“An Old Fashioned Christmas:” Rankin/Bass’ “The Stingiest Man in Town”

By Michael Lyons

In the long list of Hollywood’s inspired casting, Walter Matthau as Ebenezer Scrooge should rank up near the top.

The world’s most lovable curmudgeon did indeed play this role once, however it was in a seldom seen animated Christmas special, “The Stingiest Man in Town.”

Produced by Rankin/Bass, the Studio that’s ubiquitous with Christmas specials, the re-telling of “A Christmas Carol” was not only based on Charles Dickens’ classic, but was also a remake of a live-action, musical special that had aired on NBC in 1956.

“The Stingiest Man in Town” is not as well remembered as “Rudolph,” “Frosty” and other Rankin/Bass juggernauts, but it’s a solid re-telling of a familiar tale, told with some memorable songs throughout and worthy additions to “watch lists” at this time of year.

Told in 2D animation (a rarity for Rankin/Bass) that may not be as full as a theatrical film, but still lends itself perfectly to the story, “The Stingiest Man in town” not only features Matthau as the voice of Scrooge, but he is caricatured as the miserable miser as well (a nice touch).

In a VERY ‘70’s animated trope, the story is narrated by a bug who lives in Scrooge’s office.  His name is B.A.H. Humbug (get it!), who is voiced by Tom Bodley, one of a number of solid supporting voices in the special.

The ebullient Dennis Day is Nephew Fred, Theodore Bikel plays Marley, Robert Morse is young Scrooge and Rankin/Bass stock player Paul Frees is the Ghost of both Christmas Past and Present.

Adding to the proceedings are songs by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre that stay with the viewer after the special ends.  Of note is “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” one of the opening songs that sets the perfect tone, “The Stingiest Man in Town,” which is a perfect “tribute” to Scrooge and “Birthday Party for a King, “ a moving ballad that speaks to the true meaning of  Christmas.  One note, while Matthau is a wonderful voice, they should have NEVER let him sing!

With the familiar, comforting look of Rankin/Bass feeling right at home in this Dickensian world, “The Stingiest Man in Town” makes one wonder why the two never came together more often.

The special originally aired on NBC on December 23, 1978.  With it’s fortieth anniversary this Christmas season, it’s the perfect time to discover, or even re-discover, this hidden Rankin/Bass gem.

“The Stingiest Man in Town,” through its efficient, musical story telling is also a perfect way to introduce younger audiences to Dickens’ work.  The same timeless messages shine through, as evidenced by the finale song “Mankind Should Be My Business.”

What could speak to the season more perfectly? And, if that’s not enough for you, it’s got Walter Matthau...as Scrooge! 

Sources: 

“The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass: A Portfolio” by Rick Goldschmidt

Wikipedia

“Oh What a Merry Christmas Day!” Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”

By Michael Lyons

There’s really only one major flaw with “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”: you wish it was longer.

This backhanded compliment is true of many films, but this one especially.  The short film (or “featurette,” to use a Disney term) is so rich in character, story, themes and, most definitely, animation that it could have gone on for another hour without a complaint from anyone.

It’s been thirty five Christmases since “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” made its debut, so to celebrate this milestone, let’s re-visit Mickey and the gang’s re-enactment of Charles Dickens’ classic.

The movie takes its inspiration not just from the literary masterwork, but from a Disney Record Album (which is how the world listened to music before iTunes) that told the story of “A Christmas Carol” by casting the “Disney Players” in each role.  As animation production at the Studio ramped up in the ‘80’s, filmmakers turned to the album as source material.  Some casting changes were made for the film (Merlin from “The Sword in the Stone” and the Old Hag from “Snow White” were two of the Ghosts in the album version).

However, casting for each role in the film is spot on: no one is more earnest or empathetic than Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit or, believe it or not, friendlier than Donald Duck as Scrooge’s nephew Fred and Ratty and Moley from “The Wind and the Willows” section of “Ichabod and Mr. Toad” are perfect as the very proper solicitors for the poor.

The Ghosts themselves are inspired casting.  Goofy makes the clumsiest Jacob Marley you’ve ever seen; Jiminy Cricket is the perfect conscience for Christmas Past; As the Ghost of Christmas Present, Willie the Giant (from “Mickey and Beanstalk”) is, quite literally, a specter who looms large and Pete has never been more menacing and bullying than he is as the Ghost of Christmas Future.

