The Fox and the Hound: 25th Anniversary Ed. DVD - Fact Sheet

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Now that I think about it, Hunchback this year probably wouldn't be the best thing for people looking for a good re-release. I mean, we've got Lilo & Stitch, The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, and now The Fox & the Hound. Each of these requires a pretty large amount of time to undergo restoration (Well, a GOOD restoration), plus, they'd have to put together some bonus material, which would take quite some time as well.

The Little Mermaid has already been restorated. Dumbo, has probably been mostly restorated since it's re-release is just a few months away, and The Fox and the Hound's restoration could take some time. Lilo and Stitch, as you said, has great video/audio so that DVD is pretty solid as within these two components. As for the bonus features, those could possible take some time. Most of the bonus material from the Lilo and Stitch 1-disc release will be ported over from that DVD to this new DVD. I think. And besides, we don't even know if this DVD will actually come out. Even though we think it will. I'm sure that since the re-release of The Little Mermaid is still about 4-5 months away, those bonus features should be ready by the time that if, and if, a re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame will come out near the release date of The Little Mermaid. As for Dumbo, and The Fox and the Hound, I'm not for sure on how long it will take to get these DVDs ready. But since they will both be out before fall starts, I think that Disney will have enough time to compile a re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so that it can have a good solid re-release by the time The Little Mermaid come out. I am actually with you, Pasta, that I would prefer a good re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame next year, and call it it's 10th Anniversary Edition, than get a crap-ola re-release this year.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

The Rescuers was designed in a 1.66 AR. The Fox and the Hound was only made to be Full Screen - 1:33.

So there really should be no confusion after all...? F&H falls into the same pattern as the 60s and 70s animated features, the Rescuers being the exception?

[Escapay]

Most of the bonus material from the Lilo and Stitch 1-disc release will be ported over from that DVD to this new DVD. I think. And besides, we don't even know if this DVD will actually come out. Even though we think it will.

The bonus features for the 2-disc Lilo & Stitch have been ready since 2002 (when it SHOULD have gotten the 2-disc treatment, only to be pared down to a single-disc release), and R2 and R4 already have it released, so there's little to do, DVD-wise, with its long-delayed R1 release. If anything, they only new thing they'll have to do is the Sneak Peeks menus.

As for Dumbo, and The Fox and the Hound, I'm not for sure on how long it will take to get these DVDs ready. But since they will both be out before fall starts,

Dumbo's out this June, in a give-and-take release (they're giving us a couple new features, taking away a couple more from the old release), so there's little left to do extras-wise. And for F&H, I sure as hell hope the 25th anniversary edition is given some justice and isn't merely the Gold Collection disc with brand-spankin'-new cover art. That would be a big slap in the face from BVHE...

I think that Disney will have enough time to compile a re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so that it can have a good solid re-release by the time The Little Mermaid come out.

If Hunchback's SE would be similar to the Pocahontas AE, we'll likely get ports of most/all of the laserdisc features, along with a couple new things (maybe a featurette about the short-lived MGM stage show and the German musical). IIRC, it's always been said that Disney originally had a press-release for Hunchback that was a packed 2-disc set, which was pulled a few hours later and replaced with one that gave us what we have today: a pretty-good-but-definitely-could-be-better single-disc affair. It could be likely that we may see that press-release again...

I am actually with you, Pasta, that I would prefer a good re-release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame next year, and call it it's 10th Anniversary Edition, than get a crap-ola re-release this year.

If Hunchback were getting a 10th Anniversary edition, it should come this year, since the movie premiered in 1996. Then again, Lady and the Tramp, a 1955 film, got its 50th Anniversary/Platinum Edition this year...51 years. So a 10AE for Hunchback in 2007 is probable, though I'd rather they do something right and get it done this year.

Escapay

[TheSequelOfDisney]

If Hunchback were getting a 10th Anniversary edition, it should come this year, since the movie premiered in 1996. Then again, Lady and the Tramp, a 1955 film, got its 50th Anniversary/Platinum Edition this year...51 years. So a 10AE for Hunchback in 2007 is probable, though I'd rather they do something right and get it done this year.

Escapay

I guess your right. Still wish that they would just put it out on a decent 2-disc re-release. Why are they so lazy?

[Pasta67]

The bonus features for the 2-disc Lilo & Stitch have been ready since 2002 (when it SHOULD have gotten the 2-disc treatment, only to be pared down to a single-disc release), and R2 and R4 already have it released, so there's little to do, DVD-wise, with its long-delayed R1 release. If anything, they only new thing they'll have to do is the Sneak Peeks menus.

Yeah, but see, the thing that scares me the most is that lately, Disney has been too stupid to actually go and get some of their own material to put on future DVDs. Look at Dumbo's re-release: no commentary from the 60th Anniversary edition. Look at the crap-tacular Tarzan & TENG re-releases: barely anything from the 2-disc collector's editions.

