Rating: G
Genres:
Adventure
Children's/Family
Release Date: 11/28/2006
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/English/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 83 min
Flags: Excellent For Children
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
Robin Hood is one of the first animated films produced by the
Walt Disney Company after
Walt Disney's death in 1967. For the film, the studio's animators took the
Disney tradition of adding human-like animal sidekicks to established tales (
Cinderella,
Pinnochio) a step further by making
Robin Hood's legendary characters creatures themselves.
Robin Hood (
Brian Bedford) is a wily fox;
Maid Marian (
Monica Evans) is a beautiful vixen;
Little John (
Phil Harris) is a burly bear;
Friar Tuck (
Andy Devine) is a soft-spoken badger; the
Sheriff of Nottingham (
Pat Buttram) is a greedy wolf; and the scheming
Prince John (
Peter Ustinov) is a sniveling, groveling, thumb-sucking undersized lion with a serpent sidekick named
Sir Hiss (
Terry Thomas). The film begins after
Prince John and
Sir Hiss have tricked the true King into leaving the country on a phony crusade. With the help of the
Sheriff of Nottingham, they tax the life out of Nottingham's peasants, leaving them all penniless but with the courageous
Robin Hood as their only hope.
~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
From the swashbuckling idols of
Douglass Fairbanks and
Errol Flynn to the gritty antiheroes of
Sean Connery and
Kevin Costner,
Robin Hood has undergone several transformations throughout the history of live-action film. Yet, none of them are as enjoyable, or as handsome, as
Disney's crimson fox in this much-loved cartoon feature. Director
Wolfgang Reitherman and
Disney animators create a fantastical animal world where each species' traits appear to coincide seamlessly with the well-known characteristics of Nottingham's inhabitants. The voice work is performed with bravado, especially
Peter Ustinov,
Terry Thomas, and
Pat Buttram's contributions as the film's villains,
Prince John,
Sir Hiss, and the
Sheriff of Nottingham. The musical numbers are an eclectic mix of
folk,
country, and
children's rhyme that is not without a period flair: According to
Disney historians, songwriter
George Bruns went to great lengths to incorporate medieval instruments like the harpsichord and mandolin into the tunes. Furthermore, the film's quick and lively pace, combined with a short screening time, make
Robin Hood a fun and painless watch, even for those with an aversion to cartoons.
~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
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