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Robin Hood (1973 film)
Encyclopedia
Robin Hood is an 1973 American animated
film produced by the Walt Disney Productions, first released in the United States
on November 8, 1973. The 21st animated feature
in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on the legend of Robin Hood
, but uses anthropomorphic
animals instead of people.
named Alan-a-Dale
(mentioned verbally only, while credited officially on-screen as "The Rooster"), who describes Robin Hood
and Little John
as outlaws who dwell in Sherwood Forest
, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor people of nearby city Nottingham
. They are constantly pursued by the Sheriff of Nottingham
and his posse, but manage to outrun them each time.
Meanwhile, Prince John
, the ruling "king" of England, passes through Nottingham. After his servant, Sir Hiss, hypnotized King Richard
into going to battle in The Crusades, Prince John made himself King and began collecting taxes from the people all over England to become richer. Robin and Little John disguise themselves as female fortune tellers and manage to steal from (and humiliate) Prince John, who does not realise what it happening until they are escaping.
Shortly afterwards, Prince John puts a bounty on Robin Hood and uses the Sheriff of Nottingham
as his personal Tax Collector, who begins stealing taxes from Friar Tuck
, a little boy named Skippy at his birthday party and even from Robin himself when he is disguised as a blind beggar. Robin shows up at Skippy's party and offers him his own bow and arrow and even his own hat to make him feel better, he then offers his mother a bag of money to keep their taxes up. Skippy and his friends go out to play, but after Skippy loses his Arrow in Prince john's castle the kids soon meet Robin Hood's former girlfriend, Maid Marian
and her friend Lady Kluck whom they play with on that day. After the kids leave, Marian admits that she's still in love with Robin Hood and fears that he has forgotten all about her after so many years have gone by.
Elsewhere, Robin admits to Little John that he too is in love with Maid Marian after so many years, but is too guilty to admit this to her due to his position as an outlaw. Friar Tuck then pays a surprise visit and informs Robin that an opportunity to reunite with Maid Marian is happening when Prince John announces an archery tournament, the winner receiving a kiss from Maid Marian and a golden arrow from Prince John, who has organised the contest as a trap to catch Robin Hood.
Robin enters the tournament disguised as a chatty stork
from Devon
shire and competes against the Sheriff and others while Little John disguised as the Duke of Chutney
distracts and panders to Prince John making Sir Hiss suspicious. During the Tournament, Hiss discovers Robin's identity but is trapped in a barrel of ale
by Friar Tuck and Alan-a-Dale. Robin wins, but his disguise is blown by Prince John who orders him to be executed, even after Maid Marian pleads to spare Robin's life. Little John then threatens Prince John into releasing Robin, starting a battle between Robin, Little John and Prince John's soldiers. Robin and Maid Marian are reunited and fall in love once again, the townsfolk all retreat into Sherwood Forest where they dub Prince John as the "Phony King of England" while holding a big party.
Enraged upon hearing of this, Prince John increases taxes to impossible amounts and all who cannot pay are put in prison. Alan-a-Dale is among the unfortunate ones, as are most of the people in Nottingham.
The Sheriff visits Friar Tuck's church where he steals money from a charity box, enraging Friar Tuck into attacking the Sheriff, but also leading to his arrest. On hearing that Friar Tuck is in jail, Prince John decides to hang
him, hoping that Robin Hood will come to the rescue and get caught.
This prompts Robin and Little John to rescue him. On the night before Friar Tuck's hanging, Robin steals a large amount of taxation money from Prince John's bedroom while Little John frees Friar Tuck and the other prisoners, who all escape on a cart. The Sheriff confronts Robin in Prince John's castle and sets the castle on fire. Robin is forced to flee to the spire of the castle but falls into a river, seemingly shot by archers. He survives, much to Prince John's anger, and the destruction of the castle which belonged to John's beloved mother
, sends him into an insanity frenzy, in which he chases and attacks Sir Hiss.
Some time later, King Richard returns from the crusades, snapped out of Hiss's hypnosis and seizes control of England again. King Richard then pardon
s Robin and Little John, and forces Prince John, Hiss and the Sheriff to do hard labour.
