After telling the story of Robin Hood a dozen different ways, in 1973 Disney brought film-goers an animated version of the infamous fable. Rather than use the human-forms (and characters) that everyone was used to seeing, Disney made all of the characters of the film animals. The change was almost an obvious one for anyone that follows Disney, but also one that would add a lot of subtle humor to the mix, and keep the intended audience (kids) in love with the story for years. The opening credits of the story set the stage for anyone unfamiliar with the story, and explain the roles of each character by showing a moving picture of each, accompanied by their name, the type of animal, and a credit for the person doing the voice-over. This presents a soft, and sometimes funny opening to a film that could be considered a dense story to some.

As soon as the film gets under way, you can see right away that it is going to be full of the Disney charm (and songs) that always tend to set their films apart from everything else on the market. The basic plot of this version is that Robin Hood (a fox) and Little John (a large bear) are on the run from the authorities for their continuous attempts at "stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor." With King Richard out of the country, his brother Prince John has taken over this Kingdom of Old Britain, and is running things with an iron fist. He taxes everyone beyond their means, and would rather throw people in jail than see them eat a healthy meal. This doesn't sit well with Robin or Little John, and they set out to take the wealth he has been accumulating and re-distribute it among the people of Nottingham.

The trick with a film like this, is that Disney was able to make just about every character interesting by either giving them humorous mannerisms, moments, or lines within the story. This includes giving Prince John a bumbling side-kick named Sir Hiss, who is a snake playing the proverbial serpent who tries to control people. They even throw in a baby rabbit that is intended to add another element as well as that "ahhhh" factor for many watching the movie. Though it is a very involved story, Disney does a great job of constricting it to a running time of only 83 minutes by quick character development, and transitions that only a cartoon could really pull off. Aiding in that mission is the use of a narrator played by a singing rooster that helps to explain the characters intents, and makes the transitions smoother by updating us on how the story is unfolding.

When I was younger, this was one of the films that I could watch over and over again because it not only had many elements that attracted this kid, but it had a bevy of songs that I could sing along with. Those songs ended up getting Robin Hood an Oscar nomination in the musical categories; much deserved for how well both the score and musical numbers were presented. Though a short length for a feature film, they were still able to put a great story into it, and one that has held up well some 34 years later. It is one that combines humor, action, and a lot of adorable characters to create an animated period-piece that can interest a wide range of audiences. For me, this is still a film close to my heart, and its release on DVD cemented it as part of my film collection for years to come. I highly recommend the Disney version of Robin Hood, and think that this is an ideal film to have in a families film library.









Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD