Released in 1973 by Walt Disney Productions. Rated G.
Over the years, there have been many motion picture adaptations of the classic English folk tale of Robin Hood. From the masterpiece that is the 1938 Warner Brothers film starring Errol Flynn in the title role, to satires like Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" with Carey Elwes, and even to the completely godawful that is both "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" starring Kevin Costner, and the 2010 Ridley Scott film starring Russell Crowe (of all people). To me, as with a lot of people that grew up watching nothing but Disney movies, the 1973 animated film directed by Wolfgang Reitherman is the one that not only introduced me to the thieving rebel, but is my absolute favorite of the whole lot.
Taking inspirations from the Errol Flynn film, the movie is about our titular hero Robin Hood, voiced by Brian Bedford, along with his sidekick, Little John, voiced by veteran Disney voice actor Phil Harris. They spend their time robbing from the wealthy (especially royalty), in order to give to the poor and needy. They do this to spite their false king, the greedy Prince John, voiced by Peter Ustinov, whose brother, King Richard the Lionhearted, is out fighting in the Crusades, thus giving John the initiative to tax the life out of the poor folks of Nottingham. While Robin helps the people fight against the oppression until King Richard returns (all whilst having a price on his head), his eyes are also focused on marrying his true love, Maid Marian, voiced by Monica Evans.
Being that this is an animated Disney film, the creators took creative liberties on how to tell the tale, and this quite apparent with the characters themselves. There are no humans throughout the entire picture (with the exception of one which is printed on a book in the beginning of the film). All of the characters are anthropomorphic animals, with Robin Hood and Maid Marian portrayed as foxes, Little John as a bear, Prince John as a lion, the list goes on. Honestly, I love this, because their portrayals as different animals completely match their overall character.
However, there are things in the film that a lot of people have pointed out, such as the re-use of animation from prior Disney films, especially during the "Phony King of England" scene, where it is most apparent. The main reason for this is because the film did not have that big of a budget, as the studio was not doing so hot after the death of Walt Disney in 1966, so the animators had to perform a cost-cutting exercise, but it doesn't necessarily hurt the film that much. This is because it's overshadowed with great characters, great music, a story that is pretty accurate to the original English legend, and, being a family picture, having a good moral for the young ones.
This was the movie that got me interested in going into animation and illustration, and watching it as an adult brings back a lot of great childhood memories. It's not just my overall favorite Disney film. It's one of my favorite movies, period. I highly recommend this for both the young and the old (yet young at heart).
DID YOU KNOW?:
- The films the re-used animation originated from include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950), The Jungle Book (1966), and The Aristocats (1970).
- Originally, the film was supposed to be based on the old tale of Reynard the Fox. The idea was brought to Walt Disney while he was still alive, but was dismissed because Disney felt that a "trickster rogue" was not a suitable hero character.