Robin and Maid Marian get married and depart to places unknown with Little John and Skippy in tow.
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.
Robin Allan writes in his book Walt Disney and Europe that "Ken Anderson wept when he saw how his character concepts had been processed into stereotypes for the animation on Robin Hood."
. 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. A notable example is that 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. Other examples include Robin Hood and Maid Marian mirroring the dancing movements of Thomas O'Malley and Duchess during the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats
and Maid Marian mirroring the dancing 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 Bear
or Grizzly Bear
, and Baloo was based on an India
n 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. Because Maid Marian dances the same moves that Snow White
does, she was animated 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 elephant
s 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 vulture
s 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: twice in the film, he says "There's something funny going on around here" in exactly the same tone of voice and with exactly the same posture. 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. There is also a point where Prince John goes "Off with his head!" as opposed to the queen in Alice in Wonderland.
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
. 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 an overt 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
.
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
.
John Fiedler and Barbara Luddy would eventually be cast into the roles of Kanga and Piglet for The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh.
, 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 his brother, King Richard, having returned from the Crusades, is appalled to find that Prince John has left his kingdom bleak and oppressed. Abiding his mother's wishes, King Richard decides he cannot banish Prince John from the kingdom, but does grant him 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.
A few of the voice-actors
utilized in this production are British
. However, the decision was made to cast quite a number of American
character actor
s 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 Southern U.S. 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.
, 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" ("Special Edition" in the UK) featuring a deleted scene/alternate ending, as well as a 16:9 matted transfer to represent its original theatrical screen ratio.
At the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
, it has a 55% "rotten" rating among critics, summarizing that it was "One of the weaker Disney adaptations, Robin Hood is cute and colorful but lacks the majesty and excitement of the studio's earlier efforts." However, it may be more popular with viewers, since it enjoys a 91% "fresh" rating from the same site's user community.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song for "Love." It lost to "The Way We Were" from the film of the same name.
The American Film Institute
nominated Robin Hood for its Top 10 Animated Films list.
The songs played in the background while Lady Kluck fights off Prince John's goons in an American football
manner are 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 in 1973, which included the film's songs, score, narration, and dialogue.
On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic
, this includes "Oo De Lally" on the green disc and "Love" on the purple disc.
The song "Love" was also featured in the 2009 film adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox
.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film produced by the Walt Disney Productions, first released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 8, 1973. The 21st animated feature
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on the legend of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, but uses anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
animals instead of people.
Plot
The film is narrated by a rooster minstrelMinstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
named Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
(mentioned verbally only, while credited officially on-screen as "The Rooster"), who describes Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
and Little John
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
as outlaws who dwell in Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor people of nearby city Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. They are constantly pursued by the Sheriff of Nottingham
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
and his posse, but manage to outrun them each time.
Meanwhile, Prince John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, the ruling "king" of England, passes through Nottingham. After his servant, Sir Hiss, hypnotized King Richard
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
into going to battle in The Crusades, Prince John made himself King and began collecting taxes from the people all over England to become richer. Robin and Little John disguise themselves as female fortune tellers and manage to steal from (and humiliate) Prince John, who does not realise what it happening until they are escaping.
Shortly afterwards, Prince John puts a bounty on Robin Hood and uses the Sheriff of Nottingham
Sheriff of Nottingham
The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
as his personal Tax Collector, who begins stealing taxes from Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck is a companion to Robin Hood in the legends about that character. He is a common character in modern Robin Hood stories, which depict him as a jovial friar and one of Robin's Merry Men. The figure of Tuck was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th...
, a little boy named Skippy at his birthday party and even from Robin himself when he is disguised as a blind beggar. Robin shows up at Skippy's party and offers him his own bow and arrow and even his own hat to make him feel better, he then offers his mother a bag of money to keep their taxes up. Skippy and his friends go out to play, but after Skippy loses his Arrow in Prince john's castle the kids soon meet Robin Hood's former girlfriend, Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
and her friend Lady Kluck whom they play with on that day. After the kids leave, Marian admits that she's still in love with Robin Hood and fears that he has forgotten all about her after so many years have gone by.