I'm scared that if Disney does give this a re-release this year, they won't include the 2 hour documentary or anything else of interest.

[MichaeLeah]

It would be interesting on the DVD if they talked about the history behind the making of this film. It was during the making of this film that Don Bluth led the mass exodus out of the Disney studio. I believe Bluth left in part because of a particular change that Ron Miller made to the story. At one time, Chief was going to die when he was hit by the train. If you notice, Chief doesn't really play a part in the story after he was hit. I believe the story would have been far more compelling if they had let Chief die. I think that F&H is quite good, but it could have been better if they didn't change the story.

[Escapay]

the thing that scares me the most is that lately, Disney has been too stupid to actually go and get some of their own material to put on future DVDs. Look at Dumbo's re-release: no commentary from the 60th Anniversary edition. Look at the crap-tacular Tarzan & TENG re-releases: barely anything from the 2-disc collector's editions.

You've got a point there. Also, remember the release of The Shaggy Dog? Original specs included a making-of featurette/documentary, which was dropped. But they did retain everything else.

If anything, I'm guessing the 2-hour documentary will either remain intact, or be shortened to about 45 minutes or an hour (which I would rather NOT happen).

The thing about Tarzan and TENG, though, is that IIRC, the press-releases never actually specified what would be included beyond the single-disc offerings, despite still being touted as being 2-disc. With Lilo and Stitch, it's known (at least in Disney DVD circles like ours) what material exists, it's been announced several times, and the material's already been released in R2 and R4. I may simply be eternally optimistic that the 2-disc will be intact come July 2006 (if it indeed does come at all).

But then again, if Disney decides to bastardize the release and decide a couple new games and music videos are more important than a 2-hour documentary, and cut said documentary down to an hour, then I'll have lost all faith in BVHE.

Escapay

[The Little Merman]

Regardless of features, I cannot wait until this is released.

The Fox and the Hound is with out a doubt, in my Top 10 Favorite Disney Films, and the second best of it's decade, only second to The Little Mermaid.

So tragic.



*tlm

[Disneykid]

I'm surprised no one's posted this, yet. DavisDVD has cover art and specs listed for this release. Here's the link to the artwork (their site forbids img tags, and I'm too lazy to make a screencap to post in this thread):

http://www.davisdvd.com/gallery/hi-res/dvd.html

Here are the specs they have listed:

* "New Best Friends" DVD Storybook
* "The Best of Friends" Sing-Along
* "Forest Friendship" Set-Top Game
* Two animated shorts (no details on which, yet)
* Sneak-Peek at The Fox and the Hound 2
* And more

Ok, so first the good: I really like the artwork. Tod looks a little off-model, but still looks nice, and I love the autumn color scheme over the abundant green, green and more green of the previous two covers.

Now the bad: There is absolutely nothing of substance on this release, unless the "and more" ends up really surprising us. Can't they at least give us a little 15-minute featurette, gallery, and trailer? If producing a featurette is too much effort for them, then at least the gallery and trailer(s) will do. If I remember correctly, this film had a TV special produced for it. Perhaps Disney can give us that.

Now the ugly: The film will be restored...in fullscreen. This film has got to have the most perplexing aspect ratio history of any Disney movie. Apparently on all releases, some shots look open matte while others look cropped. Which is it? If this were an all-out open matte transfer, then that's not too bad since we'll be getting the whole animated image and can zoom in on our widescreen displays if we want something similar to what was shown in theaters. If it's an entirely pan and scan affair, then this is a big no no. Disney's so good about presenting their animated films in their original ratios, though, that I'm wondering if there's something we don't know...

No release date has been attached, yet, just the same October period we've known about for a while.

[AwallaceUNC]

Beautiful cover art. Crap features. Come on, Disney. No one is even honestly expecting a fully loaded 2-disc set for this (although that would be nice) but at least give us <i>something</i> of substance. As DK said, trailers, a gallery, and a featurette would suffice. It does say "And More," and Disney likes to not tout their best features for some reason, so maybe all my complaining will be for nothing.

-Aaron

[TheSequelOfDisney]

This cover:



IS AWESOME!!!!!!!

It does say "And More," and Disney likes to not tout their best features for some reason, so maybe all my complaining will be for nothing.

Let's hope so. I would love to see this set with a gallery, trailer(s), and (hopefully) a featurette (at LEAST 15 minutes. Hoping for a 35 min. featurette, but that will probably NOT happen).

[Finchx0rz]

Yeah, Tod's kinda off model. He looks like a shorter version of his adolescent-aged self, who appears for about five seconds. Boomer looks a bit odd, too. It's a good cover, but I'll always be partial to the 1994 VHS artwork.

EDIT: .....FULLSCREEN!??!?! WHAT?!??! I'm going to cry now.

