Random Movie Review - Robin Hood (1973)

Before Zootropolis came along (and I guess Chicken Little too), the only known film that Disney made where animals acted like humans and dressed like them and such, was Robin Hood. Now despite this, this didn't mean that these were the only two times where this happened. Anyone who grew up and remembered the cartoons on the Disney Channel will know that Disney have done this many times before. Not only this, but Robin Hood is also known for having recycled animation from the Jungle Book and has a few familiar voices from that film and other Disney films too. Of course this isn't the first film adaptation of Robin Hood, but it certainly wasn't the last at the time. So let's steal from the rich and give to the poor as we dive into the animal kingdom with their take on Robin Hood:

Our film begins with a narration by a rooster called Alan-a-Dale (voiced by Roger Miller) who tells us the story of Robin Hood (a fox, voiced by Brian Bedford) and Little John (a bear, voiced by the original Baloo, Phil Harris) who are both outlaws and steal from the rich to give to the poor, always outwitting the Sheriff of Nottingham (a surprisingly big wolf, voiced by a well known Disney regular, Pat Buttram) in the process. One day, the two outlaws steal from Prince John (a lion, voiced by Sir Peter Ustinov) and his assistant Sir Hiss (a snake though the name makes that very obvious, voiced by Terry-Thomas) who are on a tour of the kingdom and when this happens, the prince puts a large bounty on their heads and has the sheriff be his personal tax collector with the sheriff taking pleasure in taking funds from everyone. One thing leads to another and its then up to our two outlaws to bring an end to Prince John's rein before its too late.

So here's the thing. The film is known for its recycled animation and bringing in some regular Disney faces for the cast and like I said, was one of the first films ever made to have animals dress and behave like humans. Funnily enough, this film also has an alternate ending which can be seen on certain editions of the film. Its an OK film. There's nothing I don't like in it and it does have some funny moments here and there. But when you look at it and compare it to Zootropolis, I'd say the more recent film wins, mainly because of its accuracy and the fact that there is a lot going on in it. Now bear in mind that when Robin Hood came out, it was at a time where animation wasn't as advanced as it is now so its understandable on why it ended up the way it is. Really nothing else to say about it. If you like Robin Hood, then you'll like this film. But if you're wanting a good film with animals dressing and behaving like humans, this would probably be too much of a bore fest so you're better off with Zootropolis. Chicken Little you can definitely skip. 7/10