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A minor classic from Disney, this 1973 all-animal, all-animated musical version of the familiar story is more charming than one might expect. Perhaps it's the warm, chummy take on key relationships within the legend--the way Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) gets twitterpated whenever the subject of Maid Marian (Monica Evans) comes up or the way best pal Little John (Phil Harris voicing a variation on his own Baloo from The Jungle Book) admonishes the Sherwood Forest hero, "Aw, Rob, why dontcha just marry the girl?" (Then, of course, there's the canny "casting" of the romantic leads as foxes: Robin the sly one and Marian the, well, foxy one.) The rest of the vocal cast is lively and eclectic: Peter Ustinov, Andy Devine, Terry-Thomas, George Lindsey. Roger Miller provides the songs and voice for the minstrel character Allan-A-Dale. The film is ably directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, whose decades of work in Disney's animation division helped create the studio's rich legacy. --Tom Keogh
 Customer Reviews 
Never showed up.
Rating: 1
I love this movie. I had tried buying it here at Amazon used and the product never showed up. I paid for it and complained to Amazon but was told to e-mail the seller directly, which I did to no avail. Great movie but they stole my money. The only time I've ever had a problem with Amazon.
Sometimes To Be A Hero, You Must Be An Outlaw...
Rating: 4
Here's what I can't figure out about the so-called 'House of Mouse', or as it's better known to most audiences, Walt Disney Studios, is why do they bother releasing their animated features to DVD if only to remove them from the shelves a short time later to put them back into the "vault" (as they put it). What's even harder to figure out is why do they choose to do this with only some of their movies and not all. Now you might say, well it's a privilege (I prefer calling it an annoyance) reserved for only the features they deem to be classics, and I could buy that if it wasn't for the fact that even some of their lesser-quality, Direct-to-DVD sequels are taken away from possible shoppers after a somewhat relatively short shelf-life. Whatever, the reason may be behind these decisions I will most likely never know, but nevertheless, myself and numerous other movie fans are generally pleased when Disney opts to release one of their timeless classics to the masses once more, generally with a high-quality digital transfer and re-mastered audio to bring the films pretty close to perfection. One of their recent releases that I was happy to see finally arrive on DVD was their 21st animated feature film that debuted in 1973, none other than the classic "Robin Hood"
"Robin Hood" is Disney's adaptation of the classic tale of Robin Hood and his merry men, except all of the characters are animals instead of humans. When King Richard leaves to take part in the crusades, his sniveling brother Prince John (a lion) along with his main henchman, Sir Hiss (a snake) take over the kingdom. They invoke heavy taxes, causing most of their citizens to become poor and despondent, and through the dreaded Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf) their evil will is upheld at every turn. With seemingly no hope in sight, a rebel known as Robin Hood (a fox) along with his trusted friend Little John (a bear) decide to steal from the rich and give back to the poor, and hopefully bring a little cheer back to the masses. Hatching plan after plan to get back at Prince John, Robin Hood and his allies will not stop until King Richard has returned and Prince John is removed from power, and the citizens once again know what it means to have real happiness back in their lives.
I remember as a kid loving this animated movie, and it's nice to see that even after all these years I can still sit down with my kids and enjoy it just as much as I did back then. What some may not know about "Robin Hood" is that this film had what was essentially the entire weight of Walt Disney Studios on its shoulders. Since this was the first animated film to be released after Disney's death, and during the studio's financial slump, all eyes were on whether or not this film would succeed with audiences or would it seal the company's fate. As it turned out, the film was a hit when it was initially released to theaters, and managed to rake in even more dough at the box office when it was re-released back in 1984 becoming a classic beloved by moviegoers for generations, and gave renewed vigor to the once proud company.
The animation is somewhat rough around the edges when compared to some of Disney's earlier efforts, this was a result of the lower budget the animators were given, prompting some to have the impression that this film, and many others around this time, were being rushed to theaters prematurely. Even though the animation is not up to the high standards that previous films had set, or even some of their modern classics such as "Beauty and the Beast", it still proves that the animators working at Disney are an extremely talented group of people that even when the chips are down they still manage to come through on top.
The cast gave terrific vocal performances, giving each character a distinctive personality, and in some instances created hilarious quirks and oddities that allowed the audiences to love them even more. The voice cast for "Robin Hood" may seem familiar to fans of previous Disney animated films such as "The Jungle Book", as it was fairly common back then for Disney to use many of the same actors in their various films whether live-action or animated. This decision seemed especially wise during this time of uncertainty for the company, by using actors and actresses they had worked with before, the studio knew that the performances they would get out of their cast was sure to live up to the same high quality standards that audiences had come to expect from Disney films.
"Robin Hood" isn't the most polished looking animated film that Disney has ever released, but even with its somewhat rougher design, the film still holds a certain charm that cannot be denied. I must admit that the almost rushed appearance of the animation is a bit distracting at times over the course of the film. However, that one complaint aside, the film's charm, along with the timeless story, witty humor, and numerous unforgettable characters makes this one of Disney's most beloved animated classics, and one that almost single-handedly renewed the studio's reputation as the premier animation studio in Hollywood.
"Robin Hood" is rated G and contains mild violence.
As charming as I remembered.
Rating: 5
So rare to find a charming and entertaining film for my grandchildren and me to enjoy together, and just as I remembered. From a simpler time; Disney and perfection...it can't be beat. The voices of the characters are so diligently suited, especially with Phil Harris and his gravelly voice, and Peter Ustinov doing his over the top best; Roger Miller and his music are always the icing on the cake.
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