A Disney Villains Retrospective, Part 21: Prince John (Robin Hood)
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Oo-de-lally! Our Disney Villains Retrospective continues with the many baddies found in Robin Hood (1973).
0:00 History. Folklore, and Disney
4:03 Prince John
11:06 Sir Hiss
16:39 The Sheriff of Nottingham
19:47 Guards (Trigger, Nutsy, etc.)
23:23 The House of Mouse and Print
26:46 Video Games and Theme Parks
28:57 Disney's Other Robin Hoods
SOURCES:
DISNEY MAGIC KINGDOMS
• PRINCE JOHN WELCOMED |...
• A Sound Business Decision
• Reptilian Reconnaissance
• Home Is Where The Hiss Is - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Fun Fact: Eleanor of Aquitaine, the mother of both Richard and John, actually did love Richard the most. John was his father's favorite (because he wasn't as rebellious against him as Richard and his brothers were)
Also the line "Mother always did like Richard best" was lampooned from a similar catchphrase from the group the Smothers Brothers.
The fact that Lion in the Winter, which won Katharine Hepburn a Best Actress Oscar playing Eleanor, and which also depicted John as a bumbling buffoon disliked and tolerated by his brothers and only favored by his father for non altruistic reasons, came out less than five years prior to this film's release and so it would have been even more brick heavy than it is now. Its possible that even kids at the time might have gotten the joke more than the average viewer would now
@@jamesa.romano8500 In Spanish, Eleanor of Aquitaine is known as Leonor de Aquitania, which is punny if you consider "león" means "lion" in Spanish. Even if the etymology of the name is another one entirely, it just makes sense that Richard, John and Eleanor are all lions :B
@@jamesa.romano8500 Prolly Katharine Hepburn's GREATEST performance
Hope you take requests, but a retrospective of the villains of Disney’s Gargoyles would be a great study of multidimensional and nuanced characters.
....the fact that vulture has a crossbow that keeps going off and the fact the real Richard the Lion heart was killed by a crossbow....makes me think of what happened next
Another great screenplay detail
Dammit Trigger.
That's not the full story though. The one who shot the crossbow was a young boy, who wanted revenge over the death of his father and brothers. He was brought before the King on his deathbed, the crossbow wasn't the cause of death but rather the gangrene it caused. To everyone's surprise, King Richard actually forgave the boy and ordered for him to be sent away with 100 shillings. The captain of the guard, however wasn't so merciful. Shortly after Richard died, the guard went behind his back and had the boy be flayed alive and hanged to avenge the King.
@@andrewpotts czcams.com/video/-O8kRTVkjEI/video.html
I never fully realized Hiss was written intentionally to come off as this sympathetic character who’s reaping what he sows with little to no power in his situation. Geez. Now I wanna hug the little guy.
well he has the same hypnosis power as Kaa from The Jungle Book
It's weird that Hiss gets hairy 11:32
Don’t you mean ssssympathetic lol
He might feeling on both sides from every good, neutral or bad perhaps 🤔
*gives Hiss a hug and head pats*
6:30, ‘Did their mother favour Richard over John?’
Actually, yes. Richard WAS the favourite son of Queen Eleanor, and John was the favourite of King Henry II, mainly because he was the only member of the family who hadn’t been involved an earlier coup to try and replace him with their eldest son, Henry the Young King.
Something I only picked up as an adult - the animal species are correlations to the tension between the "invader" ruling class (Normans = jungle animals) and the native peasants (Saxons - English woodland creatures). Characters like the Sheriff are coded as Saxons who betrayed their neighbors to gain power serving under the Normans
I also love how Captain Crocodile - easily the most threatening, intimidating, and competent of the main antagonists in the film - gets probably the best bit of slapstick in the movie when he gets run over at the tournament ("Attention, everyone!" *gets promptly trampled by the Elephant guards and looks up wearily*) 😆😅
Honestly, what did he expect? XD
@@hodarinundu He just like randomly stopped to give this announcement after facing off in a sword fight with Robin Hood and acted like nothing had just happened lmao
That's one of my favourite parts of the movie, and anytime anyone says, "Attention everyone!" I always think of that.
Captain Crocodile: Now... The Ara Ara Turd... Begins!
He was voiced by Candy Candido, who had such a horrifyingly raspy voice that I'm surprised he was never picked to voice a proper Disney villain. They must have thought he'd be too scary, but I find it hard to believe that the people who gave us Chernobog, the Coachman, and Cruella would think that! I also know him as the chief - Tiger Lily's father - in PETER PAN, where he's surprisingly portrayed as sympathetic despite being physically depicted almost as a devil.
Y'know, if they had kept John as a tiger, we woulda had two Disney movies where a tiger shuts down a snake attempting to hypnotize him.
Strange how that almost happened twice.
i love the idea that Richard embarked on the Crusades, these bloody holy wars, all because Sir Hiss duped him
I can't believe they adapted that. don't forget that nice jolly king lion slaughtered hundreds to reclaim Jerusalem
It certainly sugarcoats the fact that Richard willingly went on the Crusades because he never liked England - he only spent eight months of his ten year reign in England.
@@Lionstar16 Richard didn't even speak English: he spoke French! To quote Epic Rap Battles of History (Ragnar Lodbrok vs. Richard the Lionheart):
"I'm just a warrior, I'm not a linguist
But I think the king of England should probably speak English!"
@@Lionstar16He also nearly made the state go bankrupt after he got captured by the Holy Roman Empire and John and his mother had to pay the ransom.
Italian dub had John and Hiss make a perfect quip about it, I don't know if it's in the original "Thanks to you my brother went to that cretin crusade"
“I’m finally talking about the Pinocchio remake” oh may God protect your soul
I hope he gets to watch Del Toro’s Pinocchio as a palate cleanser if he has Netflix. I refuse to watch the remake.
@@harrietamidala1691 I was about to comment the same exact thing as this. lol I feel like even the fruity pinnochio could be a palate cleanser :p
Making the Sheriff a big, chubby wolf says a lot about his personality. Wolves are usually (portrayed as) lean but Sheriff's greed reflects in his bulk. I also like that incompetent rhino guards seem to pop up a lot in animation, see Kung Fu Panda and Sing.
i say it's a smart move that they made Sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf.
@@racheljackson4428 yeah especially Wolves are stronger than Foxes
The villains ARE some of the richest characters in this. A personal favorite of mine is Sir Hiss, voiced by British comedian Terry-Thomas - and who, like Thomas, has a gap in his front teeth and a weaselly voice. I, too, have a gap in my teeth, and I'm not much of a "badass," so I think if I were a Disney villain, I'd be Hiss - the meek, stuttering suck-up who's terrified of getting the archetypal top henchman's execution ("Bob" in BATMAN, etc.).
@@racheljackson4428 The choice of animals is spot-on across the board in this movie, just look at Robin Hood and Little John themselves; both are forest animals known for stealing food, but whereas a fox is known for stealing food by being agile, sneaky and wily (thus a match for Robin Hood) a bear is a towering brute who can just take whatever he wants through intimidation and violence (thus a match for Little John).
IMHO the best "casting" is one that I didn't even notice until someone else pointed it out to me: the rooster is Alan-A-Dale, a minstrel often syncretized with Will Scarlet. Because of that syncretization, he is often portrayed as having a red hood or scarf. The rooster is a bird known for its song, yet still a humble farm animal, and it has red head feathers as well as a red wattle....a brilliant fit for Alan-A-Dale.
A proper bully boy compared to Prince John. Steals the little bunny's birthday present & later on when they are all doing time in prison, he has all the little raccoons chained up wearing the traditional black & white striped uniforms. He more than deserved to get chained up at the end like.
10:58 I see the point of Robin Hood been "too perfect", but I think the film does a great job making him likable and the situations he gets very suspenseful and challenging, with the prison break being the biggest exemple. Robin himself never denys the danger he faces everyday, even saying he didn't want to bring Marian to the forest at first, not wanting her to live her life with a wanted man (showing that, unlike John, Robin is not arrogant, and doesn't see himself as savior despite his popularity among the people).
I agree with this - I think it works because Robin never feels invincible. He expresses fear and worry and you get the *feeling* he could be defeated. And he's so small compared with the people he's usually fighting.
He also comments at the beginning that they’re getting better in response to the arrow that pierced his hat, implying their run on from the Law is on a time limit. I suppose it’s not verified later considering how often they miss but I agree there’s always a strong sense of danger the whole time.
He gives me that "I know my luck stat is maxed out, and I know one of these days it's gonna fail regardless" vibe.
The fact that the central three villains are either physically or personality-wise the polar opposite of how their species are normally depicted reinforces the idea that they as authority figures are moral hypocrites or metaphorical wolves in sheep's clothing. Its been pointed out that Prince John being a maneless lion usually signifies low testosterone and/or femininity, but you also have Hiss, who is clearly reminiscent of Jungle Book's Kaa to the point where some of the animation was reused, and yet he's not a massive python who (if prone to occasional slapstick) is still feared, but he's effeminate, weak, flimsy, and easy to overpower by just about anyone; even his hypnosis doesn't appear as strong as Kaa's. And finally you have the Sheriff who is a wolf, and wolves are generally depicted as ravenous, half-starved and gaunt - but here he's not only a wolf but an overweight one at that, slow moving and with a girth that rivals Little John's in size (but who as a bear, his size and weight isn't nearly as remarkable because its consistent with most bears of his type and age). Add to that the fact that most of their entourage are animals foreign to England (Elephants, Rhinos, Hippos, possibly Gators but not 100% sure on that one) it reinforces the idea that the only ones even loyal to them are those who aren't even their countrymen. Its an interesting choice that complements what is actually alot of historical depth to this-- its *clear* they did their homework here.
Wow! That is one impressive and remarkable analysis you have there!
And yes, wolves and lions are said to have been native to the British Isles, let alone England about a bit less than a millenium ago until they were hunted and went extinct on the island, the same as bears. Heck, that's why the lion to this day is still the national symbol of the United Kingdom. As for all their herbivore mammal minions as well as the crocodile, they all come from Africa which is what Britain would undoubtedly pillage and colonize centuries later.
As for snakes, they still exist in England and Sir Hiss resembles what might be a mix between some sort of adder and a viper but also a bit of cobra with his slightly lined and slimey yellow skin.
Well. Richard 1(Plantagenet-Angevin) is technically French like William the Conqueror (House of Normandy). So there's also that to explain the foreign animals.
Though the animals that play the guards did once exist in Europe, during the Ice Age they did. Though the Lions would be Cave Lions, the rhinos would be Woolly Rhinos, the hippos would the European Hippos, and the elephants be Woolly Mammoths.
It's very interesting how Hiss is seemingly drawn with fur in some scenes. I guess it has to do with the scratchy pencil work, but as an artist myself it looks as though a lot of the times the pencil strokes seems deliberate.
It is definitely deliberate. I guess it does help add some expressivity to the character (hair on point when scared) and some cuteness too (making him feel warmer and fuzzier than cold and "slimy" (snakes aren´t slimy really but most people seem to have that idea).
Yeah, it's interesting how Hiss is supposed to be portrayed as the slithery right-hand man of a ruthless prince or fake King who existed in real-life so he could have been based on any of his loyal followers or servants yet happens to come across as more sympathetic (yet intelligent) compared to Kaa who was just a man-eating ordinary snake predator but took the pleasure in luring and hypnotizing Mowgli making him come across as more sinister, creepy and villainous than what we get as an anthropomorphic snake meant to be villainous who comes across as metaphorical to folklore as well as literal, does evil stuff in the film by sucking up to Prince John though the hypnosis of King Richard was off-screen, yet comes across as more of a tertiary antagonist who's in the middle of a corrupt marriage whereas it's the Sheriff who does all the dirty work under Prince John's rule.
I like your avatar, it's adoracute.😊
@@mikekomarinski Thank you!
@@scientistservant U R welcome, my friend.🙂
Little John’s song “The phony king of England.” Is a variation of an actual song from the era called “the bastard king of England.” Which is especially poignant as the line in the song “the world may sing of an English king a thousand years from now.” As it has been almost a thousand years since Robin Hood.
I feel sorry for Sir Hiss too. Too bad it's unlikely if there will be a sequal to Robin Hood after John Lessester cancelled the sequals, I'd be surprised if Sir Hiss betrayed Prince John to join the good Robin Hood, Skippy, Maid Marrian, King Richard and others similar to Iago joining Aladdin, Abu, Jasmine, Sultan, and the Genie in "The Return of Jafar".