There are, of course, multiple cameos throughout from Minnie Mouse as Mrs. Cratchit, Daisy Duck as Scrooge’s love interest Isabel and Mr. Toad as Fezziwg.  Also, keep an eye out for fleeting glimpses of the Three Little Pigs, The Big Bad Wolf, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Chip and Dale, as well as characters from “The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood” and other Disney animated films.

The most inspired casting, however (and typecasting that would stick forever) was Scrooge McDuck as Ebineezer Scrooge.  The character’s already frugal nature is paired well with the dour, embittered sprit of Ebineezer and we actually find ourselves rooting for Scrooge at the end.  Given Scrooge’s popularity with the ‘90’s series “Duck Tales,” it’s hard to believe that this was only the character’s second screen appearance, as he had been created specifically for Walt Disney Comics in 1947.

Giving voice to Scrooge is actor Alan Young (of TV’s “Mr. Ed” fame), who had also co-written the record album version and would go on to be the official voice of Scrooge for several decades after.  He is one of a number of talented “Disney veterans” providing voices in the film, along with Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck and Wayne Allwine, for which this film was his first assignment voicing Mickey Mouse.  Allwine at this point was only the third actor to give voice to Mickey (before him was Jimmy MacDonald and before that, Walt Disney himself).  Mickey was voiced by Allwine until his death nine years ago and the spirit and enthusiasm he had for this iconic character is definitely on display in “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.”

Mickey’s animation in the film is courtesy of another Disney veteran, animator Mark Henn, who would go on to be one of the architects of the animation resurgence at the Studio in the ‘90’s.  Henn would animated such characters as Jasmine in “Aladdin” and the title character in “Mulan.”   The same emotional depth he brought to those characters can be seen here too.  Try not to get choked up, no matter how many times you’ve seen the film, when Mickey places Tiny Tim’s crutch at his son’s grave site.

In fact, all of the animation, under the direction of Bunny Mattinson (who started his career with Disney in 1953 and is STILL working at the Studio) is so full and lush and, well, Disney.  From the quiet detail of rain on a windowsill to the large, comedic scene of Willie the Giant literally walking through a town to the climax that finds Scrooge desperately trying to hang on while a fiery coffin threatens to engulf him, this is as classic and comforting as Disney animation gets

 “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” debuted on December 16, 1983, as part of a double bill with a re-issue of “The Rescuers.”  While it received very positive reviews from critics and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Subject, the film wasn’t a tremendous box office hit.

However, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” coincided with the explosion of both VHS home video and cable in the early to mid ‘80’s, both of which helped make it very successful after its theatrical release.  Additionally, it became a staple on TV each season.  The shorter length of the film lent itself to the smaller screen, making it seem more like a TV special and fitting it very comfortably alongside such Christmas standards as “The Grinch” and “Charlie Brown.”

Three and a half decades later, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” is nothing short of beloved.  Watching it each season is like a Holiday visit from old friends.

The film is also very true to both Disney AND Dickens’ original work.  The characters in the film play a role, but they never lose their true personality (Goofy’s bumbling ghost of Jacob Marley is the perfect example).  “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” truncates Dickens’ story, but loses none of its impact.  The themes of kindness, it’s never too late to change and keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year round are still there, even in its brief run time.

Now...if it were only longer. 

Sources: IMDb

“The Making of Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” Walt Disney Home Video

Wikipedia

“Yule Love It!” The 30th Anniversary of “Scrooged”

By Michael Lyons

Mitch Glazer, co-writer of “Scrooged,” once called Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” “...part of our holiday DNA.”

A perfect description.  Only someone who loves the original literary holiday masterpiece could have created a movie like “Scrooged,” a satirical, hysterical, update (at least by ‘80’s standards) of “A Christmas Carol.”  It’s the rare film that combines cutting humor with warmth and makes both work.

This holiday season marks the 30th anniversary of “Scrooged,” which makes it the perfect time to take a trip to “Christmas Past” and re-visit what has become a wickedly warped perennial of the season.

Bill Murray (in his first feature role, at the time, since 1984’s “Ghostbusters”) plays Frank Cross, an incredibly driven television executive who has become obsessed with his big-budget live broadcast of  “A Christmas Carol” that will air internationally with an all-star cast, on Christmas Eve.

Frank is so obsessed that his cynicism toward the world has reached new heights (he thinks nothing of creating a commercial that will scare people into watching his version of “A Christmas Carol” and routinely shouts at any one standing in his way).

This can all only mean that Frank is about to get...Scrooged.  Soon, his deceased boss and mentor (John Forsythe in amazingly creepy make up) comes visiting late at night, Jacob Marley style, to let Frank know he will be visited by three Ghosts.

Does he visit Christmases past, present and future?  Does he learn the true meaning of the season?  Does he change his ways?  

Was Tim Tiny?

All the “Christmas Carol” tropes are there, but it’s guaranteed you’ve never seen them like this before.  With its “Carol within a Carol” story there are a number of knowing winks to the original source material.  Coupled with that, is the setting of TV which allows for some creative pop culture jabs (the opening coming attractions for “The Night The Reindeer” died with Lee Majors and Robert Goulet’s Cajun-themed Christmas special, kick the film off with an appropriate bang of laughter that sets the perfect tone for what’s to follow). 

Bill Murray is in the role he was seemingly placed on this earth to play.  Only comedy’s most lovable curmudgeon could play a modern day Scrooge and get the audience to stay with him through the entire journey to his emotion filled rant that ends the film (rumored to have been improvised by Murray).  When he provides feedback on a TV spot by saying, “Oh my God...does THAT suck,” it’s pure Murray, making a simple line all the funnier.

Supporting Murray is a Cast comprised of a potpourri of Hollywood.  The always amazing Alfre Woodard is Frank’s put upon assistant; Karen Allen is all warmth and charm as Claire, Frank’s estranged girlfriend; Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum is Frank’s bombastic boss; Bobcat Goldthwait is hysterical as an unlucky Bob Cratchit-like employee and John Glover, perfectly slimy as Frank’s rival.

Then, there’s the Cast of the fictional “Scrooge” that Frank is producing: Buddy Hackett as Scrooge, Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim, Jamie Farr and Pat McCormick as two of the Ghosts, oh yes, and The Solid Gold Dancers!

Running away with the movie, however, are two supporting players: David Johansen and Carol Kane as the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, respectively.  Johansen is all “New Yawk” cool, while Cane steals every scene she is in, as the world’s most demented sugar plum fairy.

Pulling this all together is Richard Donner, Hollywood’s most eclectic and reliable director, who not only pulls off all of the comedy, but also some dynamic, big special effects sequences (Frank trapped in a fiery coffin is absolutely terrifying).

Debuting on November 23, 1988, “Scrooged” has gained quite the following among fans who have quoted and re-quoted the film’s many memorable lines over the past thirty years.

A large part of the reason for the film’s success is the sharp script by Glazer and Michael O’Donaghue that carries the same messages found in Dickens’ original work: “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” as the film sings or knowing how to “...keep Christmas well...” as Dickens said.

This makes “Scrooged” another worthy part of our “holiday DNA.”

Sources:

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, Barnes & Noble Books, 2003

Wikipedia

On a Wing and a Prayer: The 40th Anniversary of “WKRP’s” “Turkeys Away”

By Michael Lyons

In 1997, when TV Guide compiled their list of the top 100 episodes of all time, there among the list that included “I Love Lucy,” “The Honeymooners,” “ER” and “Seinfeld” was an episode from an underrated sitcom that many had all but forgotten about: “WKRP in Cincinnati.”

The episode was from 1978, a Thanksgiving-themed episode (a rarity for TV Shows in the ‘70’s) dubbed “Turkeys Away.”

Those who have seen the episode have fallen in love with it, make watching it part of their Thanksgiving routine and can easily see why TV Guide includes it on their Top 100 list.

“Turkeys Away” is, quite simply, one of the most daring and consistently funny (even after multiple viewings) sitcom episodes ever produced.  With Thanksgiving approaching and this fall marking the episode’s 40th anniversary, it’s time to talk some “Turkey” and look back at this hysterical moment from “WKRP in Cincinnati.”

As the sitcom’s title suggests, the show centered on a radio station in Cincinnati and one that was struggling.  Travis (Gary Sandy) a new Station Manager, had come in and was making changes.  As “Turkeys Away” opens, Arthur (Gordon Jump), the Station Manager is frustrated that with all the changes, he doesn’t have much to do.

Arthur a/k/a “The Big Guy,” comes up with a promotional idea, but only lets two other members of WKRP, newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), in on the secret.  All “The Big Guy” tells the rest of his staff is that they need to be ready at the station for a Thanksgiving promotion that will be broadcast live via remote from a nearby mall.

**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!**. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN “TURKEYS AWAY”!!**

The next day, WKRP DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and the rest of the team gather in the control booth and he turns the broadcast over to Les at the nearby shopping mall.

An earnest reporter, Les begins discussing all of the events going on, in painstakingly hysterical detail including the appearance of a helicopter with a “Happy Thanksgiving” banner...and the sudden appearance of things falling.  Yup - live turkeys, which Arthur and Herb are tossing out of the helicopter.  However, turkeys don’t have the gift of flight and begin plummeting to the earth.

While it all sounds incredibly morbid, it’s actually very innocent.  All of the action with the helicopter and the turkeys happens off screen.  We never see it, but instead just get Les’ first person account, which he reports on as if it’s the crash of The Hindenburg.  He even shouts the iconic, “Oh, the humanity!”

The episode also cuts back to the shocked team listening in at the station.  “For those of you just joining us,” states Dr. Johnny Fever, “the Pinedale Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys!”

As we see none of this on screen and just in our minds eye, it’s made all the more hysterical, as our imaginations run wild thanks to Les’ innocent live report.

The ingenious writing continues as disheveled Arthur, Herb and Les return to the station, detailing what happened, including a “counter attack” by the turkeys.

Written by WKRP Producer Bill Dial, “Turkeys Away” is a perfectly crafted, compact comic masterpiece of a TV sitcom episode.  The story unfurls slowly, but the sharp, one liners don’t let up throughout.  Even at the end of the show, as WKRP receptionist Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) takes a call from an animal rights organization.  “Well, Mr. Kelli.” She states, “a lot of turkeys don’t make it through Thanksgiving.”

What makes this all even funnier is that Dial based the promotion in the episode on an actual radio promotion that occurred at an Atlanta station!

“Turkeys Away” was broadcast on October 30, 1978, just before “WKRP in Cincinnati” was being placed on hiatus, due to low ratings.  However, it was the originality of this episode and viewer reaction to it (coupled with a devoted fan base) that helped bring “WKRP” back, where it became a hit and ran for four seasons.

Forty years later, the episode stands as the pinnacle of the series’ offerings and one that is discussed almost immediately in pop culture circles around Thanksgiving, particularly, Arthur’s final line of the show...

“As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly.”

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Sources:

IMDb

Mental Floss

Wikipedia

Mighty “Mouse:”. Mickey’s 90th Birthday!

By Michael Lyons

He’s become most famous for being one of the world’s most iconic images, especially in corporate circles, so it’s easy to forget that Mickey Mouse is an animated character.

Not just any animated character, but one of the world’s most famous animated characters who started one of Hollywood’s most famous and now one of the largest entertainment Companies.

Most amazing is the fact that this month, on November 18th, Mickey Mouse will turn 90 years young!  It was on that date in 1928 that Mickey made his debut in “Steamboat Willie.”  With this amazing milestone marking a popularity that has endured for almost a century, it’s the perfect time to look back at some highlights from the career of this most mighty Mouse! 

In honor of Mickey and to wish him a Happy Birthday, here are “9 from 90,” nine highlights from ninety years of entertaining the world!

“Steamboat Willie” (1928), Mickey’s debut (along with Minnie and Pete) is a marvel from the early days of animation, as well as the first film to feature synchronized sound.

“The Band Concert” (1935) Mickey conducts a band in the midst of a tornado in a dizzying combination of animation and music.

“Lonesome Ghosts” (1937). Mickey, Donald and Goofy teamed up for a number of classic short subjects, but this one where they “bust some ghosts” is one of the best.

“Brave Little Tailor” (1938) A compact little fantasy adventure with Mickey, Princess Minnie and an amazingly animated giant.

“Fantasia” (1940), Mickey’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with its multiplying brooms, flooding rooms and nightmarish images is a standout in a feature film filled with standout scenes.

“The Nifty Nineties” (1941) A simple short subject that’s like spending 10 minutes on Main Street, USA with Mickey and Minnie.

“Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ (1983) This featurette marked Mickey’s first film in thirty years and with its all-star Disney cast emerges as one of the most entertaining adaptions of Dickens’ Christmas mainstay.

“Runaway Brain” (1995) A very different, Looney Tunes-esque outing for Mickey is a hysterical send up of classic monster movies.

“Get A Horse” (2013) This brilliant combination of 2D and 3D animation is a celebration of Disney movie magic and one of the most original shorts to emerge from the Studio.

And so, Happy Birthday Mickey!  Thank you for childhood memories that transcend generations and make the world just a little more magical.  We are all thrilled that, as Walt Disney himself said,  “It Was All Started By A Mouse!”

