My failed attempt at a Making-Of documentary about The Fox and the Hound

I have long wanted to see a Making-Of documentary about The Fox and the Hound, one of my favorite movies. All Disney DVD releases of the film have been disappointing because they have come with worthless kiddie extras and a pointless direct-to-video sequel. None of them have come with an epic making-of documentary, like so many other Disney classics have had.

Think about all the extraordinary talents who worked on this film and later became legends in their own right: Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Henry Selick, Don Bluth & Gary Goldman, John Musker, Chris Buck, Mark Dindal, etc.

So, in March of this year, I attempted to go out and make a documentary of my own. The first person I contacted about the idea was the last surviving director of The Fox and the Hound: Rick Rich, who later went on to direct The Black Cauldron and The Swan Princess. During my first phonecall with Rick, he sounded skeptical about the idea, but told me he was interested. We were to meet face-to-face for lunch the following week.

I immediately began seeking out all other filmmakers I could find who worked on the film. I live in Los Angeles, so it was fairly easy to either call up or meet with them -- most of them still do animation work up in Burbank. I had nice meetings and/or phonecalls with such filmmakers as Darrell Van Citters, Steve Hulett, Randy Cartwright, Phil Nibbelink, Jerry Rees and Skip Jones. All of them were interested in doing interviews. I planned on tracking down many more filmmakers who worked on the film before officially filming interviews.

Before I could set my plans into motion, however, Rick Rich abruptly canceled his meeting with me just hours before it was supposed to occur. He then called me up and told me he no longer wanted to do an interview. He confessed to me that the production of The Fox and the Hound was so troubled, and so full of tension, that he was not sure he'd have anything pleasant to say about it. He hinted to me that the production was plagued by such controversies as the dismissal of Wolfgang Reitherman and the resignations of Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and their loyal followers.

To be sure: Everyone else whom I had talked to agreed that the film was not fun to make and that it marked an uncomfortable time at the studio. But whereas the others were at least still interested in doing interviews, Rick feared that a documentary would only hurt the film. He argued that it would be best to simply let the film speak for itself.

I disagreed. I told Rick, "The Fox and the Hound is a movie beloved by everyone, and yet it never gets the respect it deserves." But Rick said he didn't think that that was a fair statement because he felt that the film's popularity and fanbase was a sufficient reward enough. He made it clear to me that he really did not want to do an interview. I asked him if he'd still be interested in having lunch and talking about the film, but he said that even talking about the film made him uncomfortable.

"But, were you happy with the finished film?" I asked. Rick said that he was certainly happy with it because it was a very successful film. He said the only thing about the film which bothered him was that he felt it was "too long". I asked him what he would have shortened, but he said he couldn't say for sure. Not wanting to anger him, I never brought up the aspect of the film which critics always complain about: the decision not to kill off Chief (many who worked on the film, including Steve Hulett, told me that they believed it would have been an even better movie if Chief had died). The only thing I mentioned was that, unlike the movie, the original book by Daniel Mannix was incredibly brutal. "Yes, it was," Rick agreed.

I finally asked Rick if it would be okay for me to still proceed with plans for a documentary despite his decision not to be involved. Rick said it was okay, and he even encouraged me to keep him informed about the film's progress. But after that phonecall, he stopped replying to my emails. I sent him as many updates as I could, hoping to get a response from him, but I never did.

Despite Rick's decision not to be involved, I persisted with my plans, hoping that eventually I would get in touch with the "celebrity" filmmakers who worked on the film. I was successful in contacting Gary Goldman, who I was hoping to interview alongside Don Bluth. Gary told me that he and Don were busy working on their Dragon's Lair movie and would be unavailable for an interview; he also added, "As you're probably aware, our departure from the studio in the late 70's wasn't welcomed by the Disney establishment." When I asked him if they'd be interested in doing an interview after their movie was over, Gary wrote back to me saying, "I've talked to Don, and we've decided we shouldn't chime in on The Fox and the Hound."

One person I've consistently tried contacting is Don Hahn, who later became the producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Don Hahn also produces all the Disney documentaries that you see on the classic DVDs, and I was hoping to attract his interest because he seemed like the kind of guy who could even help me eventually get to the more famous filmmakers like Burton, Lasseter, etc. But all of my efforts to contact Mr. Hahn proved in vain because I don't think his agents and managers ever sent him my letters.

I also tried to get Disney interested in the project. I talked on the phone with a Communications guy who works there named Howard Green, who hinted to me that The Fox and the Hound was "never considered a triumph" by the studio, but that it might not hurt to try to get a documentary into motion. He told me he would try to pass the word on to their Home Entertainment office, but I didn't hear back from them for months.

Finally, after I made some more noise about the project just recently, I got an email from Disney telling me they would not be able to help me out with the documentary. When I wrote back to them, stressing the importance of a Fox and the Hound documentary, their head of publicity replied to me admitting, "Off-record, the issue is that none of us have time to help out... I work at Disney now because I grew up loving movies like Fox and the Hound. Thanks for your request."

So, in case you were wondering why we won't be seeing an in-depth documentary about The Fox and the Hound anytime soon: It's not just because Disney isn't interested. It's because the director isn't in favor of it, and neither are some of the more famous people that worked on it. Nevertheless, I remain firm in my belief that there is a great story behind the making of this film, and it's a story that people would be interested to hear. If you agree with me, call up Disney, write them a letter, and tell them you want a Fox and the Hound making-of documentary as soon as possible!