The Tale of the Fox (French: Le Roman de Renard, Dutch: Van den vos Reynaerde, German: Reinecke Fuchs) was stop-motion animation pioneer Ladislas Starevich's first fully animated feature film. The film is based on the tales of Renard the Fox. Although the animation was finished in Paris after an 18-month period (1929–1930), there were major problems with adding a soundtrack to the film. Finally, funding was given for a German soundtrack by the UFA—Goethe had written a classic version of the Renard legend—and this version had its premiere in Berlin in April 1937.

The Tale of the Fox
Original French poster
Directed byLadislas Starevich
Irène Starevich
Screenplay byRoger Richebé
Jean Nohain (dialogue)
Antoinette Nordmann (dialogue)
Story byIrène Starevich
Based on"Reynard the Fox" as told by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Produced byLouis Nalpas (1929–1931)
Roger Richebé (1939–1941)
StarringClaude Dauphin
Romain Bouquet
Laine
Sylvain Itkine
Léon Larive
CinematographyLadislas Starevich
Edited byLaura Sejourné
Music byVincent Scotto
Release dates
  • 10 April 1937 (1937-04-10) (Germany)
  • 10 April 1941 (1941-04-10) (France)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguagesGerman (1937)
French (1941)

Released eight months before Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it is the world's sixth-ever animated feature film (and the third surviving animated film, as well as the second to use puppet animation, following The New Gulliver from the USSR). The film was released in France with a French language soundtrack in 1941; this is the version which is currently available on DVD.[citation needed]

Plot

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In the kingdom of animals, the fox Renard is used to tricking and fooling everyone. Consequently, the King (a lion) receives more and more complaints. Finally, he orders Renard to be arrested and brought before the throne.

Voice cast

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  • Claude Dauphin as Monkey.
  • Romain Bouquet as Fox.
  • Laine as Lion.
  • Sylvain Itkine as Wolf.
  • Léon Larive as Bear.
  • Robert Seller as Cock.
  • Eddy Debray as Badger.
  • Nicolas Amato as Cat.
  • Pons as Donkey.
  • Sylvia Bataille as Rabbit.
  • Suzy Dornac as Fox Cub.
  • Jaime Plama as Cat. (singing voice)

See also

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References

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