After Walt Disney died in 1966, the Walt Disney Company began to enter it's second dark age. The era from 1970 to 1989 is mixed for Disney's releases. While many of the movies released at this time have gained cult followings, some even found popularity afterwards, this was not one of Disney's better eras. Releases were far between, some taking three or four years, and many agree that the output of this era are not the best Disney movies, with some exceptions, many will say that they were all pretty weak, with one of those exceptions being Robin Hood, and for good reason.
The tale of Robin Hood is a classic one and has had many retellings over the years. This version tells the story with anthropomorphic animals, which Disney would not do again until Zootopia in 2016. Honestly, the choices for each character for what animal they are is pretty clever. Robin Hood being a fox, Little John being a bear, the Sheriff of Nottingham being a fat wolf, the Minstrel being a rooster, even Prince John being a scrawny lion without a mane, it's all really clever. I don't really get why Friar Tuck is a badger of all animals, but if that is my only complaint, the choice was justified pretty well.
Oh my, I almost forgot the plot. Well, we all know the tale of Robin Hood, or we should. When King Richard goes on a crusade, Prince John usurps his crown and taxes the townsfolk. This means Robin Hood has to steal from the wealthy to give back to those in need. This leads to Prince John wanting to get Robin Hood and have him executed, so he sets up a trap at an archery tournament, with the prize being a kiss from Robin's sweetheart, Maid Marian, luring the hero of the people into a trap. When that fails, Prince John bitterly raises the taxes he collects and locks all those who cannot pay in jail. This culminates in the Sheriff of Nottingham angering Friar Tuck, leading him to fight back, leading to his arrest. At this news, Prince John sentences him to hang as another trap for Robin Hood, leading to him and Little John attempting a jailbreak. Plotwise, this movie is really tight, we don't get a lot of unnecessary filler, and each scene flows into the next very well. For example, after Robin Hood runs from the archery tournament with Maid Marian, the townsfolk join him in Sherwood and sing a song at Prince John's expense, and when the prince finds out he then raises the taxes leading to jail for those that could not pay. It is a solid and smooth plot progression, it leaves me with no questions about how, and it is a fine example of the smooth and simple plots that Disney is known for.
As for characters, it's a wonderful cast of colourful and entertaining characters. Robin Hood is kind and sympathetic, but also playful and romantic. I think this is one of Disney's best lead characters of all time. As for the side characters, Maid Marian is your typical sweet lady, but I think the film knew this because she kind of disappears during the climax, she is not a terrible character, and I do genuinely buy her feelings for Robin Hood, so she gets a pass. Little John being more cautious than Robin Hood but just as playful is a nice touch, and makes for interesting talk between him and Robin. Then we have the villains, Prince John and Sir Hiss are two of the funniest villains Disney has ever made. They are seriously up there with Yzma and Kronk, and the Queen of Hearts as Disney's funniest. Prince John trying put on a facade of royalty while being a whiny, greedy cry-baby that is prone to anger makes for one of Disney's most entertaining characters, and the way he and Sir Hiss interact is also really amusing at times. The Sheriff of Nottingham is also one of Disney's best villains, being such an unashamed jerk to the townsfolk, almost taking pride in doing things like, irritating a man's injury and stealing from a blind beggar. He is a good example of a character you love to hate, but not hate to love. Robin Hood is one of Disney's strongest casts, even the minor characters have some good moments and the major characters are enjoyable to follow throughout the film.
But of course, this is an animated film so, how is the animation? Around this time, Disney was trying a different art-style. One that looked more sketchy and didn't look as clean as some of their older films. This would end with The Black Cauldron, but would be brought back for Oliver & Company, ending for good with The Little Mermaid. Whether you like this art-style or not will come down to preference, I personally don't mind it. To me, the art-style is only a small part of the visual style, it also includes design and colour, and on both of those fronts, Robin Hood is brilliant. I don't think this is one of Disney's best looking films, after all if we're looking at the classics it is pretty hard to top films like Alice in Wonderland or Fantasia, but on it's own, it looks great. Colours stand out when they need to and no colours blend in with each other. As for design, again the character design is all really clever, and a lot of the backgrounds look great. As for the actual animation, it's Disney theatrical animation, so it is of high quality. I saw no animation errors, and there were even some small touches, like mouths moving in group shots. Now, full disclosure, watching the movie for this review, I was watching the 40th Anniversary Edition on DVD, so it was a bit cleaned up, however I do own a couple copies on VHS and even on that format the movie looked good, so I don't think this movie struggles in the animation aspect.
Robin Hood is without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite Disney animated movies. It's funny, thrilling, and even a bit romantic. It looks great, has wonderful characters, which include some of Disney's most entertaining villains, has some wonderful songs and is all wrapped up ion a tightly woven plot. Many kids were introduced to the Robin Hood legend through this movie, though my first introduction was the 60s cartoon series Rocket Robin Hood, I had a weird childhood. Regardless, Disney's Robin Hood is a well-loved classic for a reason, and while it came out in one of Disney's darker eras, it is still loved and appreciated by Disney fans, animation fans, parents and children alike. So it should be no surprise that this movie gets a High Recommendation from me. It's a charming and timeless classic that is sure to entertain everyone.
The tale of Robin Hood is a classic one and has had many retellings over the years. This version tells the story with anthropomorphic animals, which Disney would not do again until Zootopia in 2016. Honestly, the choices for each character for what animal they are is pretty clever. Robin Hood being a fox, Little John being a bear, the Sheriff of Nottingham being a fat wolf, the Minstrel being a rooster, even Prince John being a scrawny lion without a mane, it's all really clever. I don't really get why Friar Tuck is a badger of all animals, but if that is my only complaint, the choice was justified pretty well.
Oh my, I almost forgot the plot. Well, we all know the tale of Robin Hood, or we should. When King Richard goes on a crusade, Prince John usurps his crown and taxes the townsfolk. This means Robin Hood has to steal from the wealthy to give back to those in need. This leads to Prince John wanting to get Robin Hood and have him executed, so he sets up a trap at an archery tournament, with the prize being a kiss from Robin's sweetheart, Maid Marian, luring the hero of the people into a trap. When that fails, Prince John bitterly raises the taxes he collects and locks all those who cannot pay in jail. This culminates in the Sheriff of Nottingham angering Friar Tuck, leading him to fight back, leading to his arrest. At this news, Prince John sentences him to hang as another trap for Robin Hood, leading to him and Little John attempting a jailbreak. Plotwise, this movie is really tight, we don't get a lot of unnecessary filler, and each scene flows into the next very well. For example, after Robin Hood runs from the archery tournament with Maid Marian, the townsfolk join him in Sherwood and sing a song at Prince John's expense, and when the prince finds out he then raises the taxes leading to jail for those that could not pay. It is a solid and smooth plot progression, it leaves me with no questions about how, and it is a fine example of the smooth and simple plots that Disney is known for.
As for characters, it's a wonderful cast of colourful and entertaining characters. Robin Hood is kind and sympathetic, but also playful and romantic. I think this is one of Disney's best lead characters of all time. As for the side characters, Maid Marian is your typical sweet lady, but I think the film knew this because she kind of disappears during the climax, she is not a terrible character, and I do genuinely buy her feelings for Robin Hood, so she gets a pass. Little John being more cautious than Robin Hood but just as playful is a nice touch, and makes for interesting talk between him and Robin. Then we have the villains, Prince John and Sir Hiss are two of the funniest villains Disney has ever made. They are seriously up there with Yzma and Kronk, and the Queen of Hearts as Disney's funniest. Prince John trying put on a facade of royalty while being a whiny, greedy cry-baby that is prone to anger makes for one of Disney's most entertaining characters, and the way he and Sir Hiss interact is also really amusing at times. The Sheriff of Nottingham is also one of Disney's best villains, being such an unashamed jerk to the townsfolk, almost taking pride in doing things like, irritating a man's injury and stealing from a blind beggar. He is a good example of a character you love to hate, but not hate to love. Robin Hood is one of Disney's strongest casts, even the minor characters have some good moments and the major characters are enjoyable to follow throughout the film.
But of course, this is an animated film so, how is the animation? Around this time, Disney was trying a different art-style. One that looked more sketchy and didn't look as clean as some of their older films. This would end with The Black Cauldron, but would be brought back for Oliver & Company, ending for good with The Little Mermaid. Whether you like this art-style or not will come down to preference, I personally don't mind it. To me, the art-style is only a small part of the visual style, it also includes design and colour, and on both of those fronts, Robin Hood is brilliant. I don't think this is one of Disney's best looking films, after all if we're looking at the classics it is pretty hard to top films like Alice in Wonderland or Fantasia, but on it's own, it looks great. Colours stand out when they need to and no colours blend in with each other. As for design, again the character design is all really clever, and a lot of the backgrounds look great. As for the actual animation, it's Disney theatrical animation, so it is of high quality. I saw no animation errors, and there were even some small touches, like mouths moving in group shots. Now, full disclosure, watching the movie for this review, I was watching the 40th Anniversary Edition on DVD, so it was a bit cleaned up, however I do own a couple copies on VHS and even on that format the movie looked good, so I don't think this movie struggles in the animation aspect.
Robin Hood is without a doubt, one of my all-time favourite Disney animated movies. It's funny, thrilling, and even a bit romantic. It looks great, has wonderful characters, which include some of Disney's most entertaining villains, has some wonderful songs and is all wrapped up ion a tightly woven plot. Many kids were introduced to the Robin Hood legend through this movie, though my first introduction was the 60s cartoon series Rocket Robin Hood, I had a weird childhood. Regardless, Disney's Robin Hood is a well-loved classic for a reason, and while it came out in one of Disney's darker eras, it is still loved and appreciated by Disney fans, animation fans, parents and children alike. So it should be no surprise that this movie gets a High Recommendation from me. It's a charming and timeless classic that is sure to entertain everyone.
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