Plot: A wise owl and two henchmen birds see that orphaned fox cub Tod is 'found', adopted and 'raised' by childless human widow Tweed as a happy semi-wild pet in a rural backwater. He even makes friends with canine pup Copper, the apprentice of tweed's grumpy farmer neighbor Amos Slade's hunting dog Chief, who is kept in the dark. As they grow up, Amos takes Copper a season on hunting training, from which he returns as a routine prey killer. After a biter row with Amos, Tweed feels obliged to release Tod in the wild. There he is the prime prize for vindictive Amos and Chief's next great hunt, but both juveniles remember their friendship, leaving Copper with mixed loyalties and Tod challenged to act fox-smart.
Alternative Plot: After his mother is killed, Tod the fox (Mickey Rooney) is taken in by the kindly Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan). He soon befriends the neighbor's new hound dog, Copper (Kurt Russell). The two are inseparable, but their friendship is hampered by their masters and by the fact that they are, by nature, enemies. They grow apart as they grow older; Copper has become a strong hunting dog and Tod a wild fox. The pair must overcome their inherent differences in order to salvage their friendship.
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