Robin Hood
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Wolfgang Reitherman
Brian Bedford
Andy Devine
Ken Curtis
Terry-thomas
Peter Ustinov
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The Robin Hood legend told with animals portraying the famous characters. Foxy Robin helps the overtaxed citizens of Nottingham by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
Director
Wolfgang Reitherman
Cast
Brian Bedford
Andy Devine
Ken Curtis
Terry-thomas
Peter Ustinov
George Lindsey
Phil Harris
Pat Buttram
Carole Shelley
Roger Miller
Monica Evans
Crew
Tom Acosta
Dan Alguire
Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson
Dale Baer
Don Bluth
George Bruns
Jack Buckley
Larry Clemmons
Eric Cleworth
Basil Davidovich
Albert Dempster
Don Duckwall
Vance Gerry
Stan Green
Don Griffith
Ann Guenther
Joe Hale
Ed Hansen
Fred Hellmich
Ralph Hulett
Oliver M. Johnston Jr.
Milt Kahl
Evelyn Kennedy
Hal King
Eric Larson
Bill Layne
John Lounsberry
Dan Macmanus
Burny Mattinson
Bob Mccrea
Jim Melton
Dave Michener
Cliff Nordberg
Dale Oliver
Jeff Patch
Wolfgang Reitherman
Sylvia Roemer
Walter Sheets
Art Stevens
Julius Svendsen
Herb Taylor
Ed Templer
Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas
Chuck Williams
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Song
Articles
Frank Thomas (1912-2004)
He was born on September 5, 1912 in Santa Monica, California. He showed an interest in art and drawing at a very young age, so it came as no surprise when he graduated from Stanford University in 1934 with a degree in art. Soon after, he began work for Walt Disney Studios and did his first animation for the short Mickey's Elephant in 1936, and was one of the key animators for the studios' first, feature-length animated picture, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). His memorable creations of the seven dwarfs offered an emotional sweep and humorous detail to animated characters that audiences had never experienced before, and his career was set.
Thomas' work from this point on would be nothing short of the high watermarks in Disney animation that is justly cherished the world over: the title character in Pinocchio, (1940); Thumper teaching Bambi to skate in Bambi (1941); the wicked stepmother in Cinderella (1950), the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (1951), the terrific fight sequence between Captain Hook and Peter Pan in Peter Pan (1953); the Lady and Rover falling in love over a dish of spaghetti and meatballs in Lady and the Tramp (1955); the three good fairies in Sleeping Beauty (1959); Baloo, Mowgli and Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967); and his final work of Bernard and Bianca in the underrated The Rescuers (1977).
Thomas retired from Disney in early 1978, ending a near 44-year relationship with the studio. With longtime friend, and fellow Disney collaborator Ollie Johnston, they went on to author many fine books about the art of animation, most notably Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life (Hyperian Press, 1978) and The Disney Villain (Hyperion Press, 1993). He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jeanette; sons Thomas, Doug and Gregg; daughter Ann Ayers; and three grandchildren.
by Michael T. Toole
Frank Thomas (1912-2004)
Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)
He was born Peter Alexander Ustinov on April 16, 1921 in London, England. His father was a press attache at the German embassy until 1935 - when disgusted by the Nazi regime - he took out British nationality. He attended Westminster School, an exclusive private school in central London until he was 16. He then enrolled for acting classes at the London Theater Studio, and by 1939, he made his London stage debut.
His jovial nature and strong gift for dialects made him a natural player for films, and it wasn't long after finding theatre work that Ustinov moved into motion pictures: a Dutch priest in Michael Powell's One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1941); an elderly Czech professor in Let the People Sing (1942); and a star pupil of a Nazi spy school in The Goose Steps Out (1942).
He served in the British Army for four years (1942-46), where he found his talents well utilized by the military, allowing him to join the director Sir Carol Reed on some propaganda films. He eventually earned his first screenwriting credit for The Way Ahead (1944). One of Sir Carol Reed's best films, The Way Ahead was a thrilling drama which starred David Niven as a civilian heading up a group of locals to resist an oncoming Nazi unit. It was enough of a hit to earn Ustinov his first film directorial assignment, School for Secrets (1946), a well paced drama about the discovery of radar starring Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Richard Attenborough.
