Robin Hood (1973 film)

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"Robin Hood (Disney film)" redirects here. For the live-action 1952 film, see The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men.
Robin Hood
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Produced by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Larry Clemmons
Ken Anderson
Starring Brian Bedford
Peter Ustinov
Phil Harris
Terry-Thomas
Music by Roger Miller
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s) November 8, 1973
Running time 83 min.
Language English
Budget $1,500,000
IMDb profile

Robin Hood is an animated film produced by the Walt Disney Studios, first released in the United States on November 8, 1973. It is the twenty-first animated feature in the Disney animated features canon.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The film is based on the famous tales of the English folklore hero Robin Hood with the characters cast as anthropomorphic animals. It is narrated by the minstrel Alan-a-Dale, depicted as a rooster, who explains that while there are many different versions to the Robin Hood legends, "we folks of the animal kingdom have our own version".

Robin Hood (a fox), teams up with his band of outlaws including Little John (a bear), Friar Tuck (a badger) and Alan-a-Dale (a minstrel rooster), to assist the people of Nottingham. He does this by returning to the people the money taken from them through oppressive taxation by Prince John (a sniveling, maneless lion) and his followers Sir Hiss (a snake) and the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf). King Richard (a strong lion) is said to have left for the crusade on the advice of Hiss, whereupon Prince John took his place on the throne. Here, the choice of species refers to the historical King Richard's nickname, Coeur-De-Leon ("Heart of Lion").

While sneaking into an archery tournament held by Prince John, Robin Hood is nearly caught but manages to escape, taking with him his former fianceé, Maid Marian (a vixen). A huge fight breaks out wherein Little John and several others run over Prince John's Captain of the Guard (a crocodile), wherein Robin defeats or evades most of the Sheriff's soldiers, and wherein Maid Marian's maid, Lady Kluck (a hen), performs an American football-styled race to escape the prince's guards. Robin and Marian are joined in the forest by the rest of the outlaws and other citizens of Nottingham, who proceed to sing a song mocking the Prince.

Prince John soon overhears the Sheriff and Hiss quoting the song. As a punishment, he orders taxes to be increased further, to the point where most of the local people are driven into debt and jailed.

Friar Tuck is arrested when he tries to stop the Sheriff from taking money from the church's charity collection box. To scare Robin out of hiding, Prince John plans to hang Friar Tuck, a suggestion which shocks Sir Hiss. Robin learns of this ahead of time and manages to rescue the Friar as well as the other imprisoned people and steal back the prince's ill-gained gold.

Prince John wakes up during Robin's theft and sends out the guards and troops in chase. Most of the villagers escape from the castle, with the sole exception of a near-infant rabbit. Robin retrieves her, but is trapped inside the castle and must evade its garrison. He is later attacked by the Sheriff, who recklessly sets the tower room wherein they are on fire so as to kill Robin. Robin leaps into the moat and disappears beneath its surface; he is therefore presumed dead by friend and foe. Moments later, he emerges alive. When Hiss criticizes Prince John for failing to heed his (Hiss') warnings, Prince John attacks Hiss, calling him "cowardly cobra", "procrastinating python", "aggravating adder", and "eel in snake's clothing" (a reference to the proverbial phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing"). This is the culmination of a continuous conflict between the two villains, wherein Hiss criticized Prince John for stupidity and Prince John resented Hiss for being absent in time of need.

The movie ends with King Richard's return, whereupon Hiss, Prince John, and the Sheriff are sentenced to work in a stone quarry (presumably with the ultimate end of mending the damaged tower) and Robin is married to Marian. They then depart for a journey in company of Little John and the adventurous rabbit Skippy, who idolizes Robin and holds himself responsible for looking after Robin's children.

[edit] Production notes and cast

As the film allotted a small budget, the artists reused footage from previous animated features. This is most noticeable during the song-and-dance number, "The Phony King of England"; the characters' movements strongly resemble those from The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In particular, the section where Little John and Lady Cluck dance together mirrors part of the song "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book with Baloo and King Louie respectively, and Robin Hood and Maid Marian mirror the dancing movements of Thomas O'Malley and Duchess during the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats and the Maid Marian mirror dancing the movements of Snow White during the song "The Silly Song" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The animation of Little John, the bear in Robin Hood, is nearly identical to that of Baloo in The Jungle Book. However, Little John more closely resembles a brown or grizzly bear, and Baloo was based on an Indian Sloth Bear. Both characters were voiced by actor Phil Harris, and have similar personalities, though Little John seems a far more responsible character than the "jungle bum" Baloo. Maid Marian also dances the same moves that does Snow White, causing her to wear a petticoat instead of bloomers. The robe that Prince John wears, and the crown worn by the puppet version of himself, are the same robe and crown the king wears in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. In addition, Robin Hood's costume (green tunic and feathered cap) is similar to that of 1953's Peter Pan, sometimes leading to confusion between the two characters. At the end of the movie, a sound clip of the church bells ringing in Cinderella was used for the wedding church bells. During the beginning of the film, Sir Hiss mesmerizes Prince John with his eyes. This was the same type of ability Kaa the Indian Python had in Disney's 1967 film, The Jungle Book. This short scene may be another re-use of older animation; Hiss looks similar to Kaa.

At one point, one of the elephants who act as heralds for Prince John attempts to trumpet a warning. Lady Kluck grabs the trunk, preventing the trumpeting and leaving the elephant flapping his ears ineffectually. The same joke was used in The Jungle Book, with identical sound. The vultures in the movie are identical to the ones in The Jungle Book. The movie also reuses the same animated shots several times, including those of the rhinos walking and running and those of Sis and Tagalong Rabbit (Skippy's siblings) and Toby Turtle (his friend, a turtle) laughing. Several animated clips of the Sheriff of Nottingham are also recycled at different points in the film.

Initially, the studio considered a movie about Reynard the Fox. However, due to Walt Disney's concern that Reynard was an unsuitable choice for a hero, Ken Anderson used many elements from it in Robin Hood.

Peter Ustinov grew famous playing over-the-top villains. His campy, spoiled, and thoroughly weak-willed portrayal of Prince John is an effective caricature of his own performance as the Roman emperor Nero in the epic film Quo Vadis (1951). John endlessly sulks over his mother's preference for his brother, a grudge marked by thumb-sucking and the reversion to an infantile state. At one point the behavior culminates in the complaint "Mother always did like Richard best". This is a sly reference to a classic comedy routine by the Smothers Brothers, in which Tom Smothers would bewail the maternal favoritism shown to Dick Smothers. In the historical play and film "The Lion in Winter," Richard is indeed shown as being the favorite of their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, while John is the favored son of their father, King Henry II. The music piece during which the rabbit children run outside to play with the bow and arrow Robin Hood gave them is identical to the scene in Bambi in which Faline chases Bambi up the hill to their mothers after seeing each other for the first time.

Peter Ustinov lent his voice to both the original English-speaking Prince John and the Prince John in the German dubbed version of the movie. Phil Harris's voice as Little John is virtually identical to the voice he used for the character Baloo in Disney's The Jungle Book. Both characters were bears and looked generally similar except for their heads and coloring.

Phil Harris and Andy Devine had both appeared on The Jack Benny Program.

The alternate ending included in the "Most Wanted Edition" DVD) is a short retelling of the story's conclusion, primarily utilizing still images from Ken Anderson's original storyboard drawings of the sequence. As Robin Hood leaps off of the castle and into the moat, he is wounded (presumably from one of the arrows shot into the water after him) and carried away to the church for safety. Prince John, enraged that he has once again been outwitted by Robin Hood, finds Little John leaving the church, and suspects the outlaw to be there as well. He finds Maid Marian tending to an unconscious Robin Hood, and draws a sword to kill them both. Before Prince John can strike, however, he is stopped by the appearance of his brother, King Richard, who is appalled to find his kingdom bleak and oppressed in his absence. Abiding his mother's wishes, King Richard decides he cannot banish Prince John from the kingdom, but does not pardon him from severe punishment. King Richard returns Nottingham to its former glory (before leaving for the Third Crusade), and orders Friar Tuck to marry Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

A short finished scene from the planned original ending, featuring King Richard and revealing himself to vulture henchmen Nutsy and Trigger, appeared in the Ken Anderson episode of the 1980s Disney Channel documentary series "Disney Family Album." This scene, at least in animated form, does not appear on the "Most Wanted Edition" DVD.