Elsewhere, Robin admits to Little John that he too is in love with Maid Marian after so many years, but is too guilty to admit this to her due to his position as an outlaw. Friar Tuck then pays a surprise visit and informs Robin that an opportunity to reunite with Maid Marian is happening when Prince John announces an archery tournament, the winner receiving a kiss from Maid Marian and a golden arrow from Prince John, who has organised the contest as a trap to catch Robin Hood.
Robin enters the tournament disguised as a chatty stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
from Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire and competes against the Sheriff and others while Little John disguised as the Duke of Chutney
Chutney
Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...
distracts and panders to Prince John making Sir Hiss suspicious. During the Tournament, Hiss discovers Robin's identity but is trapped in a barrel of ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
by Friar Tuck and Alan-a-Dale. Robin wins, but his disguise is blown by Prince John who orders him to be executed, even after Maid Marian pleads to spare Robin's life. Little John then threatens Prince John into releasing Robin, starting a battle between Robin, Little John and Prince John's soldiers. Robin and Maid Marian are reunited and fall in love once again, the townsfolk all retreat into Sherwood Forest where they dub Prince John as the "Phony King of England" while holding a big party.
Enraged upon hearing of this, Prince John increases taxes to impossible amounts and all who cannot pay are put in prison. Alan-a-Dale is among the unfortunate ones, as are most of the people in Nottingham.
The Sheriff visits Friar Tuck's church where he steals money from a charity box, enraging Friar Tuck into attacking the Sheriff, but also leading to his arrest. On hearing that Friar Tuck is in jail, Prince John decides to hang
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
him, hoping that Robin Hood will come to the rescue and get caught.
This prompts Robin and Little John to rescue him. On the night before Friar Tuck's hanging, Robin steals a large amount of taxation money from Prince John's bedroom while Little John frees Friar Tuck and the other prisoners, who all escape on a cart. The Sheriff confronts Robin in Prince John's castle and sets the castle on fire. Robin is forced to flee to the spire of the castle but falls into a river, seemingly shot by archers. He survives, much to Prince John's anger, and the destruction of the castle which belonged to John's beloved mother
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
, sends him into an insanity frenzy, in which he chases and attacks Sir Hiss.
Some time later, King Richard returns from the crusades, snapped out of Hiss's hypnosis and seizes control of England again. King Richard then pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
s Robin and Little John, and forces Prince John, Hiss and the Sheriff to do hard labour.
Robin and Maid Marian get married and depart to places unknown with Little John and Skippy in tow.
Production
Initially, the studio considered a movie about ReynardReynard
Reynard is the subject of a literary cycle of allegorical French, Dutch, English, and German fables largely concerned with Reynard, an anthropomorphic red fox and trickster figure.-Etymology of the name:Theories about the origin of the name Reynard are:...
the Fox. However, due to Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's concern that Reynard was an unsuitable choice for a hero, Ken Anderson used many elements from it in Robin Hood.
Robin Allan writes in his book Walt Disney and Europe that "Ken Anderson wept when he saw how his character concepts had been processed into stereotypes for the animation on Robin Hood."
Reuse of footage, sound, and voice actors
As the film allotted a small budget, the artists referenced footage from previous animated features. A dance sequence in the film was traced from a sequence originally produced for Snow White and the Seven DwarfsSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. 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 Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
, The Aristocats
The Aristocats
The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A notable example is that the section where Little John and Lady Cluck dance together mirrors part of the song "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
with Baloo
Baloo
Baloo is the fictional bear featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895.-Name and species:He is described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear"...
and King Louie
King Louie
King Louie is a fictional orangutan who kidnaps Mowgli in Disney's 1967 animated musical adaptation of The Jungle Book. He is voiced by Louis Prima in the film and therefore has his same mannerisms...
respectively. Other examples include Robin Hood and Maid Marian mirroring the dancing movements of Thomas O'Malley and Duchess during the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats
The Aristocats
The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
and Maid Marian mirroring the dancing movements of Snow White during the song "The Silly Song
The Silly Song (1937 song)
The Silly Song is a song from Walt Disney's animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sung by Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig, and Scotty Mattraw. This features an instrument septet. The dwarfs yodel in this song....
" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. The animation of Little John, the bear in Robin Hood, is nearly identical to that of Baloo in The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
. However, Little John more closely resembles a Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
or Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, and Baloo was based on an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
. Both characters were voiced by actor Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
, and have similar personalities, though Little John seems a far more responsible character than the "jungle bum" Baloo. Because Maid Marian dances the same moves that Snow White
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
does, she was animated to wear a petticoat
Petticoat
A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
instead of bloomers
Bloomers (clothing)
Bloomers is a word which has been applied to several types of divided women's garments for the lower body at various times.-Fashion bloomers :...
. The robe that Prince John wears, and the crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
worn by the puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
version of himself, are the same robe
Robe
A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. A robe is distinguished from a cape or cloak by the fact that it usually has sleeves. The English word robe derives from Middle English robe , borrowed from Old French robe , itself taken from the Frankish word *rouba , and is related to the word rob...
and crown the king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
wears in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
. In addition, Robin Hood's costume (green tunic and feathered cap) is similar to that of 1953's Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953 film)
Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
, sometimes leading to confusion between the two characters. At the end of the movie, a sound clip of the church bells ringing in Cinderella
Cinderella (1950 film)
Cinderella is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi,...
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
Kaa
Kaa is a fictional and exceptionally long Python molurus from the Mowgli stories written by Rudyard Kipling. Kaa is one of Mowgli's mentors and friends. He, Baloo and Bagheera sing for Mowgli "The Outsong" of the jungle. First introduced in the story "Kaa's Hunting" in The Jungle Book, Kaa is a...
the Indian Python
Indian Python
Python molurus is a large nonvenomous python species found in many tropic and subtropic areas of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is known by the common names Indian python, black-tailed python, and Indian rock python. Two subspecies are currently recognized: the nominate subspecies and the Burmese...
had in Disney's 1967 film, The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
. This short scene may be another re-use of older animation; Hiss looks similar to Kaa.
At one point, one of the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s 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
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
, with identical sound. The vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
s in the movie are identical to the ones in The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
. 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
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
) laughing. Several animated clips of the Sheriff of Nottingham are also recycled at different points in the film: twice in the film, he says "There's something funny going on around here" in exactly the same tone of voice and with exactly the same posture. 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. There is also a point where Prince John goes "Off with his head!" as opposed to the queen in Alice in Wonderland.
Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
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
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in the epic film Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis (1951 film)
Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
. 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
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
always did like Richard best". This is an overt reference to a classic comedy routine by the Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
, in which Tom Smothers
Tom Smothers
Tom Smothers is an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy team The Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick.-Early life:...
would bewail the maternal favoritism shown to Dick Smothers
Dick Smothers
Richard Remick "Dick" Smothers is an American actor, comedian, composer and musician. He is best known for being half of the musical comedy team, the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.-Life and career:...
. In the historical play and film The Lion in Winter
The Lion in Winter
-Synopsis:Set during Christmas 1183 at Henry II of England's château in Chinon, Anjou, Angevin Empire, the play opens with the arrival of Henry's wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, whom he has had imprisoned since 1173...
, Richard is indeed shown as being the favorite of their mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
, while John is the favored son of their father, King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
.
Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
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
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
's voice as Little John
Little John
Little John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
is virtually identical to the voice he used for the character Baloo
Baloo
Baloo is the fictional bear featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895.-Name and species:He is described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear"...
in Disney's The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
. 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 Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
.
John Fiedler and Barbara Luddy would eventually be cast into the roles of Kanga and Piglet for The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh.
Alternate ending
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 moatMoat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, 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 his brother, King Richard, having returned from the Crusades, is appalled to find that Prince John has left his kingdom bleak and oppressed. Abiding his mother's wishes, King Richard decides he cannot banish Prince John from the kingdom, but does grant him severe punishment. King Richard returns Nottingham to its former glory (before leaving for the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
), 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.
Cast
- Roger MillerRoger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
as The RoosterRoosterA rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
(aka Alan-a-DaleAlan-a-DaleAlan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
) - Phil HarrisPhil HarrisHarris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
as Little JohnLittle JohnLittle John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
(a bearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
) - Andy DevineAndy DevineAndrew Vabre "Andy" Devine was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice.-Early life:...
as Friar TuckFriar TuckFriar Tuck is a companion to Robin Hood in the legends about that character. He is a common character in modern Robin Hood stories, which depict him as a jovial friar and one of Robin's Merry Men. The figure of Tuck was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th...
(an american badgerAmerican BadgerThe American badger is a North American badger, somewhat similar in appearance to the European badger. It is found in the western and central United States, northern Mexico and central Canada, as well as in certain areas of southwestern British Columbia.Their habitat is typified by open...
) - Peter UstinovPeter UstinovPeter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
as Prince John and King RichardRichard I of EnglandRichard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
(lionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s) - Terry-ThomasTerry-ThomasThomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
as Sir Hiss (a snakeSnakeSnakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
) - Brian BedfordBrian BedfordBrian Bedford is an English actor. He has appeared on the stage and in film, and is known for both acting in and directing Shakespeare.-Life and career:...
as Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
(a foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
) - Monica EvansMonica EvansMonica Evans is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Cecily Pigeon in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. She was in the original Broadway cast for its entire run, then appeared in the film version in 1968, and finally appeared in some episodes of the television series based on the play...
as Maid MarianMaid MarianMaid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
(a vixenVixenA vixen is a female fox.Vixen may also refer to:-In the military:*HMS Vixen, various British Royal Navy ships*USS Vixen, various ships in the US Navy*Vickers Vixen, a biplane produced in small numbers in the 1920s...
) - Carole ShelleyCarole ShelleyCarole Shelley is an English actress. Among her many stage roles are the character of Madame Morrible in the original Broadway cast of the musical Wicked.-Life and career:...
as Lady Kluck (a chickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
) - Pat ButtramPat ButtramMaxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "... never quite made it through puberty"...
as The Sheriff of NottinghamSheriff of NottinghamThe Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
aka "Old Bushel-Britches" (a wolf) - Ken CurtisKen CurtisKen Curtis was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the long-running CBS western television series Gunsmoke.-Early years:...
and George LindseyGeorge LindseyGeorge Lindsey is an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show, as well as for his tenure on Hee-Haw.-Early life and career :...
as Nutsy and Trigger (vultureVultureVulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
s), respectively - John FiedlerJohn FiedlerJohn Donald Fiedler was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. He was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice and a career lasting more than 55 years.He is best remembered for four roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12...
and Barbara LuddyBarbara LuddyBarbara Luddy was an American actress from Great Falls, Montana. Her film career began with silent pictures in the 1920s, during which time she was also a prolific radio performer....
as the Father SextonSexton (office)A sexton is a church, congregation or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of verger...
and his wife "Little Sister" (church mice), respectively - Billy Whittaker, Dana Laurita and Dori Whittaker as Skippy, Sis and Tagalong (rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s), respectively - Richie Sanders as Toby (a turtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
) - Barbara LuddyBarbara LuddyBarbara Luddy was an American actress from Great Falls, Montana. Her film career began with silent pictures in the 1920s, during which time she was also a prolific radio performer....
as Mother Rabbit - Candy CandidoCandy CandidoCandy Candido was an American radio performer, bass player, vocalist and animation voice actor, best remembered for his famous line, "I'm feeling mighty low."...
as The Tournament CrocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e... - J. Pat O'MalleyJ. Pat O'MalleyJames Patrick O'Malley was an English singer and character actor, who appeared in many American films and television programs during the 1940s–1970s, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley...
as Otto (a dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
)
A few of the voice-actors
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
utilized in this production are British
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. However, the decision was made to cast quite a number of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
s 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 Southern U.S. accents
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
, and mannerisms more associated with the rural southeastern United States than with England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. This effect was further reinforced by the choice of country singer
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
as the movie's songwriter and narrator.
Release
The film was originally released in 19731973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
, 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
Walt Disney Classics
Walt Disney Classics was a brand name used by Walt Disney Home Video on their American, Japanese, European and Australian home video releases of Disney animated features. The first title arrived in stores on December 6, 1984...
video line), 1994 and 1999 (these two were in the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection
Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection
The Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection was a line of VHS videos and Laserdiscs released by Walt Disney Home Video from 1994 to 1999. The Spanish counterparts began selling in 1995. Limited issue DVDs also have the same cover art....
video line), staying in general release since 1991. In 2000, it was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the Gold Classic Collection. On November 28, 2006, the movie was remastered as the "Most Wanted Edition" ("Special Edition" in the UK) featuring a deleted scene/alternate ending, as well as a 16:9 matted transfer to represent its original theatrical screen ratio.
Reception
Robin Hood garnered approximately $9.5 million at the box office upon its initial release.At the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, it has a 55% "rotten" rating among critics, summarizing that it was "One of the weaker Disney adaptations, Robin Hood is cute and colorful but lacks the majesty and excitement of the studio's earlier efforts." However, it may be more popular with viewers, since it enjoys a 91% "fresh" rating from the same site's user community.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song for "Love." It lost to "The Way We Were" from the film of the same name.
The American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
nominated Robin Hood for its Top 10 Animated Films list.
Soundtrack
- "Whistle-Stop" written and sung by Roger MillerRoger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
- "Oo De Lally" written and sung by Roger Miller as Alan-a-DaleAlan-a-DaleAlan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...
the rooster. - "LoveLove (1973 song)Love is a song from Walt Disney's film Robin Hood with the lyrics and music by Floyd Huddleston and George Bruns and the lyrics sung by Huddleston's then-wife Nancy Adams, as believed to be Maid Marian's singing voice....
" written by Floyd Huddleston and George BrunsGeorge BrunsGeorge Bruns was a composer of music for film and television who worked on many Disney films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.-Career:...
, and sung by Nancy Adams. - "The Phony King of England" written by Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
and sung by Phil HarrisPhil HarrisHarris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
, - "The Phony King of England Reprise" sung by Terry-ThomasTerry-ThomasThomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
- "Not In Nottingham" written and sung by Roger Miller
- "Love Goes On/Oo-De-Lally Reprise" sung by Chorus.
The songs played in the background while Lady Kluck fights off Prince John's goons in an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
manner are better known as Fight On
Fight On
"Fight On" is the fight song of the University of Southern California. It was composed in 1922 by USC dental student Milo Sweet, with lyrics by Sweet and Glen Grant, for a student spirit competition...
, the fight song of the University of Southern California, and "On, Wisconsin", the fight song of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
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 in 1973, which included the film's songs, score, narration, and dialogue.
On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic
Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic
-References:*...
, this includes "Oo De Lally" on the green disc and "Love" on the purple disc.
The song "Love" was also featured in the 2009 film adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a 2009 American stop-motion animated film based on the Roald Dahl children's novel of the same name. This story is about a fox who steals food each night from three mean and wealthy farmers. The farmers are fed up with Mr Fox's theft and try to kill him, so they dig their way...
.
See also
- Cultural depictions of John of EnglandCultural depictions of John of EnglandJohn of England has been portrayed many times in fiction, generally reflecting the overwhelmingly negative view of his reputation.-Literature:* John was the subject of a Shakespearean play, King John....
- The Hampster DanceThe Hampster DanceThe Hampster Dance or Hampsterdance is one of the earliest examples of an Internet meme. Created by Canadian art student Deidre LaCarte for a Geocities page, the dance features rows of animated hamsters and other rodents dancing in various ways to a sped-up sample from the song "Whistle Stop" by...
- a Internet meme featuring a sample of "Whistle-Stop"