Robin Hood

• Produced and Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
• November 8, 1973

Voice Cast

• Robin Hood (red fox)-Brian Bedford
• Maid Marian (vixen)-Monica Evans
• Little John (brown bear)-Phil Harris
• Alan-a-Dale (rooster)-Roger Miller
• Friar Tuck (badger)-Andy Devine
• Prince John (adolescent lion), King Richard (adult lion)-Peter Ustinov
• Sir Hiss (snake)-Terry-Thomas
• Lady Kluck (hen)-Carole Shelley
• The Sheriff of Nottingham (wolf)-Pat Buttram
• Trigger (vulture)-George Lindsey
• Nutsy (vulture)-Ken Curtis
• Captain of the Royal Guard (crocodile)-Candy Candido
• Otto the blacksmith (bloodhound)-J. Pat O’Malley

Robin Hood and the inhabitants of Nottingham fight against the crushing taxation of Prince John.

Robin Hood is the first Disney film that I’ve watched in some time that has aged very well for me. Practice because it’s based off the Robin Hood legend and thus cannot be completely aimed at children but rather can be enjoyed by adults as well. That combined with the old Disney magic makes a rather enjoyable tale. It’s a fun and bouncy adventure. While not thrilling for adults, it is exciting for small children.

It’s a silly take on the legend with as per usual for Disney animals taking the places of the humans. One thing that Disney often gets right is-and especially so in the past-choosing what animals to replace people with. In general the animal fits the character. Here Robin Hood is a red fox. Maid Marian is a vixen. The Little John is a bear. The minstrel Alan-a-Dale is a rooster. Prince John is a lion without a mane while his brother Richard (shown at the end) does have one. And so forth.

There is a mix of professional voice actors as well celebrity performers and they did a fantastic job of choosing them. A personal favorite, aside from Peter Ustinov, is the great Terry-Thomas as Prince John’s sycophantic advisor Sir Hiss. He was a comedic legend and he handled this part especially well.

And Robin Hood still looks as good today as it did then. Hand drawn is art and few did it better at this point than Disney did. There are points where they really hit a creative high point such as an evening scene between Maid Marian and Robin Hood when you see fireflies dancing. Just an impressive bit for the era and absolutely beautiful.

There are no strong belly laughs but there are plenty of smiles given by this movie. The humor is light and satisfying. This is a great nostalgia trip that will entertain and you will go back to again and again. It is entertaining fun.

Disney’s Robin Hood is a great example of old-fashioned animated film making. You will enjoy yourself as it is still as entertaining now as it was then.