[edit] Box office and reaction

At the time leading up to its release, Robin Hood had a bit of a burden to carry — many observers were treating it as a benchmark to determine whether or not the studio could carry on without the late Walt Disney, since this was the studio's first animated feature produced without his involvement. Since Disney had attached his name to all his previous films, it gave the impression among many that the studio was nothing without him. Had the film failed, this impression might have been cemented, and might have done serious damage to the studio's reputation. However, Robin Hood was very successful upon its initial release, garnering around $9.5 million, the biggest box office total of all the Disney films at the time. Its 1982 re-release brought in even more income.

Critical response was (and remains) somewhat mixed, with some complaining that the film lacked the grandeur, scope or passion of Disney's earlier efforts. Others commended it for its lively characters, witty dialogue, catchy songs, and overall fun atmosphere. At Rotten Tomatoes, it garners a 54% "rotten" rating among critics, but a 90% "fresh" rating among users.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Voices

A few of the voice-actors utilized in this production are British. However, the creators of the film made the decision to cast quite a number of American character actors in the traditional medieval roles. Many of these individuals were veteran performers from Western-themed movies and television programs, which meant that characters like Friar Tuck and the Sheriff of Nottingham have accents and mannerisms more associated with the rural southeastern United States than with England. This effect was further reinforced by the choice of country singer Roger Miller as the movie's songwriter and narrator.

[edit] Release info

The movie was originally released in 1973, followed by a re-release in 1982. The film was released to videocassette in 1984, 1991 (the first two being in the Walt Disney Classics video line), 1994 and 1999 (these two were in the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection video line), staying in general release since 1991. In 2000, it was released on DVD in the Gold Classic Collection. On November 28, 2006, the movie was remastered as the "Most Wanted Edition" featuring a deleted scene/alternate ending, as well as a 16:9 matted transfer.

As one of the earliest Disney animated features to be released on home video, it is also one of the few to have been released on every home video format except the new Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD, and UMD formats (Disney does not support HD DVD, but does support Blu-ray Disc). It is available on laserdisc, VHS, Beta, CED, and DVD. Portions of the film have also been sold on Super 8 reels, and the full feature film was available for rental on 16 mm film. It has also been shown many times on The Disney Channel during the 80's and 90's.

[edit] International release dates

[edit] Facts about the movie

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Many Robin Hood characters make cameo appearances in various episodes of the Disney's House of Mouse television series.
  • The church bell on Friar Tuck's church is an actual bell, filmed and added in post-production.
  • Friar Tuck was originally envisioned as a pig, but was changed to a badger to avoid offending religious sensitivities.[citation needed]
  • In the jailbreak scene, "God forgive Prince John" is written on the wall when Little John and Friar Tuck enter.
  • In some scenes Prince John is wearing rings on his fingers, and moments later they will disappear, only to reappear moments later.
  • A sped-up version of "Whistle Stop", the song whistled by Alan-a-Dale near the beginning of the movie, is used as the background music for the Hampster Dance webpage.

[edit] Soundtrack

  1. "Whistle-Stop" Written and Sung by Roger Miller
  2. "Oo-De-Lally" Written and Sung by Roger Miller as Alan-a-Dale the rooster.
  3. "Love" Written by Floyd Huddleston and George Bruns Sung by Nancy Adams. (Nominated for an Oscar).
  4. "The Phony King of England" Written by Johnny Mercer Sung by Phil Harris, featuring dancing movements from The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
  5. "Not In Nottingham" Written and Sung by Roger Miller
  6. "Oo-De-Lally (reprise) Written and Sung by Roger Miller

On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic, this includes Oo-De-Lally on the green disc and Love on the purple disc.

The music played in the background while Lady Kluck fights off Prince John's goons in an American football style manner is better known as Fight On, the fight song of the University of Southern California and On, Wisconsin, the fight song of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Although a full soundtrack to Robin Hood has never been released on Compact Disc in the US, a record of the film was made at the time of the film's release, including the film's songs, score, narration, and dialogue.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Disney theatrical animated features
Official canon
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) • The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) • Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Rapunzel (2010) • King of the Elves (2012)
Live-action films
with animation
The Reluctant Dragon (1941) • Victory Through Air Power (1943) • Song of the South (1946) • So Dear to My Heart (1949) • Mary Poppins (1964) • Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) • Pete's Dragon (1977) • Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) • Enchanted (2007)
DisneyToon
features
Other
See also
v • d • e
Robin Hood - The English folk tale
Characters
Settings
Adaptations