With: Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Pat Buttram, Monica Evans, Terry-Thomas, Roger Miller, Carole Shelley, Andy Devine, George Lindsey (voices)
Written by: Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Gerry, Dave Michener, Julius Svendsen, Frank Thomas
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Robin Hood came from Disney's ragtag middle period — well past the era of the dazzling, polished 1940s films — in which the pencil edges of the drawings were allowed to show, and an 83-minute running time was acceptable. The scrappy feel is perfectly suited for this story of an outlaw and his bear friend Little John (Phil Harris, also recognizable as Baloo in The Jungle Book) who rob from the rich, etc. Within that snappy running time are chases, escapes, rescues, robberies, disguises, archery, kisses, and songs sung by Roger Miller. The evil Prince John (voiced by Peter Ustinov) sucks his thumb and calls for "mommy" when he doesn't get his way. Andy Devine (a cowboy character actor, best known for Stagecoach) voices Friar Tuck. A favorite from my childhood, Robin Hood was so seminal in my life that I remember being shocked the first time I saw the hero portrayed by a human being and not the sly fox voiced by Brian Bedford. (Later, I learned to love both the Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn movies, if not the Kevin Costner or Russell Crowe movies.)
