The Fox and the Hound

qualifier - (qual·i·fi·er) 

- A word or phrase that limits or qualifies the sense of another word or statement.

Like, "The Dark Knight Rises was the best super-hero film of 2012". In this sentence, "super-hero" is used as the qualifier. It allows for "The Dark Knight Rises" to be considered the best film of 2012, so long as we are talking about super-hero films. I would argue that such a sentence needs no qualifier but that's just me.

Best Supporting Actress

Sometimes, 'qualifiers' don't need to be vocalized. Some are just assumed when speaking. Let me give you an example.

The phrase "Everything's bigger in Texas" is often spoken in the lone star state. Taken at face value, this of course isn't true. Not everything is bigger in Texas. For instance, just look at the Allen High School 60-million-dollar football stadium.

Clearly, not the biggest. I believe the 49ers have a 61 million dollar stadium. 

So, the understood qualifier in the phrase "Everything's bigger in Texas" is that "everything" isn't meant in the literal sense. Even though it isn't stated verbally, both Billy-bob and Earl understand that what is really being said is actually something like, "[most things, many things, some things] are bigger in Texas."

The following statement has such qualifiers.

The Fox and the Hound is Disney's most relevant and moral animated film for today's American audience. 

Note: There are two main qualifiers on that... I said, "it is Disney's most relevant and moral animated film." No doubt there are countless other relevant and moral films the company has produced, but none, I shall argue, is as important for children (and adults) to watch then this one. 

And the second qualifier is that I've limited the statement to just animated films... no computer animation or live action here.

I think Disney Pixar has exceeded expectations on how to create beautifully rendered stories while delivering rock solid content to it's audience. 

Toy Story wrestles with the vulnerabilities of losing your identity, being replaced and unused.
The Incredibles dealt with a family who neglected the marital tensions between  husband and wife.
A Bug's Life made an effort to convey the importance of breaking from tradition.
Finding Nemo portrayed the parental struggle to "let go," and...
Wall*E, rather overtly, touched on climate change and the Nation-wide obesity epidemic.
It's safe to say that Pixar always delivers excellent, moral, relevant messages. 

Cars was about exploiting children's innate desire to buy car toys. 

Back to the Fox and the Hound.

I think it's the most relevant Disney animation film for two reasons. 

1. It deals with the universal experience of having to assimilate to what culture tells you to do.

Todd and Copper (the fox and the hound, duh) were best friends. They loved each other. "We'll always be best friends," Todd says, "no matter what." Sadly, after the two spend a season apart from each other they meet with a new-found sense of cultural norms. "He's a hunting dog now" Big Momma (the owl) says, "things have changed." Despite their true feelings, Todd and Copper ultimately abandon their friendship out of obligation. How can a fox and a hound be friends? 

Today, kids are asking the same questions. 

When I was in junior high, the third day of school, a group of boys (the "popular ones") came up to me and told me I needed to hang out with them. "You seem pretty cool" they said, "Be friends with us." Hmm..."This was odd," I thought. Odd because it was a command directed solely at me and not the others I was hanging with already. The group wanted me to make a decision right then and there about who it was I would associate with. In their minds I was a "fox" like them and they wanted to tell me I couldn't be friends with the "hounds." 

This happens so often amongst kids you wouldn't believe. If you're a pretty girl, you're friends with the pretty girls. If you're an athlete, you're friends are supposed to be athletes. If you're in band, you only hang out with band geeks. 

Unless you're a drummer ...then you're totally like the most popular guy ever. 

My High School experience. 

Back to the fox and the hound...

2. It has an optimistic, yet realistic conclusion. 

Unlike most children's movies, this one didn't end with everything being gung-ho and happy. It was an optimistic ending, like I said, but Todd and Copper never ran off into the sunset playing hide and seek. 

"Found you!"

In the conclusion, the two remain friends but only at a distance. The actions the two have taken in the film have consequences that simply don't allow for the shared life they both want. They leave each other to live their own lives. Friends, but friends that must go separate ways.

It's a great movie. Incredibly sad in some places and quite funny at times. Roger Ebert wrote, 

"For all of its familiar qualities, this movie marks something of a departure for the Disney studio, and its movement is in an interesting direction. The Fox and the Hound is one of those relatiely rare Disney animated features that contains a useful lesson for its younger audiences. It's not just cute animals and frightening advetures and a happy ending; it's also a rather thoughful meditation on how society determines our behavior." 

So, for whatever reason, if you've actually ended up reading this post all the way through and need a good kid flick to watch with your niece, nephew, son or daughter... go netflix The Fox and the Hound. 

And after you've watched it. Instantly watch this.