Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #21: Robin Hood (1973)

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #20: The Aristocats (1970)

Perhaps the weakest film of the entire decade, Robin Hood nonetheless succeeds thanks to a strong cast of characters and the charm of the film’s hero. Due to economic difficulties, most of the animation in the movie is recycled from previous Disney movies. Little John is a cardboard copy of Baloo (including the voice, provided by Phil Harris), Sir Hiss is a shorter version of Kaa (with the same hypnotic powers) and the dance sequence in the forest is a mixture of Snow White, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats. However, if you can see past that, the movie offers plenty of charm and action to entertain the whole family. The voice cast is superb, especially Peter Ustinov in the role of the villainous Prince John, which is easily the best character in the movie. Robin Hood himself is also a charming lead and Maid Marian is a suitable ‘damsel in distress’. The animation, as most of it is recycled, is one of the most uninspired efforts from the studio, but even that has some unique charm. There are many gags, but the humour is a tad uneven and not nearly as funny as The Aristocats. Robin Hood is not one of the studio’s top offerings, but is charming enough to at least warrant a look. Rating: 3.5/5.

Next Week: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Silver Age (Part 3) Introduction

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #19: The Jungle Book (1967)

Silver Age (1950-1977)
The 70s

Overview

With Walt gone, the animation studio entered the 70s filled with uncertainty. The “Nine Old Men” took charge of the studio but it's undeniable that some of the ‘magic’ was lost in this decade. Carried by the motto “What Would Walt Do?" (a motto that was used until the mid-80s when the company made big changes and went for a different direction, the animators played it “safe” and produced animated features that, while fun, didn't break new ground story-wise or technologically speaking. Many refer to this decade as the beginning of the “Dark Age” that was prevalent at the company until the late 80s, but I think that, while the films released in this era can’t (for the most part) surpass their predecessors, they were still made by the same men and women that made all the Walt-era classics and are pretty entertaining and often heartfelt too. For that reason, these films represent the final batch of the classic era that started in the 1930s with Snow White.

The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood Coming to Blu-ray on 6th August

After recently announcing The Little Mermaid, Oliver and Company and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney still isn't done releasing their catalogue titles just yet. They have recently announced the release of two more films: The Sword in the Stone (1963) and Robin Hood (1973).