9:30 this deleted idea with the villain trying to stab one of the good characters when they're resting, in a church no less, is very similiar to the ending of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when Frollo tries stab Esmeralda
Wasn't he going to do it to Quasimodo first, and a homage to a scene in the book and other films where Frollo attempts to murder Pheobus and frames Esmeralda for it.
Yeah, I was reminded of hunchback when watching that deleted Robin Hood scene. I wouldn’t be surprised if served as inspiration for animating Frollo attempting to kill quasi.
The same thought occurred to me.
Peasants: Just wait till Good King Richard hears of this!
John: Trust me. He knows and he does not care.
That's honestly not too far from Richard in real life, barely spent any time in England itself during his whole Reign.
@@brandonlyon730 fewer than 6 months in 8 years.
One of my favorite small moments in Robin Hood is at the ending, when Hiss quickly pulls away the nail on the rock that Prince John is hammering, so he hurts his paw. And we see Hiss laugh at it.
Even tho' he got the punishment he deserved, the movie still gave him, as "Illusion of Life" puts it, "a fleeting moment of happiness".
I even remember owning a book that narrated the story, and the narrator, at that moment, actually stated something that was along the lines of "Finally he had the chance to get even for all the pain he went through".
And honestly it makes me smile that Hiss, for a bad guy with such a small role, ultimately was intentionally written as sympathetic, and he still gets off with a little something to smile about.
There's a similar henchman character in the animated adaptation of THE KING AND I. He's the midget who serves as the right-hand man of the king's evil prime minister, who gets abused throughout the movie by pretty much everyone. But when the coup d'état attempt is foiled and the villains are punished at the end, he gets a VERY satisfying moment where he (no joke) gives his former boss a beatdown!
Huh, I've watched this movie countless times since I was a kid and never noticed that. I remember Sir Hiss laughing at the end but not that he tricked Prince John. Good for him lmao
"Nothing wrong with being on the smaller side"
Lord Farquad: glad we can agree
This villain, and indeed this entire movie, is vastly underappreciated 😊
I don’t know if this movie is so underrated… it seems like most people who remember it love it. It’s just an old movie, so it’s less in the cultural focus than more recent films like Frozen or even The Lion King.
FUN FACT: There was an idea removed for the Epic Mickey games in which Mickey Mouse fights the rhino guards (alongside the rhino executioner) in Prince John's castle.
That would’ve been fun
Yeah that concept art goes hard as hell
i'm honestly shocked the real king Richard forgave his brother for trying to usurp him.
Well, the historical Richard the Lionhearted didn't even LIKE the English, so it was water under the bridge anyways
john in history is honestly really not a villain, the taxes where exorbitant but he was trying to deal with 4 potential wars, a lot could honestly be blamed on Richard for joining the crusades and neglecting relations with France Scotland and Wales.
I wonder if Mr. Snake from "The Bad Guys" by DreamWorks took some inspiration from Sir Hiss, since both of them are very expressive in body language despite being snakes.
It was a book first, so nobody at DreamWorks would know.
It’s still a possibility that Sir Hiss might have influenced Dreamworks’s take on the book character.
@@turmericchai9 That's true.
The best thing about Disney's Robbin Hood, is that there is plenty of YTPs that make fun of the characters.
The one where Fryer Tuck ends up shooting the Sheriff of Nottingham in a Joker Movie parody is really well done.
I now wonder which Disney movie has the most YTP?
Friar’s Rubbing Wood, Fall of Nottingham. Cinematic mastapeece
@@austinreed7343 Most Likely the Gaston ones are the most Disney YTP'ed
@@asharmstrong248 Agreed, it takes loads of video editing skills to pull off so many visual references.
The Joker Movie scene, the Live Action Sherif of Nottingham making Sir Kiss eat his own words, Little John knocking out King of the Hill in Smash Bros style.
And that Peter Griffin Blimp scene.
I'm actually gonna say it. Sorcerer's Arena did Robin Hood really well. Apart from the Sheriff being playable, one of the spells is Trigger, who uses his crossbow to actual effectiveness and turns into an extra player if need be.
I always loved how Sir Hiss was appalled when Prince John suggested hanging Friar Tuck.
Robin Hood(1973) is actually my grandma's favorite Disney film
Can I just take a moment to thank you for this wonderful series. Really helps Disney nerds like me feel more normal
me too. makes me appreciate Disney Villains more.
