Disney’s 46th animated film, is often under appreciated but has many fascinating facts!
At the time of it’s 1981 release, it was the most expensive animation production to date, costing $12 million!
Does Tod seem like a strange name for a fox? In Middle English, the word for fox is “todde”.
Before working at Pixar, director (producer, animator, screenwriter, voice actor) John Lasseter worked for Walt Disney Productions. His first work with the company was as one of the animators of Copper. He also worked with animator Glean Keane on bringing in computer graphics into the bear/Tod battle scene.
To save on time and money, Walt Disney Animation sometimes recycles scenes or sound bits. During the fight scene, the bear’s snarl is the same guttural growl used by Shere Khan (1967 Jungle Book) and the alligators Brutus and Nero (1977 The Rescuers).
This was the last production to feature work from “Disney’s Nine Old Men”. Ollie Johnston worked as the supervising animator for young Tod and Copper, while Frank Thomas worked as supervising animator for grown Tod and Copper.
24 animators created approximately 360,000 drawings, 110,000 painted cells, and 1,100 backgrounds.
Animator Don Bluth left early on, taking 11 animators with him. This was a big blow as they made up 17% of animators from the studio.
Up and coming animators who stayed and worked on the film were, Brad Bird (Pixar), Tim Burton, and Ron Clements.
The film is not considered Disney’s best, but it holds a special place for many children who grew up in the 80s! Which fact did you find most surprising? Share your thoughts in our comment section below!
Interesting facts! Thanks Offstagewdw!!