INTERVIEW: Animator Jerry Rees on "The Fox and the Hound"

[@tayloredwards4968]

It is so cool that you were able to interview one of the people who work on the film

[@eggarino]

This was fascinating!! Especially the story of how the sparrows were seen as being animated too “cartoony” even if they really are like that in real life haha. So funny how they wanted real life references but even then the real life wasn’t quite right

[@Rubberman202]

What an honor it must have been to have the chance to talk to someone with a history like Jerry Rees. Thanks for uploading the full interview!

[@frogglen6350]

7:56 Really makes me wonder how much stuff got cut because it was "too scary".

[@ColinLooksBack]

That's the eternal question, isn't it?

[@jamesa.romano8500]

LOVE how you're making this channel grow! Here's to more great interviews in the future

[@sabertooth3studioshq838]

Looks like we'll have to add this Lost opening of the fox and the hound to the lost media wiki

[@hallowedtalon8106]

Fascinating video! I didn't know that Tod's mother's death was meant to be ambiguous. I always just assumed she was killed off screen. Now the second gunshot makes more sense.

[@LeBasfondMusic]

You always makes amazing videos, but this conversation is so special. Well done, dude. ❤

[@Oecobius33]

It's very cool hearing him talk in detail about the technical aspects! Nice interview. 👍 Really looking forward to the interview section about Brave Little Toaster, since that's such an inspired and special film. Any new insights and stories about the production of that film will be very cool to hear! (Aw, "sometime next year" is a wait, but fair enough!)

[@therewillbefudd]

This was great! Would love to hear more interviews like this.

[@lilj4818]

I absolutely love this. I would listen to these type of videos all day!

[@jjproduction297]

Oh, cool! :D This animator is a friend of mine on Facebook :)

[@ridensroom6957]

Top video and interview 🙂

[@1995yuda]

Wow this content is amazing!

[@esotericexplorersmartinez493]

this was awesome thank you sooo much i loved hearing from this animator! great stories!

[@muppetsretrofan8873]

This was so cool, Colin! I think I also agree that Chief's demise would have made the film more powerful. When you do the Horned King's retrospective, are you going to talk about the mean-spirited jab at the movie in the Paul Rudish Mickey short "For Whom The Booth Tolls"? And maybe even any comic appearances of the Black Cauldron characters?

[@nicolasfisher4746]

Come on tell me

[@nutriculi]

very insightful. thank you for this ❤️

[@BrendonPatrickWatts]

You're too good to us Colin

[@raggedyanarchist]

Don't worry... Martin Rosen would go on to direct an animated fox-hunt scene capable of scarring late Gen Xers for life just over a year later. 😄 Super cool of this guy to stick up for the old team though, because yeah, the story everyone hears is was the old guard vs the new.

[@mightyfilm]

Really seems to be what I was talking about in the retrospective video. Disney was getting pressure from the 1970's rise of Parental Groups, directly or indirectly. When the animators feel disappointed that they couldn't put in some emotional scenes that would have given heft to the movie. Disney films have a history of killing off parents, but to basically get so scared of repercussion that they leave it ambiguous that the ORPHAN fox's mother was dead or alive just feels cowardly. That's some TV animation quatsche right there. Kind of reminds me how they cleaned up the ending of Robin Hood to tell everything that happened off screen instead of Prince John actually coming to try and kill a wounded Robin, only to be stopped by King Richard. I really do like that movie, but that would have made the film much better.

[@icecreamhero2375]

Maybe that is why they can't kill Olaf in the Frozen movies. He keeps dying and coming back.

[@disneyboy3030]

​@@icecreamhero2375plus he is popular.

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

I thought they cut that ending from Robin Hood because it would have been expensive and the movie was made on a budget, not because it was too violent.

[@mightyfilm]

@@theadaptationstationmaster Considering the amount of reused animation, that does sound like the true option. Still, the movie SHOULD have ended with that instead of the "everything just worked itself out" bit.

[@disneyboy3030]

@@theadaptationstationmaster He meant the tone when Prince John was about to kill Robin Hood there was dark not violent.

[@mevb]

Colin, I'd lke to hear more of the interview that wasn't talking about The Fox and The Hound prouction. I would like to know more of The Brave Little Toaster, Cranium Command, ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and so on, for there isn't really any info about those. Why not release those on seperate links?

[@ColinLooksBack]

Although I did not personally talk to him about his Disney attractions, someone else did. I recommend checking Tammy Tuckey's channel. She's talked to him several times about the different theme park attractions he's worked on: kzbin.info/door/V_EUBlg4cYhzeAZFgy4nQw

[@tayloredwards4968]

If you run on a Disney villain can you do Pixar villains

[@nicholassims9837]

I think he will do them.toghther and I image the first pixar related video will ge after Ratcliff

[@TylerRakstis]

Good for you Colin. 0:58-17:20 I can at least somewhat see the frustration with Disney at the time, but then again there is a thing where sometimes the risks aren't worth it. Especially with what happened with The Black Cauldron, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Strange World, Lightyear, and Elemental. While yes it's at least good that they try to do something different that's not what your associated with, and they eventually would gain a cult following. But I'm not entirely sure with the latter 3 since most movies these days don't feel sacred. Though sure you can say the marketing department may be to blame, or the studio feeling underconfident if this film would appeal to a full general audience, and not just the niche crowd.