Mickey’s Official 90th Portrait

By Animator Mark Henn 

Sources:

Disney.com

Wikipedia  

The Time of Your “Life Day”: The 40th Anniversary of the Infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special”

By Michael Lyons

It has to be seen to be believed.

Like a myth that some only heard of and one that haunts those who remember it.

Those who can remember would like to forget it and those who were there would like to destroy its memory.

But, it lives on, reaching out from dark recesses to rear its very ugly head.

Yes, that’s right...”The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

Made at the height of the popularity wave that followed 1977’s original “Star Wars,” the “Holiday Special” is part Star Wars saga, part ‘70’s variety show, part cartoon, part musical...and all like nothing you’ve ever seen.  It was broadcast only once on CBS in November of 1978...and never seen again.

Through the years, the fact that this “lost sector” of the “Star Wars” Universe was so difficult to come by, it became even more discussed and highly sought after by fans.  Today, “The Star Wars Holiday Special” is more than just a cult favorite, more than just a buried piece of TV and “Star Wars” history, it’s something that truly, well, has to be seen to be believed.

With this month marking the 40th anniversary of this “What were they thinking?” TV treat, it’s the perfect time to re-visit “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

All of the original cast members from “Star Wars” return for the special: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader.

Clocking in at two hours, with commercials, the special centers around Han Solo, accompanied by Chewbacca, who is trying to get to his home planet of Kashyyk, to celebrate the Wookiee holiday of Life Day (that’s the Holiday referred to in the special’s title.  Although it was broadcast just before Thanksgiving, there’s no mention of that holiday or Christmas in the show).  Han and Chewie are of course pursued by the Empire, delaying them on their journey

Meanwhile on Kashyyk, Chewbacca’s family, his wife Malla, son Lumpy and father Itchie await Chewbacca, only to find their home invaded by two Stormtroopers who are waiting for Han and Chewie to return.

And as they all wait, Malla talks with their friendly neighborhood trader, played by Ed Norton himself, Art Carney, Lumpy watches a music video, featuring Jefferson Starship and also a cartoon that features all of the Star Wars characters and includes the first screen appearance of Boba Fett.

As if all that wasn’t enough, comedian Harvey Korman (from “The Carol Burnett Show”) plays three different comic relief characters, including one in drag; Bea Arthur (“The Golden Girls”) appears as the bartender of the Cantina and even belts out a torch-song like number; And, the whole special culminates with us getting a peek at the Wookie Life Day ritual, which includes a song...sung by Carrie Fisher.

“The Star Wars Holiday Special” was most obviously made to not only capitalize on the popularity of the film, but also allow the film to remain popular while “The Empire Strikes Back” was in production.  But without committing to one genre (either a variety special aimed at kids, or a made-for-TV movie for an older audience), the special comes off as well-meaning, but completely misguided, inconsistent and just baffling.

Dedicating the characters and story to a specific holiday would have probably allowed the special to “live on” through the years, like many other TV Specials.  In fact, In 1980, a record album, “Star Wars: A Christmas in the Stars” was released, with well crafted songs and a plot that would have leant itself to a TV Special.

Broadcast on November 17 (a date which many fans claim is “Life Day”) of 1978, “The Star Was Holiday Special” was never rerun and seemingly disappeared...until the world of bootleg video came along.  Several die hard fans had transferred what was probably their Betamax tapes on to VHS and DVD’s.  These began appearing for sale at various comic book and sci-fi conventions.  And suddenly, the world was once again familiar with “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

This led George Lucas to once famously remark, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every bootleg copy of that program and smash it.”

And he means it. “The Star Wars Holiday Special” remains buried.  The cartoon from the special has been released as a bonus feature on Blu-Ray, but the entire special has yet to see the light of day in an official release.

But fans don’t mind, they have tracked it down and quote and discuss all of it’s embarrassing moments in detail.  Watching “The Star Wars Holiday Special” forty years later, during our current era of a “Star Wars” franchise renaissance, is extremely quaint.  It’s reflective of a time when TV entertainment was quite different and that “Galaxy Far, Far Away” was much younger...and innocent.

A time when Bea Arthur could sing to a room full of aliens.  Yeah, it has to be seen to be believed.

Sources:

IMDb

Wikipedia

Twentieth Century Fox: Celebrating the 45th Anniversary of Disney’s “Robin Hood”

By Michael Lyons

“Keep your chin up.  Soon there’ll be happiness in Nottingham again, you’ll see.”

