# The Thief and the Cobbler

The Thief and the Cobbler is an animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Richard Williams, who intended it to be his magnum opus and a milestone in the animated medium. Originally devised in the 1960s, the film was in and out of production for nearly three decades due to independent funding and ambitiously complex animation. It was finally placed into full production in 1989 when Warner Bros. agreed to finance and distribute the film after his successful animation direction for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. When production went over budget and behind schedule, and Disney's similarly-themed Aladdin loomed as imminent competition, Williams was forced out and the film was heavily re-edited and cheaply finished by producer Fred Calvert as a mainstream Disney-style musical. It was eventually released by Allied Filmmakers in 1993 with the title The Princess and the Cobbler. Two years later, Miramax Films, which was owned by Disney at the time, released another re-edit titled Arabian Knight. Both versions performed poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews.
Over the years, various companies and individuals, including Roy E. Disney, have discussed restoring the film to its original version. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences archived Williams's own 35 mm workprint. He acknowledged the film's rehabilitated reputation, due to projects like The Recobbled Cut, a restoration by Garrett Gilchrist, and Persistence of Vision, a 2012 documentary by Kevin Schreck detailing the production.
The Thief and the Cobbler is one of the films with the longest production times. It is the final film for several actors and artists, including animators Ken Harris (died 1982), Errol Le Cain (died 1989), Emery Hawkins (died 1989), Grim Natwick (died 1990), and Art Babbitt (died 1992), and actors Felix Aylmer (died 1979), Eddie Byrne (died 1981), Clinton Sundberg (died 1987), Kenneth Williams (died 1988), Sir Anthony Quayle (died 1989), and Vincent Price (died 1993, one month after the film's initial release). It has maintained a cult following since its release.

## Plot

In a kingdom at the Arabian desert, the prosperous Golden City is ruled by the narcoleptic King Nod and protected by three golden balls atop its tallest minaret. According to a prophecy, the city would fall to "destruction and death" if the balls were removed, and could only be saved by "the simplest soul with the smallest and simplest of things." Living in the city is a cobbler, Tack, and a nameless, unsuccessful yet persistent Thief, who are both mute.
When the Thief sneaks into Tack's house, the two get stitched together and stumble outside, causing Tack's tacks to fall onto the street. Zigzag, King Nod's Grand Vizier, steps on one of the tacks and orders Tack to be arrested while the Thief escapes. Tack is brought before King Nod and his daughter, Princess Yum-Yum. Before Zigzag can convince King Nod to have Tack executed, Yum-Yum saves Tack by ordering him to fix a shoe she intentionally breaks. During repairs, Tack and Yum-Yum become increasingly attracted to each other, much to the jealousy of Zigzag, who plans to take over the kingdom and marry the princess.
Meanwhile, the Thief, having noticed the golden balls atop the minaret in the courtyard, breaks into the palace through a gutter. He steals the repaired shoe from Tack, prompting the cobbler to chase him through the palace. Upon retrieving the shoe, Tack bumps into Zigzag, who notices the shoe is fixed and imprisons Tack in a cell.
The One-Eyes, a race of warlike, cycloptic monsters, plan to destroy the city and have already slaughtered much of its frontier guard, all except for one mortally wounded soldier who escapes to warn the city; King Nod has a vision of them the next morning. While Zigzag tries to convince Nod of the kingdom's security, the Thief steals the balls after several attempts, only to lose them to Zigzag's minions. Tack escapes from his cell using his cobbling tools during the ensuing panic. King Nod notices the balls' disappearance when the soldier warns them of the invading One-Eyes. Zigzag attempts to use the stolen balls to negotiate Yum-Yum's hand in marriage in exchange for returning the balls, but when King Nod dismisses him, Zigzag defects to the One-Eyes and gives them the balls instead.
King Nod sends Yum-Yum, her nurse, and Tack to ask for help from a "mad and holy old Witch" in the desert. They are secretly followed by the Thief, who hears of a golden idol on the journey but fails to steal it. In the desert, they discover a band of dimwitted brigands led by Chief Roofless, whom Yum-Yum recruits as her bodyguards. They reach the hand-shaped tower where the Witch lives and learn that Tack is prophesied to save the Golden City. The Witch also presents a riddle—"Attack, attack, Tack! A tack, see? But it's what you do with what you've got!"—before destroying the entire tower with a storm cloud.
Tack and the others return to the Golden City to find the One-Eyes' massive war machine approaching. Tack shoots a single tack into the enemy's midst, sparking a Goldberg-esque chain reaction that destroys the entire One-Eye army. Zigzag tries to escape but falls into a pit, where he is eaten alive by alligators and his pet vulture, Phido. The Thief, avoiding death with almost every step, steals the golden balls from the collapsing machine, only to run into Tack while escaping. After a brief scuffle, the Thief, realizing the balls are not worth the trouble, reluctantly gives up and leaves them with Tack. With peace restored and the prophecy fulfilled, the city celebrates as Tack and Yum-Yum get married; Tack finally says, "I love you" in a baritone voice. The film ends with the Thief stealing the reel of the film and running away.