[@mevb]

I saw Elemental almost two weeks ago and I really liked it and it had good score on IMDB, there wasn't any wrong with it.

[@mightyfilm]

Lightyear kinda bugs me. I respect what they tried to do with the movie, but I do NOT respect the reason it exists. It's clearly Pixar trying to reclaim Buzz's story from the excellent Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. A show they internally hated because they felt that Disney was forcing the characters out of their control. Now that's just my conspiracy theory about it, but I'd tend to think Andy wanted the toy because he saw the cartoon series, not a pretty dry, adult-ish Sci-Fi story. And Elemental DID NOT deserve to flop. That was Disney's hubris of putting 2 movies out a month for May and June, and releasing it so close to Across the Spider-Verse.

[@TylerRakstis]

@@mevb I did too last week, and it is a pretty good film, but too bad the trailers kind of make the film look uninteresting, and admiditedly I'm starting to think Pixar is now scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. Since visual wise and sort of plot wise feels like a mix of Inside Out/Soul/ and Zootopia.

[@TylerRakstis]

@@mightyfilm Well not everybody at Pixar disliked the series, Jeff Pidgeon and Angus McLane acted as consultants. Plus Angus did try to explain his best on why the movie was different to the TV series that would follow(In the Toy Story Universe that is), But too bad fanboys had to whine and complain about it and interpreted it as like they were being insulted. Like how fans reacted to Rian Johnson or Hiroyuki Seshita(Who did the infamous Godzilla Anime Trilogy)

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

I can agree to an extent. As an artist, I'd much rather have the freedom to experiment and do my own thing. But when it comes to art that I actually enjoy, there's not a great deal of Indie stuff.

[@MK1MonsterOck1989]

I do have a friend request with Jerry awesome! =)

[@MomLAU]

It sounds like their production schedule was a real "bear". 😂

[@prageruwu69]

cooool!

[@nicholassims9837]

Of curiosity what do you think of Doug Walkers Disneycember and Animat Animation LookBacks ?

[@diegocalderon5190]

If it's not rude, why question him about his opinion on that? Just wondering why

[@nicholassims9837]

@@diegocalderon5190 cause all 3 review something Disney related

[@TylerRakstis]

I imagine he did at one point, but both had to ruin their reputations due to their own egos getting the better of them. Like the #ChangetheChannel or The Wall review did for Doug, and Animatt's prejudice towards Sony's animated films.

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

Are we sure that bit from The Rescuers got cut? It sounds pretty much like how I remember the scene.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

The only remaining part of the final film that bears some resemblance to that particular scene is when Penny and the mice get sucked down a whirlpool only for the tide to erupt them back out. But from the account provided, this sounds like a deleted scene that happens before that.

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

@@geoffreyrichards6079 They sound so similar to me that I wonder if the whirlpool moment is just the "deleted" moment sped up to get it over with. It'd be nice to think that the pushback from Jerry Rees and Brad Bird influenced the studio to do some version of it even if it wasn't as nail bitingly suspenseful as what was planned.

[@disneyboy3030]

​@@theadaptationstationmasterI see. I wonder what is the case here.

[@ColinLooksBack]

It sounds like this was a longer, alternate version where she stayed in the whirlpool longer than a couple seconds. I can imagine them trimming certain shots down.

[@disneyboy3030]

@@ColinLooksBack I see. Also I do wonder what did you think of my comments in the last few videos.

[@ChimeratAlpha]

Ooh, you're doing Brave Little Toaster? ...One of the two kids movies that terrified me. (The other was "The Christmas Toy", which is likely the reason I'm not a fan of Toy Story.)

[@nicholassims9837]

So for Brave Little Toaser villains would be Pete Saul , The clown, the Cutting Edge, Giant Magent in 1 Then the college roommate in To the Rescue And the Giant fridge in Mars

[@nicolasfisher4746]

You mean Elmo St Peters?

[@nicholassims9837]

@@nicolasfisher4746 yes

[@nicolasfisher4746]

@@nicholassims9837 we wish for the horned king next week in august

[@nicholassims9837]

Brave Little Toaser debate on if its a Disney movie might explain why it never showed up in Kingdom Hearts or House of Mouse

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

It was basically a non-Disney film that Disney acquired to air on TV and distribute. It might’ve only been limited to physical media, though, since the film isn’t available on Disney+ (the sequels are, though).

[@nicholassims9837]

@@geoffreyrichards6079 why would they put sequels but not the first film ?

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

@@nicholassims9837 I’m not sure. It could be perhaps that they were films commissioned by them, therefore giving them more control over their distribution. But that’s just a guess. At least the original film is still purchasable on DVD.

[@gstone8255]

Eric Larrson creator of savage dragon ?

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

A different individual. The late Eric Cleon Larson was a veteran Disney animator who worked since the ‘30s.

[@e-mananimates2274]

How were you able to obtain the privilege of interviewing a Disney animator? You are very lucky!

[@owenmeyers5601]

*PromoSM* 👀

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

How in the world would a bunch of conservative parents find a scene where a character nearly drowns offensive? The seventies and eighties were completely wack.

[@gstone8255]

The bibel belt is stupid😕

[@nicolasfisher4746]

Sure is