This line of dialogue delivered by the title character in Disney’s 1973 animated feature, “Robin Hood,” not only serves a morale booster for a downtrodden character, but it could also be what the artists at Disney were saying to each other at the time.

“Robin Hood” was produced at the Studio’s most challenging times.  Walt Disney, the creative guiding light, had passed away seven years earlier and many in charge struggled to “keep moving forward” without him at the helm.

From this unsure time, came a number of projects that attempted to live up to all the name Disney meant to audiences, but there was a constant feeling from both those at the Studio and audiences alike that things weren’t like they were in “the old days.”

One of the projects at this time that attempted to bring luster back to Disney was “Robin Hood,” the Studio’s 21st animated featured film.  It was a re-telling of the classic tale with anthropomorphic animals in each role.

Robin and his band of Merry Men (or, as the posters at the time called them, the “Merry Men-agerie!”) attempt to bring happiness back by outwitting the whimpering villain Prince John, who has taxed the “heart and soul of Nottingham.”

Not only was the cast filled with almost every member of the animal kingdom, but almost every popular TV and movie personality at the time for their voices.

Robin Hood, the Fox was noted British actor Brian Bedford; Little John was Disney stalwart Phil Harris (as a very distant relative of “The Jungle Book’s” Baloo); Oscar winner Peter Ustinov, was brilliant as Prince John, the cowardly lion; British comedian Terry Thomas was his sidekick the snake Sir Hiss (and the character was given the comedian’s trademark gap teeth); the twangy star of “Green Acres,” Pat Butram was the Sheriff of Nottingham, a burly wolf; the rooster narrator Alan-a-Dale was Roger Miller, a popular country and western singer at the time, who also wrote several of the film’s songs; the raspy sidekick of many western, Andy Devine gave voice to Friar Tuck, a badger; and actresses Monica Evans and Carole Shelley (who had provided the voices for the geese in “The Aristocats”) were Maid Marian, a fox and Lady Cluck, a chicken.

The eclectic voice cast is a prime example of just how scattershot a movie “Robin Hood” is, but that’s also part of its charm.

The movie had gone through a number of iterations in those “post Walt” years.  Starting life in the ‘60’s as an adaptation of the fable Reynard the Fox and afterward being adapted as a Western-themed version of “Robin Hood” (hence the number of associated American voices in it), the movie is a reflection of the artists struggling to find just the right tone for their work without Walt.

As an example of the unsure time, “Robin Hood” has become most famous in animation circles as the movie that “traced over animation” from previous Disney films like “Snow White” and “The Jungle Book,” in an attempt to cut costs (a search on You Tube will demonstrate).

But such attempts to find chinks in the armor are petty, as there is so much to love in Disney’s “Robin Hood.”  The animators (most of them the veterans of the Studio’s classic films) get so much personality from each of the different animal characters that the film is brimming with personality animation, even from characters who are only on screen for a few minutes.

Nowhere is this more evident then with Prince John.  With snarky, spoiled rotten delivery from Peter Ustinov, coupled with brilliant acting through animation from Ollie Johnston, Prince John emerges as not only one of the Studio’s best, comical villains, but one of their most original characters.

Debuting on November 8, 1973, “Robin Hood” was a hit for the Studio and meant a lot for the young generation in the ‘70’s who grew up with the film.  Unlike today, “Robin Hood” was made a time when a new Disney animated feature came along every three to four years, not on the current annual schedule that Disney and Pixar provide.

Additionally, when Disney made the decision in 1984 to begin releasing their animated films on home video, “Robin Hood” was the first, making it a favorite of the “VHS generation.”

Since then, “Robin Hood” has earned a special place in the hearts of many a Disney and animation fan.

Not quite the standard of other Disney fare?  A product of the Studio’s darker hour?  Standard animated feature film fodder?

Sure and probably yes to all of these questions.

But...”Robin Hood” also stands as an example of artists doing their best with what they had, using their talents to bring to life what could only be done in the world of animation and daring to try something that the Studio had never done before.

It’s a story of always looking toward brighter days and knowing that “Love goes on and on.”  And that, in many ways, is what makes “Robin Hood” so special to so many.

And so, while there wasn’t “happiness in Nottingham” at the time “Robin Hood” was made and that “happiness” wouldn’t come for another twenty years with films like “Beauty and the Best” and “Aladdin,” “Robin Hood” provided many a generation with happiness that would last a lifetime.

PS - As “Screen Saver” now celebrates one year, thank you all who have read and supported this humble endeavor!

Sources: Wikipedia

IMDb