"Oo-de-lally!"
Hello everyone!
And I really, truly hope you enjoy the choice I made.
I mean, what's there not to like, though?
At some point, we all go nostalgic over what used to be, and this is DEFINITELY one of those that used to be.
Plus it's just really, really good. I think someone once said somewhere that Robin Hood is one of those stories with too many iterations to count, but the best one is still the one in which Prince John is a lion and his side-kick is a snake.
So I'm looking into this one tonight,
Grab your hats and your bows, and let's get on with Disney's Robin Hood!
I keep thinking that I have this movie on here already, but the more I look, the less I find it, so apparently it's just my mind playing tricks on me somehow? I suppose I better remedy that, then! Here we go.
Robin Hood being the beloved English myth, you know Disney would have gotten its hands on it eventually, so thankfully they did so in their golden era of animation when the stories they told were ACTUALLY still good.
It starts with the minstrel, Alan-a-Dale, who in this version is a rooster, saying the animals have their OWN way of telling the story.
Robin and Little John are in the forest, chased by the Sheriff of Nottingham's men, finally evading them with relative ease when they hear the royal coach trundling by.
In said coach there rests Prince John, who's usurped the throne from his brother, good King Richard (at this moment somewhere on the Crusades), and is taxing the daylight out of everyone in the kingdom, because of course he is.
Sir Hiss, the snakey sidekick I mentioned earlier, tries to warn him when two Gypsies pop up to read their fortunes, but of course John's like PISH POSH, these are WOMEN, what harm can they do?
Famous last words ...
Basically, as it's Robin and John in disguise, they rob the coach blind, leaving the prince rolling around in the muck since John also took the hubcaps off the wheels.
Through a series of short scenes, we see how the Sheriff mercilessly collects taxes, even from the wounded and the little children, while Robin, disguises as a blind beggar, tries to help his people by giving them the money he's stolen.
We also learn he's in love with Maid Marian, somehow related to the royal family but we never learn how, and that she loves him right back. We figure this out through a cute scene with the kids Robin visited earlier, gifting the birthday boy - wait for it - an English longbow, of all things, but the important part here is to know the young lovers, who'd been inseparable as children, but had to part when Marian went off to London, still pine for each other.
And the Prince has an idea how to get Robin Hood. He calls an archery competition, one of the prizes being a kiss from Maid Marian, knowing the foxy archer won't be able to resist.
He doesn't. He wins the whole thing, dressed up like a stork, and gets nabbed for his troubles; no amount of pleading from Marian will spare his life, but Little John acts fast, and the whole thing dissolves into the funniest brawls in Disney history. Who's driving this flying umbrella? No one, not really, and probably the funniest is when Marian's lady, Cluck, tells her to go on an hide, because this is NO place for a lady - then proceeds as the star quarterback herself and beats everyone up!
Finally reunited, Robin and Marian want a quiet night to themselves, but their compatriots throw a wild party (which they end up enjoying, too), while Prince John broods. Hearing the ditty everyone's singing about him, he orders an increase in taxes, and plenty of people land in jail.
This ends up including Friar Tuck, who engages the Sheriff in combat and might have even whooped ass if not for the Sheriff's twee helpers. Learning of this latest arrest, Prince John announces the friar will hang at dawn, news that strikes horror in Robin's heart and company.
They stage a daring midnight rescue into the castle - and people wonder where I got my love for sneaking around in Assassin's Creed games from, I blame Disney and the fox! - which only derails after Hiss wakes up and sees Robin getting away with all the money they've accumulated.
Turning back to rescue a baby bunny, Robin's cornered by the Sheriff, who sets half the castle on fire trying to get to him, but our fox at least climbs up, up, up - to jump off into the moat surrounding the castle itself.
Little John and the others are CONVINCED he's a goner, but nope, he lives! And Prince John finally loses it completely, rushing after his snake advisor trying to beat him up, while the castle burns behind them.
King Richard returns from his futile military campaign, and declares he now has an outlaw for an in-law when Robin and Marian finally marry.
And with that, the story comes to an end with the bad guys all chained up and working the rock quarry, and our heroes riding off into the sunset, happily every after.
Classical, timeless, and filled with humour that's actually really clever because while it IS funny for the kids, it gets funnier when you watch it as an adult and you figure out the meaning behind half the jokes, Robin Hood remains one of those Disney movies that's just all that. It's got a wonderful voice cast, the animation is tight and on point, and overall it's a very funny and entertaining take on a beloved myth.
10/10 recommend!
xx
*images and video not mine
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