Robin Hood (1973 film)
Robin Hood is a 1973 American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. Produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it is based on the English folktale "Robin Hood". The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John, and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John, and Robin Hood wins the hand of Maid Marian. The film features the voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Pat Buttram, Monica Evans, Terry-Thomas, Roger Miller, and Carole Shelley.
"Robin Hood (Disney)" redirects here. For the character, see Robin Hood (Disney character).Robin Hood
- Larry Clemmons
- Ken Anderson
- Vance Gerry
- Frank Thomas
- Eric Cleworth
- Julius Svendsen
- David Michener
The legend of Robin Hood
Wolfgang Reitherman
- Tom Acosta
- Jim Melton
- November 8, 1973
83 minutes
United States
English
$5 million[1]
$33 million[2]
The idea to adapt Robin Hood into an animated feature was dated back to Walt Disney's interest in the tale of Reynard the Fox following the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The idea was repeatedly shelved for several decades. In 1968, Ken Anderson pitched a film adaptation of Robin Hood, incorporating ideas from Reynard the Fox by using anthropomorphic animals rather than humans. The project was approved, becoming the first completely "post-Walt" animated feature and the first with an entirely non-human cast.
Robin Hood was released on November 8, 1973. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but it was nonetheless a box-office success, grossing $33 million worldwide against a production budget of $5 million. Although some retrospective reviews have called out its use of recycled animation, the film's reputation has grown positively over time and has since become a cult classic.
Plot[edit]
The story is narrated by Alan-a-Dale. He introduces Robin Hood and Little John, who live in Sherwood Forest, robbing from the rich and giving to the overtaxed townsfolk of Nottingham. Meanwhile, Prince John and his counselor Sir Hiss arrive in Nottingham. Sir Hiss had hypnotized Prince John's brother, King Richard, to fight in the third crusade, allowing Prince John to take the throne as de facto King. Prince John is greedy and immature, even sucking his thumb whenever his mother is mentioned. Robin and Little John disguise themselves as fortune tellers and rob Prince John, prompting the Prince to swear revenge and put a bounty on their heads.
Meanwhile, Prince John's henchman, the cheerful Sheriff of Nottingham, taxes the inhabitants of Nottingham excessively under Prince John's orders. Robin gives back some money to a family of rabbits and gives a bow, arrow, and one of his hats to the young rabbit Skippy for his birthday. Skippy takes two of his sisters and his friend Toby to watch him test out the bow but accidentally fires an arrow into the grounds of Nottingham Castle. The children sneak inside and meet Maid Marian and her lady-in-waiting, Lady Kluck. Marian reveals that she and Robin were once childhood sweethearts. Now having returned to Nottingham after spending many years in London, she wonders if Robin remembers her.
Friar Tuck, the local priest, visits Robin and Little John to report that Prince John is hosting an archery tournament, with a kiss from Maid Marian as the prize. Robin disguises himself as a stork and enters the contest, while Little John masquerades as the Duke of Chutney to get close to Prince John. Robin wins the tournament, but Prince John recognizes and exposes him, sentencing him to death despite Marian's pleas. Little John threatens Prince John with a dagger, resulting in a fight between the Nottingham villagers and Prince John's soldiers. Robin's party escapes, bringing along Marian and Lady Kluck.
In the forest, Robin and Marian share a romantic evening, then are surprised by several townsfolk, who sing "The Phony King of England", a song about Prince John's cruelty and fraudulence. The song becomes a hit, so Prince John triples the taxes out of anger. Most of the townspeople who cannot pay are imprisoned. The Sheriff visits Friar Tuck's church to steal from the poor box. Tuck attacks the Sheriff with a quarterstaff, resulting in Tuck's arrest for "treason". Tuck is imprisoned in the castle, and Prince John orders Tuck's execution, hoping to trap Robin Hood.
