Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Starring: Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Andy Devine, Terry Thomas
Certificate: U
Running Time: 83 minutes
Extras: Deleted Storyline “Love Letters”, Classic Bonus: Alternate ending, Classic bonus: Robin Hood art gallery, “Ye Olden Days” bonus short, Sing along with the movie, Disney song selection
There are some stories that stay with you forever, and one of them has to be ROBIN HOOD. Come on, who doesn’t love the story of a loveable rogue who steals from the rich to give to the poor? It’s one of the most universal stories in history, so of course Walt Disney had to get in on the action.
This 1973 classic keeps to the original folk tale of Robin Hood and his merrymen, but instead of humans we have animals. Despite the use of animals, the moral of the story remains strong, which is probably why when people sit down to watch a Disney film ROBIN HOOD is not the first one they grab. But it is still filled with that same Disney magic that you’ve come to expect from any of the companies films.
The most notable thing about ROBIN HOOD is the reuse of actors and even sequences from other Walt Disney productions, which can become a little grating. Fortunately it is not something that puts you off the film, it just makes us realise that we cannot experience the same Disney magic like we did when we were kids.
But how does it add to the Blu-Ray transition? Well to put it bluntly, it’s trippy as hell. With the original version, some of the colours fall quite mute, but watching it in Blu-Ray is truly a different experience. If there is one thing you have to experience in Blu-Ray, it is watching Sir Hiss hypnotising King John… I’m sure we might have been taking under at one point.
ROBIN HOOD is definitely one of the dark horses when it comes to the Disney franchise, but just because it is the dark horse doesn’t mean it is any less great than the others. Its message is bolder, but it still has the catchy songs and the happy ending we crave. A good old-fashioned family movie.
Extras: Just put on the the sing along, you know you want to…
ROBIN HOOD IS OUT ON DISNEY DVD AND BLU-RAY NOW
