Robin Hood (1973)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Robin Hood.

Synopsis: In this animated re-imagining we are introduced to the world of Robin Hood by the rooster minstrel and narrator Allan-a-Dale (Roger Miller), starting with the daylight robbery of Prince John's (Peter Ustinov) carriage by the daring duo of Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) and Little John (Phil Harris). This earns them the ire of Prince John who sets a trap at a tourney, which of course does not go as planned, this drives him to the edge of madness, and he takes it out on the populace of Nottingham with the help of the greedy Sherriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram). Now it is up to Robim Hood and his band of merry men to put things right, save the people of Nottingham, get rid of Prince John and live happily ever after with Maid Marian (Monica Evans).

The Good:

* I actually quite liked the animation, it is not as colorful as most Disney movies and sometimes the characters aren't that smooth but the long shots and castle scenes, especially during the rain, look absolutely fantastic considering the movie is over 40 years old.

* The voice actors were all really well chosen, Brian Bedford sounds like a debonaire rogue really bringing Robin Hood to life and Peter Ustinov does an amazing job as Prince John as he flits between anger at Robin or thumb sucking worry that he has upset his mother.

* I also really liked the songs, they are fairly short compared to most animated movies, but they fit well. I especially like "Not in Nottingham", it is sung during a prison scene, and it is quite melancholic, but I honestly think it has more feeling than most other animated movies that rely on catchy riffs.

* Some of the jokes are laugh out loud funny, with humor for young and old alike.

The Bad:

* The pacing is a little up and down, with the occasional time skip that I think could have been filled as the movie is not that long.

* While entertaining the story is fairly basic and involves some weird moments, like when Lady Kluck acted like a football star to take down the Rhino guards.

* There are a couple scenes that may worry young children, for example when the Sherriff is fixing the hangman's noose.

                              IMDB 7.5/10                 Rotten Tomatoes 58%               Me 8/10

Robin Hood and Maid Marian going for a stroll.