History YMMV / TheFoxAndTheHound

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: It basically says ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove can't overcome hard-wired reality. Also that racial differences ''cannot'' be overcome and that everyone's just better off ending their friendships and living apart from one another with their own kind. This is one of the rare instances where they ''didn't'' attempt to use either classic trope to get a fully happy ending.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: [[{{Padding}} See below]].

* {{Padding}}: The Dinkey and Boomer side-story where they spend their time trying to catch a caterpillar serves no purpose but to add a couple comical scenes for the movie.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: It basically says ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove can't overcome hard-wired reality. Also that racial differences ''cannot'' be overcome and that everyone's just better off ending their friendships and living apart from one another with their own kind. Nice going, Disney; this is one of the rare instances where they ''didn't'' attempt to use either classic trope to get a fully happy ending.

** Many fans think Chief should have been KilledOffForReal to make Copper and Amos Slade's anger more justified and overall have made the latter half of the movie a lot darker. It turns out that the writers ''were'' going to kill Chief off (as in [[Literature/TheFoxAndTheHound the novel]] but decided against it because they thought it'd be ''too'' dark. Chief's original fate is apparent when Copper finds him after he's jumped off the bridge: a dog lying motionless with his ''nose in the water'' is pretty much dead. But Disney [[ExecutiveMeddling decided to draw the line there]].

** Many fans think Chief should have been KilledOffForReal to make Copper and Amos Slade's anger more justified and overall have made the latter half of the movie a lot darker. It turns out that the writers ''were'' going to kill Chief off (as in ''Literature/TheFoxAndTheHound the novel'' but decided against it because they thought it'd be ''too'' dark. Chief's original fate is apparent when Copper finds him after he's jumped off the bridge: a dog lying motionless with his ''nose in the water'' is pretty much dead. But Disney [[ExecutiveMeddling decided to draw the line there]].

* HoYay: Todd and Copper's friendship could be seen as this. Interestingly, this fits further with the above mentioned Applicability--just imagine if this story was about two ''human'' boys.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: It basically says ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove can't overcome hard-wired reality. Also that racial differences ''cannot'' be overcome and that everyone's just better off ending their friendships and living apart from one another with their own kind. Nice going, Disney; this is one of the rare instances where they DIDN'T attempt to use either classic trope to get a fully happy ending.
* HarsherInHindsight: "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even sadder after the deaths of Jeanette Nolan (Tweed's voice actress), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade's actor), Pearl Bailey (Big Mama's voice actress), Buddy Baker (the film's composer), Paul Winchell (the voice actor of Boomer), Richard Bakalyan (Dinky's actor), and Mickey Rooney (the voice of Tod).

* HarsherInHindsight:
** "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even sadder after the deaths of Jeanette Nolan (Tweed's voice actress), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade's actor), Pearl Bailey (Big Mama's voice actress), Buddy Baker (the film's composer), Paul Winchell (the voice actor of Boomer), Richard Bakalyan (Dinky's actor), and Mickey Rooney (the voice of Tod).
** Also applies to Patrick Swayze in [[Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound2 the interquel]].

** Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), Copper disowns him and wants him dead, Tweed drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and what's worse, his neighbor is a cantankerous BadOlBadger. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.
** Tweed as well - it's made very clear that Tod is her only source of companionship, and that it's just as heartbreaking for her as it is for him, if not more so, when she has to [[ShooTheDog Shoo the Fox]] to protect him.
** IronWoobie: [[ThoseTwoGuys Dinky and Bommer]].

** "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even sadder when you realize that Jeanette Nolan (Widow Tweed), Pearl Bailey (Big Mama), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade), Buddy Baker (the film's composer) and Mickey Rooney (Tod) have died.

* HarsherInHindsight: "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even sadder when you realize that Jeanette Nolan (Widow Tweed), Pearl Bailey (Big Mama), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade), Buddy Baker (the film's score composer) and Mickey Rooney (Tod) have all died.

** Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), Copper disowns him and wants him dead, Tweed drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and what's worse, his neighbor, the badger, is a cantankerous GrumpyOldMan. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.

** Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), Copper disowns him and wants him dead, Tweed drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and what's worse, his neighbor, the badger, is an irritable {{jerkass}}. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.

