This is the first post-Walt feature animation, and while it was quite successful financially, I don’t find it as well written or animated as even the previous one, The Aristocats. Disney had already made a live-action feature of the British legends, The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952), this one began production in 1968 and was released in 1973. Neither approaches the quality of the Errol Flynn live action film of 1938. The animated version is kind of a parody of the Flynn version, and starts out well enough as long as you don’t think too hard about the mix of animals playing the parts, which include some from Africa like rhinos and hippos, and ideas like Maid Marian being a fox while her uncle King Richard is a lion. But all the animals act mostly like humans anyway, so it’s easy to overlook that. I like the choice of Roger Miller as the minstrel rooster Alan-a-Dale, but his opening song over the credits seems too quiet and simple for a feature. Otherwise, he’s fine. In general the voice work is great, with Brian Bedford as Robin and Monica Evans as Marian, both British stage actors, both foxes. Phil Harris is Robin’s pal Little John, and is a bear. He sounds much as he did in The Jungle Book, no attempt at a British accent, and he’s entertaining. Andy Devine is Friar Tuck as a badger, again no attempt at a British accent, but he’s also fine. Prince John is Peter Ustinov, perhaps the best performance in the film, he also plays King Richard eventually, both are lions. Terry-Thomas is Sir Hiss, John’s advisor, as a snake, and he’s good. Carol Shelley is Marian’s lady in waiting as a large and feisty hen. Pat Buttram is the Sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf, again with no attempt at a British accent. J. Pat O’Malley is the village blacksmith as a bloodhound.

It’s okay, but some of the action sequences seem more like Saturday morning cartoon fare rather than Disney feature animation, and they get tiresome in places. To me, it feels like a safe play without any of the innovation and cleverness that made past Disney features shine. It cost five million and made about 33 million dollars, so the lesson for the company was “good enough,” I guess. I watched it on Disney Plus.