"Robin Hood" is a very dull film but one that kids will no doubt enjoy. I think much of this is because kids don't think like many adults. Many adults will see the film and think "wow....this is not nearly as good as the REALLY good Disney films like BAMBI, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and LITTLE MERMAID"--but I cannot imagine most 6-8 year-olds thinking this way. Nor can I imagine most kids hating the music--although lines like "Oodelally, Oodeelally Golly What a Day" are truly insipid and annoying. And, kids won't likely think "Wow...the classic Warner Brothers film with Errol Flynn is a bazillion times better than this dull picture"--but this is clearly true. My feeling is that this film is a great way to illustrate the doldrums in which Disney Studio was in at the time. The film simply isn't in the same league as their better films.

Robin Hood mayn't have the direct charm or the memorable songs of the later Disney movies, but it is solid entertainment nonetheless. The animation is generally lovely, if slightly archaic which is a style I kind of like, but the story sometimes fails to engage being fairly episodic but this is only occasionally. But the action highlight was the archery contest, which was so funny, as was the witty and delightful script. The songs are not as memorable as the ones in Beauty and the Beast, but they are still lovely. "Love" is a beautiful song, but my favourite was "Phony King of England" because of the funny lyrics. The only song I didn't like as such was the rather annoying song in the opening credits, which were a bit long. As for the characters, I loved the fact, the animators made the legendary characters animals. The best ones were Prince John and Sir Hiss, who were an absolutely hilarious double act, especially when Prince John sucks his thumb, the only villain to do that. Peter Ustinov and Terry Thomas were superb supplying the voice overs. Robin and Little John were also entertaining, as well as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Casting Phil Harris as Little John was genius, after his incredible voice-over as Baloo in the Jungle Book. I particularly loved the line "I'm Sir Reginald, duke of Chutney". I know in some scenes, they looked as though they were running out of ideas, but they weren't. They were just looking for a bit of inspiration. In conclusion, a really entertaining animation, that couldn't really live up to the Jungle Book. 8/10 Bethany Cox

ROBIN HOOD is a Disneyfied version of the popular folk legend, positing the various familiar characters as various animals. Thus Robin himself is a charming fox, and one of the villains is a lisping snake played by the great Terry-Thomas. Overall I found this to be a much better production than expected given its reputation; the music is toe-tappingly good and the voice actors work hard to add emotion and meaning to their voices. There's little to complain about regarding the old-fashioned animation, which has real character. Peter Ustinov is a particularly oily delight as the villain of the piece. The plot moves along at a fair old whack and it's all very light-hearted and comedic without being silly or juvenile. In fact, it might just be one of the most entertaining Robin Hood films to come out of Hollywood.