The night before the execution, Robin Hood and Little John sneak into the castle. Little John manages to free Tuck and the other prisoners, while Robin steals all of Prince John's gold. Hiss awakens and tries to stop them, rousing the castle. Chaos ensues as Robin and the others try to escape to Sherwood Forest, and Robin is forced to return to the castle to rescue Skippy's sister. The Sheriff chases Robin through the castle and attacks him with a lit torch, setting the castle ablaze and forcing Robin to jump into the moat. The soldiers shoot arrows into the moat, but Robin dives to safety and rejoins Little John and Skippy. Hiss chides a despairing Prince John for his failed trap and points out the castle (which belonged to Prince John's mother) is afire, causing Prince John to panic and chase Hiss around the burning castle.
Later, King Richard returns to England, pardons Robin Hood, and sentences Prince John, Hiss, and the Sheriff to hard labor in the Royal Rock Pile. Meanwhile, Robin marries Maid Marian; they leave Nottingham for a honeymoon, with Little John and Skippy in tow.
Reception[edit]
Critical reaction[edit]
Judith Crist, reviewing the film in New York magazine, said it was "nicely tongue-in-cheek without insult to the intelligence of either child or adult." She also stated that it "has class – in the fine cast that gives both voice and personality to the characters, in the bright and brisk dialogue, in its overall concept."[29] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that it "should ... be a good deal of fun for toddlers whose minds have not yet shriveled into orthodoxy" and he called the visual style "charmingly conventional".[30] Dave Billington of The Montreal Gazette wrote "As a film, Robin Hood marks a come-back of sorts for the Disney people. Ever since the old maestro died, the cartoon features have shown distressing signs of a drop in quality, both in art work and in voice characterization. But the blending of appealing cartoon animals with perfect voices for the part makes Robin Hood an excellent evening out for the whole family."[31] Also writing in New York magazine, Ruth Gilbert called it "a sweet, funny, slam-bang, good-hearted Walt Disney feature cartoon with a fine cast" and wrote it was "a feast for the eyes for kiddies and Disney nostalgics."[32]
Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Disney "hallmarks are there as they ever were: the incomparably rich, full animation, the humanized animal characters perky, individual and enchanting, and the wild, inventive slapstick action."[33] Awarding the film four stars out of five, Ian Nathan, in a retrospective review for Empire, praised the vocal performances of Peter Ustinov and Terry-Thomas acknowledging "while this is hardly the most dazzling of animated features, it has that cut-corner feel that seem to hold sway in the '70s (mainly because Disney were cutting corners), the characters spark to life, and the story remains as rock steady as ever."[34]
Among less favorable reviews, Jay Cocks of Time gave the film a mixed verdict writing, "Even at its best, Robin Hood is only mildly diverting. There is not a single moment of the hilarity or deep, eerie fear that the Disney people used to be able to conjure up, or of the sort of visual invention that made the early features so memorable. Robin Hood's basic problem is that it is rather too pretty and good natured."[35] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, describing the film as "80 minutes of pratfalls and nincompoop dialog," and criticizing the animation quality as "Saturday morning TV cartoon stuff."[36] John Baxter of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that "for the most part the film is as bland and one-dimensional as the product of less sophisticated studios; and except for Peter Ustinov's plummy Prince John, the voice characterisations are as insipid as the animation is unoriginal."[37]
Decades since the film's release, the film has been noted for the recycled scenes of animation.[38] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that the film received a 58% approval rating with an average rating of 5.7/10 based on 31 reviews. The website's consensus states that "One of the weaker Disney adaptations, Robin Hood is cute and colorful but lacks the majesty and excitement of the studio's earlier efforts."[39] Metacritic gave the film a score of 57 based on 9 reviews.[40]
Box office[edit]
During its initial release, Robin Hood earned $9.6 million in rentals in the United States and Canada.[41] It also grossed $18 million in foreign territories, which was at the time a Disney record, for a worldwide rental of $27.5 million.[42]
The film has earned a lifetime gross in the United States and Canada between $32–35 million across its two releases.[2][43][44]