## Cast

| Character | Original version (The Thief and the Cobbler) | Fred Calvert version (The Princess and the Cobbler) | Miramax version (Arabian Knight) |
| Zigzag the Grand Vizier | Vincent Price Richard Williams (additional dialogue, uncredited) | Vincent Price Richard Williams (additional dialogue, uncredited) | Vincent Price Richard Williams (additional dialogue, uncredited) |
| Tack the Cobbler | Unknown (only one line) | Steve Lively | Matthew Broderick (speaking) Steve Lively (singing) |
| Narrator | Felix Aylmer | Unknown (uncredited) | Matthew Broderick |
| Princess Yum-Yum | Sara Crowe | Bobbi Page Sara Crowe (one vocalisation, uncredited) | Jennifer Beals (speaking) Bobbi Page (singing) |
| The Thief | Unknown (only grunts/wheezes) | Ed E. Carroll | Jonathan Winters |
| King Nod | Anthony Quayle | Clive Revill Anthony Quayle (one scene, uncredited) | Clive Revill Anthony Quayle (one scene, uncredited) |
| Princess Yum-Yum's Nurse | Joan Sims | Mona Marshall Joan Sims (some vocalisations, uncredited) | Toni Collette |
| Mad and Holy Old Witch | Joan Sims | Mona Marshall Joan Sims (some lines) | Toni Collette |
| Chief Roofless | Windsor Davies | Windsor Davies | Windsor Davies |
| Mighty One-Eye | Christopher Greener | Kevin Dorsey | Kevin Dorsey |
| Phido | Donald Pleasence | Donald Pleasence | Eric Bogosian Donald Pleasence (few squawks, uncredited) |
| Dying Soldier | Clinton Sundberg | Clinton Sundberg | Clinton Sundberg |
| Goblet | Kenneth Williams | Kenneth Williams | Kenneth Williams |
| Tickle | Kenneth Williams | Kenneth Williams | Kenneth Williams |
| Gofer | Stanley Baxter | Stanley Baxter | Stanley Baxter |
| Slap | Stanley Baxter | Stanley Baxter | Stanley Baxter |
| Dwarf | George Melly | | |
| Hoof | Eddie Byrne | Eddie Byrne | Eddie Byrne |
| Hook | Thick Wilson | Thick Wilson | Thick Wilson |
| Goolie | Frederick Shaw | Frederick Shaw | Frederick Shaw |
| Maiden from Mombasa | Margaret French | | |
| Laughing Brigand | Richard Williams (uncredited) | Richard Williams (uncredited) | Richard Williams (uncredited) |
| Other Brigands | Joss Ackland Peter Clayton Derek Hinson Declan Mulholland Mike Nash Dermot Walsh Ramsay Williams | Joss Ackland (Uncredited) Peter Clayton Geoff Golden Derek Hinson Declan Mulholland Mike Nash Tony Scannell Dermot Walsh Ramsay Williams Rik Mayall (uncredited) | Joss Ackland (Uncredited) Peter Clayton Geoff Golden Derek Hinson Declan Mulholland Mike Nash Tony Scannell Dermot Walsh Ramsay Williams Rik Mayall (uncredited) |
| Singers for the Brigands | | Randy Crenshaw Kevin Dorsey Roger Freeland Nick Jameson Bob Joyce Jon Joyce Kerry Katz Ted King Michael Lanning Raymond McLeod Rick Charles Nelson Scott Rummell | Randy Crenshaw Kevin Dorsey Roger Freeland Nick Jameson Bob Joyce Jon Joyce Kerry Katz Ted King Michael Lanning Raymond McLeod Rick Charles Nelson Scott Rummell |
| "Am I Feeling Love?" pop singers | | Arnold McCuller Andrea Robinson | Arnold McCuller Andrea Robinson |
| Additional Voices | | | Ed E. Carroll Steve Lively Mona Marshall Bobbi Page Donald Pleasence |