After the war, Ustinov took on another writer-director project Vice Versa (1948), a whimsical fantasy-comedy starring Roger Livesey and Anthony Newley as a father and son who magically switch personalities. Although not a huge hit of its day, the sheer buoyancy of the surreal premise has earned the film a large cult following.
Ustinov made his Hollywood debut, and garnered his first Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as an indolent Nero in the Roman epic, Quo Vadis? (1951). After achieving some international popularity with that role, Ustinov gave some top-notch performances in quality films: the snappish Prinny in the Stewart Granger vehicle Beau Brummel (1954); holding his own against Humphrey Bogart as an escaped convict in We're No Angels (1954); the ring master who presides over the life of the lead character in Max Ophuls's resplendent Lola Montez (1955); and a garrulous settler coping with the Australian outback in The Sundowners (1960).
The '60s would be Ustinov's most fruitful decade. He started off gabbing his first Oscar® as the cunning slave dealer in Spartacus (1960); made a smooth screen adaptation by directing his smash play, Romanoff and Juliet (1961), earned critical acclaim for his co-adaptation, direction, production and performance in Herman Melville's nautical classic Billy Budd (1962); and earned a second Oscar® as the fumbling jewel thief in the crime comedy Topkapi (1964).
He scored another Oscar® nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category for his airy, clever crime romp Hot Millions (1968), in which he played a con artist who uses a computer to bilk a company out of millions of dollars; but after that, Ustinov began taking a string of offbeat character parts: the lead in one of Disney's better kiddie flicks Blackbeard's Ghost (1968); a Mexican General who wants to reclaim Texas for Mexico in Viva Max! (1969); an old man who survives the ravaged planet of the future in Logan's Run (1976); and an unfortunate turn as a Chinese stereotype in Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Still, he did achieve renewed popularity when he took on the role of Hercule Poirot in the star laced, Agatha Christie extravaganza Death on the Nile (1978). He was such a hit, that he would adroitly play the Belgian detective in two more theatrical movies: Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment With Death (1988); as well as three television movies: Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Murder in Three Acts, Dead Man's Folly (both 1986).
Beyond his work in films, Ustinov was justifiably praised for his humanitarian work - most notably as the unpaid, goodwill ambassador for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Since 1968, he had traveled to all corners of the globe: China, Russia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Kenya, Egypt, Thailand and numerous other countries to promote and host many benefit concerts for the agency.
Ustinov, who in 1990 earned a knighthood for his artistic and humanitarian contributions, is survived by his wife of 32 years, Hélène du Lau d'Allemans; three daughters, Tamara, Pavla, Andrea; and a son, Igor.
by Michael T. Toole
Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)
Quotes
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.- Clucky
Or forgetful.- Marian
Oh, he's so handsome... just like his reward posters.- Girl bunny
Sire, they may be bandits!- Hiss
Oh poppycock. Female bandits?- Prince John
Friar Tuck, it seems that I have an outlaw for an in-law!- King Richard
I'm sorry, I was just thinking of Maid Marian again. I can't help it, I love her Johnny.- Robin Hood
Listen, why don't you stop moaning and moping and just marry the girl?- Little John
Marry her? You just don't walk up to someone, hand her a bouquet of flowers and say, "Hey, remember me? We were kids together, will you marry me?" It just isn't done that way. Besides, what do I have to offer her?- Robin Hood
Well, for one thing, you can't cook.- Little John
I'm serious Johnny, she's a high bred lady of quality.- Robin Hood
Trivia
The dance sequence after the archery match uses animation sequences taken directly from earlier Disney films. Specifically, the dance between Little John and Lady Kluck is that of Baloo and King Louie in Jungle Book, The (1967); a dancing cat playing a wind instrument is Scat Cat from Aristocats, The (1970). Plus, the rabbit that plays the drums was a borrowed shot of the Chinese Cat in Aristocats, The (1970) playing the drums; and Maid Marian dances with the same movements as Snow White in Snow White and the _Seven Dwarfs (1937)_ .
A portion of the opening theme music was used for the infamous "hamster dance" website, being played at double speed.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Fall November 1973
Released in United States on Video July 12, 1991
Released in United States on Video July 12, 1991
Released in United States Fall November 1973