The Fox and the Hound 2

There was a time not that long before this where sequels to classic Disney movies were a bad idea. At the end of their stretch, however, they got a little better. That was pushed by the success of the “Lion King” sequels, and it had dropped down into other franchises like “Lilo & Stitch.”

However, there’s still a lot to overcome with the direct-to-DVD sequels, and “The Fox and the Hound 2,” released in 2006, doesn’t quite do this. It’s not nearly as bad as “The Little Mermaid II” or “Mulan II,” but it’s nowhere close to as good as the original.

This sequel follows the same path we saw in sequels to “The Lion King,” “Tarzan” and “Bambi.” Instead of being a proper sequel that takes place after what happened in the first film, or being a prequel to the original, this takes place in the middle.

Tod the fox (Jonah Bobo) and Copper the hound (Harrison Fahn) are friends as pups. They haven’t learned yet that they are meant to be sworn enemies. With the life-threatening danger shown at the end of the first film, it would be hard to put something that dangerous in a story telling the middle part of their lives. Kevin Carr noted, “Instead, the writers gave the movie its own spin of friendship angst that seems more appropriate for a show on the CW network than in a Disney cartoon.”

Tod and Copper go into the county fair to encounter a singing group of dogs. Dixie, voiced by one of the greatest singers and star of her own show, Reba McEntire, is the star of the show, singing the lead and stealing the show. However, when Copper runs into her during one of her meltdowns, the band decides he should be the new lead singer. This brand new fame causes Copper to end his friendship with Tod, leaving him to be his weak backup. Soon Tod and Dixie team up to set things back to the way they were.

Part of what gave the original that charm was the country care with which it was put together. The animation style worked for the then-falling look of the studio textures. The story was small and independent, and it managed to stay real even though it had talking animals.

This sequel tries to be bigger than it should be, going for an epic style but never going farther than the county fair. This story is a little weak, feeling a bit forced. Carr stated, “In several ways, it reminded me of “Lady and the Tramp II” in both its look and flavor. However, there’s no real danger in the show, which softened any emotional attachment I felt.”

The guest star voices of the film include McEntire, who sings a few too many songs on the soundtrack, as well as Patrick Swayze and comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Carr mentioned, “This isn’t exactly the A-listers in animated voices. Still, for a family film, you can do a lot worse.” Kids who are fans of Disney dogs should like this film well.

“The Fox and the Hound 2” is never going to leave the mark as the classic, but it isn’t terrible. It falls somewhere in the middle when you look at the Disney DVD sequels.

I have to admit, as a sequel about a fox and a hound dog as friends that takes place in the middle of the story, the plot felt random. Copper can sing? Where did that come from? This felt really weird and I don’t think that I can figure out what they were thinking when they made this movie. What’s safe to say is that this one can be avoided since I wouldn’t recommend it. Seeing how this is a sequel to one of my most watched, if not “the” most watched, Disney movie, pass it. Or if you want to watch it, only watch it once.

Alright everyone, the wait is finally over. Tomorrow I will be looking the third and thankfully final sequel in the “Cinderella trilogy” for “Disney Sequel Month.”