Product: Robin Hood [VHS] (1973)
Rating: 5.0
Still loathed by critics and loved by audiences.
When this movie first came out--it was the highest grossing animated feature in history up to that point. And, just as today, critics loathed it while audiences everywhere loved it to pieces.Well, sure, it DOES have extremely obvious flaws, all of which have been pointed out again and again and again over the years... therefore I won't go into them. What I do wish to stress is that the film succeeds because it has a wonderfully charismatic charm that transcends its errors.How many times have I seen it? Countlessly.The delightful characters have stood the test of time (especially Robin himself) and are among classic Disney's most beloved despite "The New Disney"'s treating this title like an embarrassment and refusing to market much merchandise based on it. Oh yes, and the "Love" sequence (both the song and the visuals) remain one of my all-time favourite bits of animation I've ever encountered (and being an animator, I've encountered a LOT). And for those of us who are old enough to have been children when it first came out, it is a sigh-inducing reminder of the lovely innocence that Disney once carried in its animated films compared to the obnoxious garishness of today's overly-self-conscious dreck.Tell all those dumb critics to stuff socks in their mouths. You'll adore this one, and so will your children.