Robin Hood is a 1973 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions
Plot[]
Alan-a-Dale introduces the story of Robin Hood and Little John, two outlaws living in the Sherwood Forest, where they rob from the rich and give to the poor townsfolk of Nottingham, despite the efforts of the Sheriff of Nottingham to stop them. Meanwhile, Prince Johnand his assistant Sir Hiss arrive in Nottingham on a tour of the kingdom. Knowing the royal coach is laden with riches, Robin and Little John rob Prince John by disguising themselves as fortune tellers. The embarrassed Prince John then puts a bounty on their heads and makes the Sheriff his personal tax collector, who takes pleasure in collecting funds from the townsfolk, including hidden money from the crippled blacksmith Otto and a single farthing from a young rabbit, Skippy, who had just received it as a birthday present. However, Robin Hood, disguised as a beggar, sneaks in and gives back some money to the family, as well as his hat and a bow to Skippy in honor of his birthday.
Skippy and his friends test out the bow, but Skippy fires an arrow into the grounds of Maid Marian's castle. The children sneak inside, meeting Maid Marian and her attendant Lady Kluck. Skippy "rescues" Marian from Lady Kluck, who pretends to be a pompous Prince John. Later, when she is alone with Kluck, Maid Marian reveals she and Robin were childhood sweethearts, but they have not seen one another for years; Kluck consoles her not to give up on her love for Robin. Meanwhile, Friar Tuck visits Robin and Little John, explaining that Prince John is hosting an archery tournament, and the winner will receive a kiss from Maid Marian. Robin decides to participate in the tournament disguised as a stork whilst Little John disguises himself as the Duke of Chutney to get near Prince John. Robin wins the tournament, but Prince John exposes him and has him arrested for execution despite Maid Marian's pleas. Little John threatens Prince John in order to release Robin, which leads to a fight between Prince John's soldiers and the townsfolk, all of whom escape to Sherwood Forest.
As Robin and Maid Marian fall in love again, the townsfolk have a troubadour festival spoofing Prince John, describing him as the "Phony King of England", and the song soon becomes popular with John's soldiers. Enraged by the insult, Prince John triples the taxes, imprisoning most of the townsfolk who cannot pay. A paltry coin gets deposited into the poor box at Friar Tuck's church, which gets seized by the Sheriff. Enraged that government has meddled in his church, Friar Tuck lashes out at the Sheriff, for which he is quickly arrested. Prince John orders Friar Tuck hung, knowing Robin Hood will come out of hiding to rescue his friend and give the potential for Robin to be caught.
Robin and Little John learn of the plot and sneak in during the night, with Little John managing to free all of the prisoners whilst Robin steals Prince John's taxes, but Sir Hiss awakens to find Robin fleeing. Chaos follows as Robin and the others try to escape to Sherwood Forest. The Sheriff corners Robin after he is forced to return to rescue Tagalong, Skippy's little sister. During the chase, Prince John's castle catches fire and Robin jumps into the moat, where he is seemingly skewered by the soldiers' arrows. Little John and Skippy fear Robin is lost, but he surfaces safely after using a reed as a breathing tube. Later, King Richard returns to England, placing his brother, Sir Hiss and the Sheriff under arrest and allows his niece Maid Marian to marry Robin Hood.
Cast[]
- Brian Bedford as Robin Hood, a gifted archer who is seen doing good for the townspeople. He is portrayed as a fox.
- Monica Evans as Maid Marian, a vixen and the primary love interest of Robin Hood.
- Phil Harris as Little John, Robin Hood's best friend, who is very gluttonous and though not small at all still called "Little John". Portrayed as a bear, he is a recreation of The Jungle Book's Baloo, as both characters are voiced by Phil Harris and were animated by the same Disney animators.
- Roger Miller as Alan-a-Dale, a rooster who serves as the narrator of the film.
- Andy Devine as Friar Tuck, the town's local friar who protects the villagers of Nottingham. Portrayed as a badger, he is taken to be hanged at the end of the film in a plot of Prince John's to lure Robin Hood out of hiding, but is rescued in time.
- Peter Ustinov as Prince John and King Richard respectively, a greedy fraud and the true king of England. Both characters are lions. Prince John has the habit of sucking his thumb when someone mentions his mother. At the end of the film, King Richard returns from the Third Crusade and sentences his brother Prince John to work in the Royal Rock Pile.
- Terry-Thomas as Sir Hiss, Prince John's snake friend who is tricky and hypocritical. He is similar to The Jungle Book's Kaa.
- Carole Shelley as Lady Kluck, a chicken who is good friends with Maid Marian.
- Pat Buttram as The Sheriff of Nottingham, a greedy and shifty wolf.
- George Lindsey and Ken Curtis as Trigger and Nutsy, respectively, vultures.
- John Fiedler and Barbara Luddy as Friar Tuck's Sexton and his wife, respectively, church mice. Luddy also voiced Mother Rabbit, the mother of Skippy, Sis, and Tagalong.
- Billy Whitaker, Dana Laurita, Dori Whitaker, and Richie Sanders as Skippy, Sis, Tagalong, and Toby, respectively, the local children of Nottingham who idolize Robin Hood. Skippy, Sis, and Tagalong are rabbits while Toby is a turtle.
- Candy Candido as the Captain of the Guard, a crocodile who hosts the archery tournament.
- J. Pat O'Malley as Otto, a dog with a lame leg.
Production[]
Release[]
The film was originally released in 1973, followed by a re-release in 1982. It was released to videocassette in 1984, 1991 (as part of Walt Disney Classics Collection), 1994, 1998 (as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection), and in 2000 (as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection) and has stayed in general release since then. It was first released on DVD in 2000 also as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection. The remastered "Most Wanted Edition" DVD ("Special Edition" in the UK) was released in 2006 and featured a deleted scene/alternate ending, as well as a 16:9 matted transfer to represent its original theatrical screen ratio. In 2013, the movie was released as a 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack. In 2018, (as part of the Walt Disney Ultra Collection). It was first released on Blu-ray Tape in 2018 also as part of the Walt Disney Ultra Collection.
Reception[]
Soundtrack[]
The Whistle Stop
Oo-De-Lally
Love
The Phony King Of England