Film poster 1981. Walt Disney 1 Original edition. Red and Toby are enemies. (The Fox and the Hound). Red and Toby - The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated film directed by Art Stevens, Ted Berman, Richard Rich. adaptation loosely based on the novel The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix, it is considered the 24th Disney classic according to the official canon. It was also the last Disney classic in which traditional animation was used completely. Starting from the 25th classic Taron and the Magic Pot, the traditional animation technique was progressively joined by computer graphics. Production of the film began in 1977; 180 people worked there, including 24 animators. To the old Disney animators, such as Don Bluth (uncredited, who would in fact shortly thereafter leave the production, having already left Disney some time ago and begun to pursue his own career), were joined by others who finished the work, including Tim Burton and Brad Bird. The film cost 12 million dollars and was made with 350,000 drawings and 110 hand-painted backgrounds. Mannix's novel was largely edited to make the story more family-friendly. Animator Cliff Nordberg died during production. It tells the story of the friendship between Red, a little orphaned fox, and Toby, a little hunting dog. The two are close friends as children, but as they grow up they are forced to transform into prey and predator. In fact, Toby will become a hunting dog, and this will put his friendship with the fox in serious difficulty.