Robin Hood (1973)

Let's head over to another movie based on an English legend, Robin Hood.

The Movie:

Robin Hood is the 21st movie in the Disney Animated Canon and one of the early films in Disney's Dark Age.  It was the first movie in the canon that had no input from Walt Disney whatsoever, the second he didn't produce, and the third released after his death.  Initial reviews of the movie were mixed to positive, and it did well at the box office.  However, Robin Hood is not as well remembered today and contemporary views are still somewhat mixed.

This story is basically a take on the legend of Robin Hood with all characters portrayed as anthropomorphized animals.  While King Richard is away during the Crusades, his brother Prince John (a lion) controls the throne.  John excessively taxes the people, so Robin Hood (a fox) and Little John (a bear) steal from him to return to the citizens.  To capture Robin Hood, with the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf), John holds an archery contest as a trap.  To sweeten the pot, the winner of the contest gets a kiss from Robin's love, Maid Marian (also a fox).  Robin does show to the tournament, albeit in disguise, and hilarity ensues.

Robin Hood was another film that was not a favorite of mine as a child.  As an adult I did find there were parts I enjoyed, particularly the beginning and the end, but in the middle the plot just meanders a bit too much.  The characters are well done, though some of the choices of accents are quite bizarre.  And speaking of bizarre, while the movie for the most part plays as period accurate, with exceptions made for cartoon antics, there are a few random modern references.  One that particularly stands out is a fight scene choreographed like an American football game, complete with a college fight song.  ("Fight On" and "On Wisconsin" to be precise)  Now if this movie was a complete anachronism stew like The Emperor's New Groove, that would be perfect, but here it's rather jarring.

Also, this movie is the king of recycled animation for Disney.  It was a great way for them to save money, and I'm sure a lot of people don't pick up on it, but when you've spent the last six weeks watching Disney movies, it is really noticeable.

The music in Robin Hood is ok.  George Bruns provides another score that fits the bill nicely, especially with the regal fanfares.  Roger Miller wrote and sang, as Alan-a-Dale (a rooster), three songs, "Whistle Stop," "Oo-De-Lally," and "Not in Nottingham," with the first two being the most recognized songs from the movie.  Johnny Mercer wrote "The Phony King of England," while Floyd Huddleston and George Bruns received an Oscar nomination for "Love."

On a side note, one of the many live-action versions of Robin Hood was the 1991 Kevin Costner Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which Disney had nothing to do with.  I only mention it because for some reason, Disney chose for a period of time to use the theme from that movie as the background music to promote their movies, and a small clip even accompanies the castle logo on some DVD and Blu-Ray releases from earlier this decade.

Presence in the Parks:

Robin Hood is yet another movie that gets represented by a restaurant, in this case the Friar's Nook in the Magic Kingdom.  This restaurant location was previously Lancer's Inn, Gurgi's Munchies and Crunchies, Lumiere's Kitchen, and Village Fry Shoppe (one of the last McDonald's fry locations in the parks).  When McDonald's left in 2009, it became the Friar's Nook.  At one time this restaurant was known for various topped macaroni and cheese dishes, but the current menu is hot dogs and loaded tots.

Other than that, Robin Hood gets a card in the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game.  Several characters have made appearances in the parks at various times, though in recent years they have been quite rare.