Seeing as we’re in the bleak midwinter, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic are back to take on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most deeply upsetting Dark Age movie yet: 1981’s The Fox And The Hound. This time, we’re delving into the devastating story of friends-turned-enemies Tod and Copper – exploring why the narrative cuts so deep, how it compares to Bambi, and discovering what happens in the even more horrifying source material. Plus, we dig into an especially turbulent time at the studio, as Don Bluth leads a mass Disney exodus, a whole host of major new names enter the fray, and a tussle over an improbably-named song leads to Wolfgang Reitherman quitting animation all together. All that, plus another stone-cold Disniversity legend, and a very special guest shares her own personal childhood trauma from this darkest of Disney flicks. Content warning: this episode contains graphic owl abuse.

Next up: The Black Cauldron

Disniversity is brought to you by Ben Travis (@benstravis) and Sam Summers (@samsummers0), with art by Olly Gibbs and music by Nafets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @disniversity. This podcast is not affiliated with Disney.

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Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Encanto. Watch along with us, and listen as we explore each film’s historical context, advances in animation and lasting legacy, and talk about how they stand up today.