Movie Review - The Fox and the Hound 2

The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)

Featuring the voice talents of Reba McEntire, Patrick Swayze, Jeff Foxworthy, Vicki Lawrence, Jonah Bobo, and Harrison Fahn

Directed by Jim Kammerud

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I don't know whether I'll subject myself to every direct-to-video Disney sequel, but I figured I'd give at least one a shot and, considering my surprise liking of The Fox and the Hound in the ongoing Disney Discussion, The Fox and the Hound 2 seemed like a appropriate start.  Shockingly, the film wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be -- although I must admit that my expectations were in the gutter.

The Fox and the Hound 2 really isn't a sequel at all; it's more a "midquel" supposedly taking place in the timeline of the original Fox and the Hound when fox Tod and hound dog Copper were best buds in their youth.  When the county fair arrives to their town, Tod and Copper take a look and discover the Singing Strays, a quartet of singing dogs with whom Copper instantly takes a liking.  The Strays are led by Cash (voiced by Patrick Swayze) who's hitting a bit of a rough patch with his lead singing partner and on again-off again girlfriend Dixie (Reba McEntire).  When Dixie quits the group, Cash decides to give Copper a shot which doesn't sit well with Tod who feels like he's losing his best bud.  Trauma!

There's a reason a film like this isn't released into theaters and that's because of the ridiculousness of a plot I've outlined above.  However, despite the flimsiness of the plot, the film (which clocks in at just 69 minutes with credits) moves along at a perfect pace and doesn't overstay its welcome.  The animation is actually fairly solid (although certain computer animated background pieces don't quite mesh 100% with the traditional animation) and the voice acting is certainly well done.  Obviously, with Reba McEntire voicing a character and country canine crooners front and center, there are certainly going to be songs involved and while they're all fine, there aren't any stand-outs.

Still, while this certainly isn't a fantastic piece, what struck me as I was watching this was that the success of The Fox and the Hound and its midquel stems from the pure innocence of the characters of Tod and Copper.  Despite being voiced by different actors here, there's something utterly charming about these two figures that draws in an audience and makes you almost smile whenever they're onscreen.  That's something that's tough to come by and it's reason enough to at least watch the original (and, if you're a Disney "fanatic" like me, its sequel).

The RyMickey Rating:  B-