" and "plain as a pig on a sofa." Funny side bits include a domineering girl guide who chaperones a music industry scout to within an inch of his life and a signature "shake on it" greeting between Tod and Copper.
Country music fans of any age will appreciate the obvious care that went into the development of the movie's score, which includes bluegrass players of national caliber. Original songs recorded by Trisha Yearwood and Lucas Graebel (of High School Musical) enhance the story without being cloying.
Fans who like Tod and Copper should certainly check out the original Fox and the Hound, which focuses more on the unlikely friendship between the pair. They may also enjoy family classics like Old Yeller, Lady and the Tramp, and The Rescuers.
Rate It!
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ViolenceA near miss for a puppy and a truck, a cow is hit by a dart and causes a stampede, and another dog crashes into a barrel but isn't hurt. Hunting guns discharged mistakenly, repeatedly. A Ferris wheel tears loose from its moorings and careens through a fair, threatening but not hurting anyone. |
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Social BehaviorBeyond the obvious message that characters with different backgrounds can become best friends, there's excellent modeling of how to be a supportive friend. One of the main characters tells a lie and is caught, and there are consequences for it. A more experienced dog plays a mean trick on a puppy. Dogs gamble for bones, twice. |
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