[2099net]

Yay! Disneykid said "perplexing"

Now the ugly: The film will be restored...in fullscreen. This film has got to have the most perplexing aspect ratio history of any Disney movie. Apparently on all releases, some shots look open matte while others look cropped. Which is it? If this were an all-out open matte transfer, then that's not too bad since we'll be getting the whole animated image and can zoom in on our widescreen displays if we want something similar to what was shown in theaters. If it's an entirely pan and scan affair, then this is a big no no. Disney's so good about presenting their animated films in their original ratios, though, that I'm wondering if there's something we don't know...

Well, F&H was made in the days before CAPS, which fixed the aspect ratio at 1.66 through basically the equipment rather than artistic choice (although as we've seen the 1.66 ratio could be artistically overuled by matting in specific instances such as Beauty and the Beast and Hunchback). It is possible the 4:3 ratio for F&H is the correct ratio. Remember as well, it was the first film to be worked on extensively by the "new generation" of Disney animators - perhaps they were experimenting.

Out of interest an old film is being released on DVD over here called The Belstone Fox and, well, here's the cover blurb:

Based on the same tale that inspired Walt Disney's FOX AND THE HOUND, this classic children's film follows Tag, a cute fox cub who forms a close friendship with hound pup Merlin - but this incredible bond between them will be tested to the maximum when the animals grow up.


http://www.sendit.com/video/item/7001000125448
Imdb.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069776/

[Jake Lipson]

*sigh*

Like pretty much everybody, I knew not to expect anything huge here, but the lack of even ONE substantial feature on the film itself -- the shorts sound cool but they won't be film-centric -- makes me wonder if I even want to double dip. I got the Gold Collection DVD free from Disney from their Buy 3 Get 1 Free deal one year and am satisfied with it, so at this point the dippage will hinge on reviews. If the new transfer represents a significant improvement over the Gold DVD I'll get it, otherwise I'm sticking with the old one.

Oh, but the all-important slipcover and FastPlay are being included, so I guess that justifies the upgrade in Disney's mind without having to include even a featurette. Or the trailer that *WAS* on the Gold Collection DVD.

[PatrickvD]

It's sad that the cover is the only good thing about this release...

[Pasta67]

Well, I can't say I'm surprised. The only good things about this DVD so far is the new restoration promised. I actually think the picture quality for this release is going to be quite good. Sure, Dumbo's new transfer wasn't anything to celebrate about, but F&tH is a much more recent film than that, meaning there should be less artifacts and grain on the film. So, if Disney puts the same amount of effort into this restoration as they did for Dumbo, then we might actually end up with pristine video/audio, which is always a plus.

* "New Best Friends" DVD Storybook
* "The Best of Friends" Sing-Along
* "Forest Friendship" Set-Top Game
* Two animated shorts (no details on which, yet)
* Sneak-Peek at The Fox and the Hound 2

Wow, this could be the first animated classic in a while that doesn't have the "Backstage Disney" easyfind icon. Well, unless, of course, they decide to put the preview of F&tH2 in "Backstage Disney" instead of "Sneak Peeks", which they've been known to do from time to time. The remaining <strike>crap</strike> features are just going to be put in "Games & Activities" and "Bonus Shorts", which funnily enough, are my two most hated sections of Disney DVDs.

Wait, is "funnily" a word?

The coverart is okay; I mean, it could be worse. If Tod weren't so off-model, I would say it's very nice, but since he's in the center of the cover (and his bright color scheme draws your eyes towards him anyway), it's a very obvious flaw that a nitpicker like me loves to make a big deal out of.

* And more

Ah, the famous "And more..." message; the singular way Disney manages to keep older fans in suspense before ultimately breaking their hearts by including nothing of substance on the DVD after all. I'm sorry, but I really don't see Disney putting anything of worth in this "and more" category, if anything at all. I mean, sure, the "and more" on Dumbo's new DVD got us a commentary, but it was already prepared and took Disney no effort to port over. The Fox & the Hound, however, doesn't have any previously prepared suppliments, and I really don't think Disney's going to go out of their way to please their older fans by creating a few new featurettes, considering this movie is one of their lesser-known films.

Our only hope is that they include that television special that Kelvin mentioned, but I doubt they will, since they hardly put TV specials for post-Walt animated classics on DVD (The only exception I can think of is Hunchback's current DVD).

Bottom line: Don't get your hopes up. Hope for the best, but expect the worst, because I really don't think Disney's going to deliver on this one.

And what's worse is that I predict Robin Hood's re-release is going to get even less features that what's on this DVD.

[271286]

OMG I LOVE THIS COVER!!!

I have never seen this movie... I think I might just buy this dvd...

[Tarzan.]

I totally love the cover!!! I like the fall environment and the logo with the band that says 25th Anniversary.
I'll definitely buy this DVD beause I love the movie, it makes me feel a lot of emotions

[magicalwands]

The cover looks so nice. I love the possessed bear in the background.

[roswellian]

Great cover art, it really captures the look of the movie. Though no matter how many times I see it it makes me sad.