An Unappreciated Disney Classic - Robin Hood (Video Essay) 

There have been so many different takes on Robin hood. Some goofy, some gritty. For me, I like these tales the best when they're about hope in the face of bleak times and a man and his friends using their talents to make their suffering community better. Disney's version has that spirit in spades. It is whimsically silly, intelligently witty, fun, swashbuckling, romantic, and I love it to bits. "keep your chin up. There'll be happiness in Nottingham again."

I think Robin Hood is actually one of the most mature and intelligent Disney movies to date, its lack of budget meant it had to focus alot more on dialog and not every scene had a grand whimsical orchestra letting the characters just talk, while the animation definitely has its jank parts I adore the sketchy look of this era of Disney and I can't imagine the movie looking any other way, I also feel it had some incredible social commentary that was simple enough for children to understand but when you see it as an adult you realize just how realistic the portrayal of oppression is and it's pretty brutal with alot of details that I only picked up on as an adult and for all these reasons it's my favourite Disney movie.

I recently watched it with my kids, and something I never realized when I first saw it as a kid is that the quality of the voice acting and the musical style makes it firmly 60s-folksy and almost beatnik. It makes them weirdly very relatable and charming. Like they're all just having good fun for most of the movie.

Personally it's been my favorite since I was a kid it just has such great charaters

Always in my top 3 Disney films. I remember playing with Lego, listening to the story on LP, and getting so excited when it showed on TV.. Getting it on VHS ( as an adult ) still rates as one of my best ever pressies. Robin Hood is only beaten by The Rescuers

Back WHEN Disney's™ had Soul and Talented Artists, Actors & Writers

I never pay much attention to critic reviews on Rotten tomatoes, the audience score is usually the one I agree with more.

Films like Disney’s “Robin Hood” and Nelvaana’s “Rock & Rule” occupy a specific category of films where, by all technical standards, they should be failures, but have so much passion and charm to them that they still become classics.

till this day one of my fav movies ever

This movie Is a prime example of how Disney used to be they need to make stories with a similar basis. Robin Hood told in this format was amazing.

Robin hood was always one of my favorites as a kid, still one of my top favorite disney movies of all time to this day! 🐻🦊🎯🦁🐍

Best adaptation and version of the Robin Hood character! 👌

I love this movie. It’s one of my all time favorite Disney films and it’s just one that never gets old for me. Still puts a smile on my face everytime.

Prince John is hilarious, yet threatening. Sir Hiss is a huge suck- up! Little John is basically Baloo in green, but he's cool!

I for 1000% agree! Robin Hood is so underrated yet so good!

Maybe under appreciated but not unappreciated. This was the first movie I saw in a theater and behind Pinocchio is my favorite Disney movie.

I had this on VHS, and watched it many times as a kid :) Good times

This is so amazing! I love your perspective on the animation in the film!

Gotta watch RH again in a long time

The best thing is that the bard is voiced by the great country singer Rodger Miller really giving it that western feeling.

I have to say Disneys Robin Hood is my favourite! Love its portrayal of 'merry old England'. Biased though as i am English!

Love your view and admire your outlook on one of Disney's best films

What a well thought out and executed video! This is “Robin Hood Month” because of the 50th so I’ve been making/watching videos about this classic which is one of my absolute favorites! 🦊🏹

What a wonderful video!

As a fan of animation, I absolutely love this movie, I’m 20 today but in my opinion, animated movies keep their magic even if you grow up, Robin Hood’s magic is one of the most lovable of all, it’s all perfect, it might not be my favorite Disney movie but it’s clearly in top 5 among all (not including Pixar), even if it look like a standard film for his time it prove that animation is an immoral art that will keep making us dreaming for eternity, animation is real magic

On top of those two things, the characters are just so damn likeable!

I loved this film as a kid I used to rent it from my local video shop all the time 🔙❤ I've still not seen prince of thieves I just know everything I do I do it for you which is my all time favourite song ever I'll deffo see the film soon

i still consider this the best robinhood movie

My only negative takes/critiques on robin hood circle around maid marian, 1 is that her veil some how always stays attached to her hat in the animation physics, 2 is that its never actually revealed where she stands in terms of royalty aside from her being a ward to richard, 3, she really lacks personality

I wouldn't even know where to begin on something like what I just listened to! Thats incredible!

The best films and TV shows are ones that take risks. This one does that in spades. It's certainly the most suggestive and adult Disney animated film ever made and I love it for that. It has the first ever obvious LGBTQ couple in Disney history, with Prince John and Sir Hiss. I want to see the script for this movie and how they justified some of the scenes without laughing. But with Disney in a rough patch, they had to both make a cheaper film and also a more risky film. I like that it's rustic looking. It looks a lot better than CG. The voices and animation are dripping with personality and you get what every character is about in seconds.

Very good explanation!

It is highly underrated

I love Robin Hood,

It’s so sad when a RU-vidr says “I” and “me” so many times, where essentially the subject matter becomes irrelevant and the video turns into an 11 minute narrative of why some RU-vidr likes or dislikes something 🤦🏻‍♂️

This movie is my second favorite Disney animated film. Only the Lion King is slightly better in my opinion. I remember watching it so much on VHS back in the mid 90s. Disney's RH is such a great story of Hope, & Heroism. A community lead by two heroes coming together & destroying the corrupt political system that is keeping them in poverty. One of the most satisfying films ever made.

I've always really enjoyed this film.

Could you please review Hercules on Christmas Day

Amazing movie

*/Childhood Nostalgia Ensues**

I dont care what any person says i dont like Lion King its a D or rather 65.4% Robin Hoood/ Aladdin/ Return of Jafar and Sword in the stone are my #1 all 4 tied equally fav Disney movies one reason i like it is it simple fun,even if rehash stuff who really cares, Robin Hood for instance on the movie is funny, charm, good morals, heart, soul . Most are all about Music or death .. which the over disney songs can be .. well .. good but not really important to me Sword in Stone for instance helps Arthur to be smart, have courage and educate him to be a better person. Love the castle theme the characters are unique differentwhich makes them so good to me. Lion King tries too hard to be colorful sad, and tries to be alover the place, but comes off as Simba wants his dad dead without thinking then when happens blames himself then he wants to make pork with hs long time friend when lateron then rushes into a fast pace revenge. And has2 fart jokesters that just there. Ron Hood is 1 of4 of my fav Disney movies i dont care what people say. This movie is A+ Disney same as the other 3. ALice in Wonderland 64.3% and Lion King way down there. of the classic ones.

I thought it was great, even a lot better than the Jungle book!

I'll admit I heard some comments about Zootopia doing the same thing as Robin Hood using animals to play the part of characters. Now, I'll admit compared to the Disney film in 2005 Chicken Little which used animals, Robin Hood isn't so bad. That's not saying a lot considering Chicken Little is the absolute worst Disney animated film! Now, I rank Robin Hood as one of the weak Disney films, so please don't get mad, because I give it a 6.8 which means it's better than so many other weak Disney films, but I still think there are better ones. Zootopia which also uses animal characters I thought was much better. If I give a movie a 6.8 that's a personal opinion, plus that comes close to average.

What is the name of the music you use in the beginning?

I love the story of robinhood I actually have a crush on him lol

Doesn’t help that a good chunk of it is recycled animation from other Disney movies.

Ara ara turd (if you get my reference)