So yesterday I shared with you the disturbing sequence involving a monstrous bear in the 1981 film The Fox and the Hound. But before we got to that point, there’s actually another equally disturbing moment that gave me chills as a kid.
After Todd is nearly lured into a steel trap, he makes a run for it along with his newfound mate Vixie. They run to their burrow and hide but are quickly cornered by the hunter and Copper. As there’s no way for the hunter to get a clean shot (and Copper is unable to dig his way in), the hunter gets an idea: he’ll “smoke” them out of their burrow by setting a clump of dried grass on fire and fanning the flames so that they roar INTO the burrow.
With one exit blocked by flames, the hunter and Copper stand poised at the main entrance, ready to kill the foxes the moment they come out. Inside Todd and Vixie are cornered by a growing inferno and finding it hard to breathe with all the smoke. This moment scared me half to death because, as a kid, I had a fear of being trapped by fire, so this scene was somewhat traumatic for me.
Even how Todd and Vixie escape this trap is somewhat disturbing. They can’t go out the main way because they’ll be killed instantly. So the only other way out is the back entrance (which is currently surrounded by scorching flames). But since it’s their only option…the two foxes run THROUGH the flames and make it out, to the shock and amazement of the hunter, who resumes the chase that will lead him straight to the crazy huge bear.
The whole scenario is disturbing for me, but at least Todd and Vixie aren’t burned to death, and to be fair, it doesn’t look like they were burned at all (which is totally possible in the world of Disney). So while this is a disturbing moment, it’s not as disturbing as it could have been.
What do YOU think of this disturbing moment in The Fox and the Hound? Let me know what you think in the comments below, I’d love to hear about it 🙂
For more Disturbing Disney, see here
See also:
Disturbing Disney #1: The Coachman in Pinocchio (1940)
Disturbing Disney #2: The truth of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio (1940)
Disturbing Disney #3: Escaping Monstro from Pinocchio (1940)
Disturbing Disney #4: Dumbo loses his mother (1941)
Disturbing Disney #5 The death of Bambi’s Mother
Disturbing Disney #6: Faline vs. the dogs (1942)
Disturbing Disney #7: Cruella wants to do WHAT??
Disturbing Disney #8: The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met (from Make Mine Music, 1946)
Disturbing Disney #9: Dr. Facilier’s Fate (The Princess and the Frog, 2009)
Disturbing Disney #10: The rat in Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Disturbing Disney #11: Clayton’s Death in Tarzan (1999)
Disturbing Disney #12: The Bear from The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Disturbing Disney #14: The Salt Trap in The Jungle Book (1994)
Disturbing Disney #15: Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia (1940)
Disturbing Disney #16: King Triton destroys Ariel’s grotto
Disturbing Disney #17: Ratigan becomes a monster in The Great Mouse Detective
Disturbing Disney #18: The Queen’s assignment for her Huntsman
Disturbing Disney #19: Cinderella’s dress is destroyed (1950)
Disturbing Disney #20: Quasimodo is crowned ‘King of Fools’ (1996)
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This film is so screwed up!! Seriously, I can’t believe it’s a kids film lol. X
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I know right? What boggles my mind is I didn’t realize how messed up any of this stuff was until I grew up O.o
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If you think that’s disturbing, look at original source material! The story is SO SAD!
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Like how much sadder?
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Copper is actually the older dog and Chief is the young new future king hound. Chief actually is killed by the train during the hunt and the “Master” (no name so Amos Slade is a Disney touch) decides to avenge.
Vixey is a play of vixen, a female fox. But she is a compilation of two foxes Tod mates with and has a litter of kittens. “Master” and Copper gas the first litter of kittens, kill the first vixen with leg traps. The next spring, the second litter of kittens is born and these kittens and mate are killed after the “Master” lures then out with rabbit and wounded fox calls.
The hunts continue for years. Until eventually a final hunt chase leads to Tod collapsing in death and Copper passing out on top of him. The “Master” nurses Copper to health but after all this time, the Master is now old and he needs to go to a nursing home so it ends with him taking Copper out back with a shotgun, and covering the dog’s eyes and….well you get the picture
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