It should have been that way in the manga too. It makes a lot more sense that he would transform into a 9-tailed fox than a normal one. The kyubi is a pretty significant part of Naruto's life. He would obviously think of that first.

When I read the manga, I thought he really did turn into the 9-tailed fox. Not untill looking at these message boards did I see that it was just a normal fox. I went back and checked the manga for myself because I didn't know what anyone was talking about.