The running time is 1 hr. 23 mins..
Fox and the Hound is known for its story of friendship, but also as the one movie that bridged the gap between Disney's older generation of animators, which includes three of the "Nine Old Men," and the new as the baton was passed. This DVD touches on this aspect slightly with a small featurette, but it is pretty much dedicated to the movie with a couple of bonus goodies for the kids.
The film tells the story of a young fox named Tod and a young bloodhound pup named Copper who become the best of friends after Tod loses his mother to hunters and is cared for by a welcoming old woman. Unfortunately this is a friendship destined for trouble once Copper grows into his duties as a hunting dog and Tod becomes the source of the hunt. Based on the book by Daniel P. Mannix The Fox and the Hound might be one of Disney's most simple storylines, but that doesn't make the film any less entertaining.
As for the DVD it has the one mini featurette I mentioned earlier called "Passing the Baton", which touches on the subject of the new generation taking over for the old at the Disney Animation Studios as the last three members of Disney's pioneering "Nine Old Men" worked only partially on Fox and the Hound. The reigns are passed over and a new era comes into play and ultimately becomes the core group that developed so many films for Disney all through the '80s and the '90s. The other features include a sing-a-long song, "The Best of Friends", a DVD storybook, a sneak peek at the upcoming Fox and the Hound 2 as well as a couple of animated shorts "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" and "Lend a Paw", both of which are actually quite good and you are sure to recognize both of them. Finally there is the always present Disney DVD game, this time it is a mini Hide and Seek game that will most likely keep the kids busy for a couple of minutes as they bounce around the forest and learn more about the characters from the movie.
Overall there is nothing ever bad to say about a classic Disney animated film on DVD and Fox and the Hound falls right into that category. Granted for you collectors out there, there is sure to be a Platinum 2-Disc Edition some years down the line, but to quench your need to add this film to your library now is the time, because with Peter Pan and Jungle Book coming out next year Platinum style it isn't going to be at the very earliest 2008 before you are going to see Tod and Copper in Platinum.