Post by Robin Hood on Apr 9, 2009 18:46:22 GMT -5
Just saw this movie for the first time this year and rewatched it the other day. The first time I saw it, I thought it was utterly brilliant. The second time? Utterly brilliant. One of the few films that remains just as excellent on rewatch and possibly even gets better.
I'm shocked and disconcerted to hear it's considered by some to be one of the worst classic Disney films. If this movie is an really an example of Disney when it's being half-assed, then I wish it would half-ass its movies more often, because the result of their supposed insouciance is a wonderful, delightful, and perfect movie, an extremely charming, fun, and well-written interpretation of "Robin Hood".
I think one thing that seems to throw some people off about it is that it's not like any Disney movie that came before it. To me, that's part of what makes it so fantastic. Many of the jokes and scenes are ones I wouldn't expect to see from a Disney movie, and it seemed like this was the first Disney movie that wasn't afraid of taking a few risks with its characters, jokes, tone, structure, et cetera. And the risks they took with comedy stand the test of time; the jokes in this movie are not dated or forced in the slightest.
The lack of an overarching plot was another thing I love about the movie. It all flowed very well and sucked me into the world of Nottingham, as the narrative depicted a time period in the lives of the denizens. Instead of offering a formulaic, beginning-middle-end type of plot, it offered several episodes of different events in Nottingham, each intriguing and engaging.
These episodes also balanced each other out quite well in tone; we got to see both the carefree, down-to-earth moments and the darker plights of all the characters, making the whole movie feel very well-rounded and very real. It wasn't as if the movie portrayed everything in black-and-white. There were shades of happiness in the sadness, and it was great to see the characters sometimes be able to forget about their struggles for the time being and just live in the moment. The happy moments made me feel happy and free, and the sadder moments touched me. The emotion was handled in a very rare way: it was subtle and understated, executed perfectly, not overdone, not forced, and not unconvincing.
While this lighthearted yet dark, exciting, and yet down-to-earth tone and the sporadic structure were two things I really love about the movie, I think its strongest point lies in its characters. They were not cookie-cut-outs of their traditional roles and were subtly multifaceted. Robin Hood himself was not exactly a perfect Prince Charming, but yet was much more charming than any of the heroes that preceded him (and most of those who were his successors). He was engaging in every scene he was featured; he was funny, compassionate and selfless, intelligent and clever, jovial and fun despite his mission of great somberness, and is easily one of the most likable and quite admirable Disney heroes.
Maid Marian could have been typical in her role, but instead she still came off as quite unique, as she carried with her none of the usual melodrama and overreactions of most Disney female characters; she was instead genuinely lighthearted, caring, and kind-hearted, a perfect match for Robin Hood. Little John, while not shown as often as I'd like, served as a perfect foil for Robin Hood in the scenes he did have, was just a very entertaining character overall, and really was the one to save Robin Hood from Prince John...he was an overlooked hero, for sure, and his friendship with Robin was endearing.
Of course, Prince John and Hiss were hilarious. John's combination of being utterly insane, pathetic, spoiled, and at times just plain stupid made for an extremely funny and interesting character, and Hiss was a perfect counterpart for him. All the other characters--from the family of bunnies to Lady Cluck to the singing rooster to Friar Tuck to the sheriff--each had a discriminating personality all their own and all contributed something worthwhile to the film. It was definitely an ensemble film, completed with a greatly diversified and captivating ensemble of characters that play off each other wonderfully.
So, the only flaw I find in it is the one that's already been mentioned on here several times: the reused animation and choreography. That's not a major detriment at all though, and I really couldn't care less about it when the overall package of the movie was so spectacular. This movie just oozes with great spirit, camaraderie, fun, charm and delivers the very true and relevant message of the power of unity, hope, and love for one's fellow man in times of hardship. It's a pure joy to watch, my favorite Disney movie, and probably my favorite movie period.
A++
I'm shocked and disconcerted to hear it's considered by some to be one of the worst classic Disney films. If this movie is an really an example of Disney when it's being half-assed, then I wish it would half-ass its movies more often, because the result of their supposed insouciance is a wonderful, delightful, and perfect movie, an extremely charming, fun, and well-written interpretation of "Robin Hood".
I think one thing that seems to throw some people off about it is that it's not like any Disney movie that came before it. To me, that's part of what makes it so fantastic. Many of the jokes and scenes are ones I wouldn't expect to see from a Disney movie, and it seemed like this was the first Disney movie that wasn't afraid of taking a few risks with its characters, jokes, tone, structure, et cetera. And the risks they took with comedy stand the test of time; the jokes in this movie are not dated or forced in the slightest.
The lack of an overarching plot was another thing I love about the movie. It all flowed very well and sucked me into the world of Nottingham, as the narrative depicted a time period in the lives of the denizens. Instead of offering a formulaic, beginning-middle-end type of plot, it offered several episodes of different events in Nottingham, each intriguing and engaging.
These episodes also balanced each other out quite well in tone; we got to see both the carefree, down-to-earth moments and the darker plights of all the characters, making the whole movie feel very well-rounded and very real. It wasn't as if the movie portrayed everything in black-and-white. There were shades of happiness in the sadness, and it was great to see the characters sometimes be able to forget about their struggles for the time being and just live in the moment. The happy moments made me feel happy and free, and the sadder moments touched me. The emotion was handled in a very rare way: it was subtle and understated, executed perfectly, not overdone, not forced, and not unconvincing.
While this lighthearted yet dark, exciting, and yet down-to-earth tone and the sporadic structure were two things I really love about the movie, I think its strongest point lies in its characters. They were not cookie-cut-outs of their traditional roles and were subtly multifaceted. Robin Hood himself was not exactly a perfect Prince Charming, but yet was much more charming than any of the heroes that preceded him (and most of those who were his successors). He was engaging in every scene he was featured; he was funny, compassionate and selfless, intelligent and clever, jovial and fun despite his mission of great somberness, and is easily one of the most likable and quite admirable Disney heroes.
Maid Marian could have been typical in her role, but instead she still came off as quite unique, as she carried with her none of the usual melodrama and overreactions of most Disney female characters; she was instead genuinely lighthearted, caring, and kind-hearted, a perfect match for Robin Hood. Little John, while not shown as often as I'd like, served as a perfect foil for Robin Hood in the scenes he did have, was just a very entertaining character overall, and really was the one to save Robin Hood from Prince John...he was an overlooked hero, for sure, and his friendship with Robin was endearing.
Of course, Prince John and Hiss were hilarious. John's combination of being utterly insane, pathetic, spoiled, and at times just plain stupid made for an extremely funny and interesting character, and Hiss was a perfect counterpart for him. All the other characters--from the family of bunnies to Lady Cluck to the singing rooster to Friar Tuck to the sheriff--each had a discriminating personality all their own and all contributed something worthwhile to the film. It was definitely an ensemble film, completed with a greatly diversified and captivating ensemble of characters that play off each other wonderfully.
So, the only flaw I find in it is the one that's already been mentioned on here several times: the reused animation and choreography. That's not a major detriment at all though, and I really couldn't care less about it when the overall package of the movie was so spectacular. This movie just oozes with great spirit, camaraderie, fun, charm and delivers the very true and relevant message of the power of unity, hope, and love for one's fellow man in times of hardship. It's a pure joy to watch, my favorite Disney movie, and probably my favorite movie period.
A++