DAC 21: Robin Hood

Robin Hood - 7.9/10

Yes, this movie has a lot of recycled animation - just getting that out of the way - and at times it is incredibly obvious. That, however, is the only real complaint I have. This was another favorite of mine growing up, and there are a number of reasons I preferred it to other attempts like say, The Jungle Book.

First of all, the sketchy art style is all but gone here and they're really cleaned up their animation process too. Minus the recycled bits, it looks like they were really putting in some effort again on those kinds of things. For another, every character actually had a part to play in the story, and all of them were interesting. In the case of Prince John, he is definitely one of the most amusing villains while still maintaining credibility as an antagonist. The music was catchy and fun, the chase scenes (especially the one at the tournament) were exciting and funny, and there were a couple of moments that were downright touching as well.

Additionally, unlike their previous installment, Disney went for some real solid source material with this one. You'd have to try really hard to make the story of Robin Hood boring, especially in an animated film. This also helped the voice cast; even though several are recycled from the last couple of films, it is far less noticeable than in The Aristocats because the characters are so well-established already.

Is this one of the best films Disney has ever made? Probably not. Is it a good one, and definitely one of the best in a while? I think so.