* HarsherInHindsight: "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even more sadder when you realize that Jeanette Nolan (Widow Tweed), Pearl Bailey (Big Mama), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade), Buddy Baker (the film score's composer) and Mickey Rooney (Tod) have all passed away.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: See [[{{Padding}}below]].

* {{Narm}}: Silly, empty-headed woman! Complete with a make up song.

* BigLippedAligatorMoment: See {{Padding}}below.

** Many fans think Chief should have been KilledOffForReal to make Copper and Amos' anger more justified and overall have made the latter half of the movie a lot darker. Apparently, the writers ''were'' going to kill Chief off, but decided against it because they thought it'd be ''too'' dark. Chief's original fate is apparent when Copper finds him after he's jumped off the bridge: a dog lying motionless with his ''nose in the water'' is pretty much dead. But Disney decided to draw the line there.
** When Copper returns from his hunting trip with Amos and Chief, [[FridgeHorror some fox pelts can clearly be seen]] on the pile of fur he's helped collect. You'd think it'd be an interesting/important moment to show the first time he had to chase a fox and/or watch Amos shoot it, but we never see it.

** Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), Copper disowns him and wants him dead, Tweed drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and what's worse, his neighbor, the badger, is an irritable jerk. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.
** Tweed as well - it's made very clear that Tod is her only source of companionship, and that it's just as heartbreaking for her as it is for him, if not more so, when she has to ShooTheDog to protect him.
** IronWoobie: [[ThoseTwoGuys The two birds]].

* HarsherInHindsight: "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even more sadder when you realize that Jeannette Nolan (Widow Tweed) and Mickey Rooney (Tod) have passed away.

* HarsherInHindsight: "Goodbye May Seem Forever" becomes even more sadder when you realize that Jeannette Nolan and Mickey Rooney have passed away.

** Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), his best friend disowns him and wants him dead, his owner drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and on top of it all, his neighbor (the badger) is a complete JerkAss to him. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.
** The widow as well - it's made very clear that Tod is her only source of companionship, and that it's just as heartbreaking for her as it is for him, if not more so, when she has to ShooTheDog to protect him.

* AdaptationDisplacement: Most people's reactions upon hearing this are generally the standard, "Wait... There's a [[Literature/TheFoxAndTheHound book]]?"

* {{Applicability}}: Two innocent young kids become friends because they're oblivious to how the rest of the world sees them, and then grow up into the roles society expects of them and are torn apart.
** There's also these lines from the song "Best of Friends":

* TheWoobie: Tod can be this. His mother is killed when he's only a baby, he gets chased and shot at by Chief and Slade, respectively (twice!), his best friend disowns him and wants him dead, his owner drops him off in a wildlife preserve for his own safety leaving him without survival skills and a friend in the world, and on top of it all, his neighbor (the badger) is a complete JerkAss to him. Things get a lot better after he meets Vixey, though...[[FromBadToWorse then worse]]...then better.

* BizarroEpisode: The Interquel is about Copper joining a travelling band of singing dogs. No, really...

* JustHereForGodzilla:
** There are actually some people who only watch the film for the Dinky and Boomer scenes.
** Similarly some will tolerate the Interquel just for Dixie.

* MostAnnoyingSound: The constant use of [[Main/TalksLikeASimile countryisms]] in the midquel can get tedious to hear.

* {{Sequelitis}}: About the only two or three things that save the country western-infested sequel are the CoolOldLady and Dixie, the latter voiced by Music/RebaMcEntire. Then there's also Rob Paulsen's flawless Pat Buttram impression.

** A major complaint directed towards the second film. Given the somewhat ambiguous BittersweetEnding of the first, along with the unadapted side plot of Tod gaining offspring in the book (though it ends badly) a proper sequel had potential. Instead, we get an Interquel about [[BizarroEpisode Copper joining a band of singing dogs]]. One could argue even that plot could have been used more vividly if for a separate franchise instead of [[ForegoneConclusion a build up to one of the darkest and tragic Disney films made]]. It's not like Disney doesn't [[OliverAndCompany other]] [[LadyAndTheTramp franchises]] with singing dogs after all.

* JustHereForGodzilla: There are actually some people who only watch the film for the Dinky and Boomer scenes.