User Reviews

If nothing else, this shows the idiocy of fox hunting. The hunt becamse a British staple for the aristocracy in the 19th century. Basically, a fox already captured, is released, and a pack of foxhounds are set on it. Rich idiots on horseback pursue the frightened animal and kill it. I won't get into the utter insensitivity of all this from a culture that saw itself as superior to all on earth at the time.

Although Disney also brought out another short in 1938 by the same name, it was not a remake but a Goofy cartoon. This 1931 example is one of the studio's Silly Symphonies--a cartoon short that consists of lots of music and characters cavorting about all set to this music. Unlike most in the series, this one depicts people and not just animals or anamorphic objects. Now considering that the topic is the politically incorrect fox hunt, my bet is that many will be offended by a film making such 'sport' look fun. My feelings are regardless of the cruelty of the sport, the cartoon just isn't a shining example of the art of Disney. While the backgrounds are nice, the dogs and hunters are drawn very cartoony--much more than in other films in the series. This just makes it all see pretty cheap by comparison with the other Symphonies. Overall, it's not a terrible film but it certainly isn't among their best--but it also has lots of humor that younger audience members will enjoy--making one of the better films in the series for kids.

One of the weaker Silly Symphonies, this one is quite enjoyable, but fails in a basic aesthetic rule of animation: if it could have been shot as a live-action short, then it doesn't need to be a cartoon, and therefore isn't a good one.

Now, you may disagree with this aesthetic rule of mine, and I won't dispute it too strongly. Nor is this a poor movie: the gags are strong and a fair number of them need to be animated, since the 'transformation' gags are clearly animation of gags. But there are plenty of live action fox hunts in the movies, and this could have been done that way. But it has its pleasures nonetheless.

Light on gags and worthwhile character animation, The Fox Hunt (1931) is a lesser Silly Symphony. It certainly does not have the energy or atmosphere of something such as The Skeleton Dance (1929) or The Old Mill (1937)

The major compensation is the backgrounds and illusion of depth, which was lovely to see. Then again, Disney has almost always had beautiful backgrounds in their films. Even their most wretched works (sans the ugly Chicken Little film from 2005) has that redeeming factor.

Otherwise, this will likely bore most people, save for those who can be entertained by lovely backgrounds alone.

Disney Silly Symphonies always have been a big part of my childhood. The Fox Hunt wasn't one of the ones I grew up with but one I only saw fairly recently. I can't say it is one of their greats though, the characters' personalities are somewhat bland and there are moments when the animation is rather crude by today's standards. That said, in regard to the latter point, I actually did find the dawn breaking sequence very atmospheric in terms of animation with the use of silhouettes and lighting and it was in this scene where the animation was at its most fluid. The music is simple but never repetitive and has the right amount of energy. The cartoon is crisply paced and the gags come by thick and fast and are very funny. I admit though that the second half is better than the first as it is in the second half from when the horn is blown when the fun really starts. Though I didn't find the first half dull either, while not as fun it was still interesting. So in conclusion, I found The Fox Hunt worth watching and thought it did well thanks to the gags making an oft-done idea fresh, but I do think there are better Disney cartoons elsewhere that had more consistent quality in animation and stronger characters. 8/10 Bethany Cox