#21 Robin Hood

Title: Robin Hood

Release Date: November 8th, 1973

Voice Cast: Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Monica Evans

Recap: Based on English Folklore, Robin Hood tells the story of an outlaw who steals from the rich to give to the poor. One day, he steals from Prince John, a sissy monarch who gets pleasure from nothing but money, which he receives from taxing the people of Nottingham. Prince John is fed up with Robin Hood, so he sets up an archery contest in which the first prize is a kiss from the lovely Maid Marian, with whom Robin Hood has had a long romance. The prince's plan fails, so imprisons all the citizens of Nottingham after they fail to pay tripled taxes. Now, it is up to Robin Hood to save them.

Review: Robin Hood can be summed up in four words: nothing novel, nothing awful. It has its subtle pros and its forgettable cons; not much to show for either side. I think you already know what review this movie is getting. That being said, I'll tell you the pros first.

I was immediately glad to see a return to a better class of animation. The "liney-ness" that I complained about for The Sword in the Stone and The Aristocats is gone (hopefully for good). Also, there's plenty of excitement in this film, along with a hefty amount of suspsense towards the end. Robin Hood is certainly watchable, and it is still interesting enough to enjoy.

The negatives are more defined, but they still do not weigh out the cons. For example, some parts feel like a cheap Nick Jr. cartoon you watch on sick days as a kid. That's hard to avoid with anthropomorphic animals, especially when you throw in kids. The character of Prince John is tastelessly overdone, with both humor and principle revolving around him well below Disney's standards.

So, if you haven't seen Robin Hood, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to you. I still believe that everyone can have extremely differing opinions over the same film, and this here is just mine. So, by all means, check it out.

Hakuna Matata (It Means 'No Worries!')