Little John threatens Prince John with a dagger, resulting in a fight between Robin's forces and Prince John's soldiers, culminating in Robin's party escaping with Marian and Lady Kluck in tow. Robin wins the tournament, but Prince John recognizes and exposes him, sentencing him to death despite Marian's pleas. Robin disguises himself as a stork and enters the contest, while Little John masquerades as the Duke of Chutney to get close to Prince John. Marian reveals that she and Robin were once childhood sweethearts, but she was sent to London and has not seen him for years, only recently returning to Nottingham and assuming Robin has forgotten her.įriar Tuck, the local priest, visits Robin and Little John to report that Prince John is hosting an archery tournament, with a kiss from Maid Marian as the prize. The children sneak inside, meeting Maid Marian and her lady-in-waiting Lady Kluck.
Skippy and his two sisters and his friend, Toby, test out the bow, but Skippy accidentally fires the arrow into the grounds of Nottingham Castle. However, Robin gives back some money to a family of rabbits, and gives a bow, arrow and one of his hats to the young rabbit Skippy for his birthday. The Sheriff, under Prince John's orders, taxes the inhabitants of Nottingham excessively. Robin and Little John rob Prince John by disguising themselves as fortune tellers, prompting the Prince to put a bounty on their heads. Unfortunately, the Prince is greedy and immature, even sucking his thumb whenever his mother is mentioned. Earlier, Sir Hiss hypnotized Prince John's brother King Richard to go off on the Crusades, allowing Prince John to take the throne as de facto King.
Meanwhile, Prince John and his counselor Sir Hiss arrive in Nottingham. The Sheriff of Nottingham tries to catch the two, but he fails every time. He introduces Robin Hood and Little John, who live in Sherwood Forest, robbing from the rich and giving to the overtaxed townsfolk of Nottingham. Despite this, the film has garnered a cult following and has become a Disney fan-favourite over the years. While it was initially met by positive reviews by film critics, who praised the voice cast, animation, and humor, its critical reception became gradually mixed since its release. Robin Hood was released on November 8, 1973. The idea was repeatedly shelved until writer and production designer Ken Anderson incorporated ideas from it in a pitch of the legend of Robin Hood using anthropomorphic animals rather than humans during the production of The Aristocats (1970). The idea to adapt Robin Hood into an animated feature dated back to Walt Disney's interest in the tale of Reynard the Fox during his first full-length feature production, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film features the voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Pat Buttram, Monica Evans, and Carole Shelley. The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John, and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John, and Robin Hood wins the hand of Maid Marian. Produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it is the 21st Disney animated feature film and the first entirely "post-Walt" animated feature. These versions firmly stamp Robin as a staunch philanthropist, a man who takes from the rich to give to the poor.Robin Hood is a 1973 American animated adventure musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution, based on the English folk tale of the same name with the characters reimagined as anthropomorphic animals. The traditional tales were often adapted for children, most notably in Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. The Victorian era generated its own distinct versions of Robin Hood. He and his band are usually associated with Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. He operates with his "seven score" (140 strong) group of fellow outlawed yeomen – named the Merry Men. Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero a courteous, pious and swashbuckling outlaw of the mediæval era who, in modern versions of the legend, is famous for robbing the rich to feed the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny.
Download cover art Download CD case insert The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood