BEFORE: This may seem like a bit of a jolt, following a couple of adult-themed comedies with an animated film for kids. But the back-to-school sequence is over, and I needed some linking material to make it to the start of the next chain this weekend, so I'm dipping back into the Netflix animation list for two films that will link to some heavier Mel Gibson material by Saturday. (Thankfully, only two films are needed to link "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" to "The Year of Living Dangerously", because I really didn't have room in the schedule for a longer sequence.) I justify tonight's animated film by pointing out that Stephen Root carries over from "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates".
But this makes the week another real mixed bag - last week it felt a bit like I covered 7 genres in 7 days, and this week I went from a serial-killer crime thriller to a biopic on a tech genius to a couple of raunchy comedies, and now it's animation - and I'll be back on war-based dramas this weekend. It's enough to give me genre whiplash.
AFTER: And now I know the downside of mixing up my genres, it leads to very strange dreams - I had a nightmare this morning that went on for a very long time, and was definitely influenced by this film, "Untraceable", and also the season finale of "Little People, Big World", which I watched last night before "The Fox and the Hound 2". In the dream I was going to the East Village to visit a married couple, friends I have not seen in years, and when I got to their block, my friend Doug was wearing make-up and dressed as "sexy Jesus" (Thanks, "Hamlet 2" for that...) and he hugged me and took me inside, where he got involved in a film production meeting, and then didn't have time to talk to me. So I waited for his wife to get ready for work, and together we headed out of the building and had to exit via a cartoon-like conveyor belt through a woodshop, and had to avoid several menacing saws. Then I walked her to work, she was working at a kind of adult summer camp on top of a New York City building, where she ran in staged road races against the adult campers. From there, the dream devolved into a surreal mash-up of serial killers, giant singing cartoon animals, and a bunch of old-man/infant hybrids. Very disturbing. So I don't recommend that anyone else watch my particular combination of movies and TV shows from this week, lest they suffer a similar nightmare.
(This also proves that I'm desperately in need of a break - so after September 9, I'm shutting down for three weeks, and I'll start up again on October 1. Maybe I'll catch up on some comic books, and the final season of "Mad Men" while I'm on break. If I can finish off "Mad Men", and maybe watch the last 4 episodes of "11.22.63", I should probably start on "Stranger Things".)
But forget all that weirdness, let me focus on this Disney "midquel" - which is a word I never knew before, but it apparently means that this sequel takes place in the MIDDLE of the previous film. It's been a long time since I saw "The Fox and the Hound", but I do remember that we see the main characters when they are young pups, and then later they're voiced by older actors, Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell later in the film. So this all tracks, Disney apparently wanted to crank out a sequel that was set when the animals were still young and cute, and not forced to become enemies. But 25 years is a LONG time to pass between a film and its sequel - though I don't think it's a record, that honor goes to "Bambi" and it's sequel, with a 63-year gap. (2nd place - "Fantasia" with 59 years between it and "Fantasia 2000").
We see a bit of Copper's early training as a hunting dog, but before long his owner heads off to the County Fair, as does the Widow Tweed, and then Tod the fox helps Copper break free so they can run off to the fair also. They want to see the fireworks, which is a bit strange because most dogs are afraid of fireworks, which seems quite reasonable to me. They get sidetracked, however, when Copper falls in with a bunch of singing dogs in a fair act, and he ends up replacing the female diva dog, who simply CAN'T work under such terrible conditions, and is let go. There's a talent scout making the rounds of the fair, looking for acts to play at the Grand Ole Opry, so I guess that sets this film somewhere near Nashville?
Oddly, there are some connections to yesterday's film, despite the wide difference in genres. Both "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" and "Neighbors 2" featured party scenarios where everything spirals out of control, and in today's film, that happens at the county fair - a chase scene that goes wrong, with a cow running through the fair, and the Ferris Wheel coming loose from its supports and hitting the performance tent at the worst possible time, just as the talent scout is watching the Singin' Strays perform. (And once again, Stephen Root's character is the one most bothered by the mayhem...) So the lead characters have to admit their mistakes, pull together and go out of their way to put things right and restore order, followed by a musical number. See? Not so different after all.
But the worst thing about a "midquel" seems to be that the fact that there can be no real character growth here - Tod and Copper's adventures at the fair and their encounter with the Singin' Strays can't change them in any meaningful way, because they have to be put back into their proper position and roles, so as not to conflict with the latter parts of "The Fox and the Hound". And it's a little sad that despite all the fun they have together here, we also see the fracturing of their friendship, which we know is going to turn into a great divide in just a few short years, with Copper becoming a hunting dog and Tod becoming prey.
Also starring the voices of Reba McEntire (last seen in "Maverick"), Patrick Swayze (last seen in "Dirty Dancing"), Jeff Foxworthy (last heard in "The Smurfs 2"), Jim Cummings (last heard in "Comic Book: The Movie"), Kath Soucie (last heard in "Zootopia"), Jonah Bobo, Harrison Fahn, Jeff Bennett (last heard in "Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle"), Rob Paulsen, Russi Taylor, Hannah Farr.
RATING: 4 out of 10 bones with no meat on them (did someone think dogs can eat them?)
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