@@racheljackson4428 ikr
I laughed at the Nutsy and Tigger part. XD Sometimes, typos can be so funny.
Sir Hiss probably takes more abuse than any other Disney henchman. So much that I really enjoy the scene of him getting a little chuckle from that rock falling on John’s foot at the end.
justice for sir hiss
If you want to see another great Peter Ustinov Disney movie, Blackbeard's Ghost, it's the right kind of campy goofiness. That Disney charm that's sorely missing these days.
Oh I loved that one as a kid.
Ustinov was REALLY underrated as an actor. One thing I respect about him is that he continued working in Hollywood all the way until the end of his life. He also seems to be remembered most for comedy, but he could do drama as well.
@@schlamuffenimperator9460 I only learned about it because, for a while when Disney was releasing all their old live action movies on DVD through one of their clubs, my Mom and Dad bought a ton of the ones they liked and Blackbeard's Ghost was one of them. It's a fantastic family movie
I need to see that, I think I saw it years ago on TV
@@SeasideDetective2 I wouldn't call a two times Oscar winner underrated.
You know I've always loved sir hiss!I'm glad to see alot of love and passion went into his creation and animation! It certainly rubbed off on me and his many fans! Thank you for sharing those awesome details of our favorite right hand snake! ❤ 🐍
16:35
"Hiss, with you around, who needs a court jester?"
Hiss's face just says it all. Poor guy!
For those wondering about the existence of a daily newspaper strip featuring Disney's Robin Hood, it appears it was part of Walt Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales, which was distributed by King Syndicate from 1952 to 1987. It rotated out themes and characters to promote recent Disney products.
I love Prince John 's lines to Sir Hiss near the end of the film......
"You cowardly cobra!"
You procrastinating python!"
Hilarious!
You eel in snake’s clothing!
You aggravating asp
@@ChibiProwl
Exactly!!😂
Happy 50th Anniversary, Robin Hood.🦊🐻🏹🎯🌳🐓🐰🐢🐁🦁👑🐍🐺🗡️📜💰🐊🛡️🦏⚔️
I wish they kept the original ending of the movie. At the very least it gave Maid Marian more to do in the climax as she just kinda disappears in the third act and is one of the few times that John comes close to winning.
Interesting that both Edgar and Prince John kinda suffered the same fate when it came to their personalities being too pathetic to see them as a credible threat. Not every villain needs to be a Maleficent or Cruella, but still you can tell that after Walt died the crew were sort of lost when it came to the final say for their antagonists. Frank Thomas’ memoirs kinda say it all.
Sir Hiss is my favourite guy. Love him always. No other snake can fold its arms.
The whacky animal antics of this cartoon make me laugh every time I watch this movie. I love these villains! They’re all very entertaining In a unique way, you did a wonderful job on this video: Tigger meeting Nutsy sounds quite ridiculous!
And yet, these fellas are practically the good guys in Fall of Nottingham.
A touch of genius if you ask me
John was king of England from 1199-1216, but proved to be a total failure after losing most of his lands in France between 1202 and 1204. Afterwards, John was given various nicknames like “Soft Sword,” “Lackland,” and “Bad King John.” However, John was a connoisseur of jewels and built up a very large collection of jewelry, precious stones, gold, and other items of value, with an estimated value of $70,000,000, King John’s treasure is considered one of the largest treasures in the world. On the 12th of October 1216, John lost all of his treasure when he tried to cross a stretch of water called The Wash, a large bay that separates East Anglia from Lincolnshire and is exceptionally dangerous due to the fast-incoming tides, muddy waters, and quicksand. But treasure hunters still gather annually hoping to find part of the treasure.
Why did he have to cross exactly that point? I'm starting to think lion John was actually smarter than the real one 😁
Easily one of my top 5 Disney movies! Mainly because the soundtrack is addictive, but it's just a fun movie with great characters. And you can tell that Don Bluth must have animated some of the children too, which is neat to see.
I think a more likely reason for changing king John into a lion is that it just makes for better character design in the context of the story.
A lion's mane is often used as a symbol of pride and regality, so John being a maneless lion further illustrates his pathetic nature and contrasts with Richard's majestic presence which also feeds into John's jealousy and inferiority complex because his brother is everything he wishes he was, it's more practical for the animators and makes slightly more sense for them to be the same species sure (though I don't think that was really a concern) but I'd be surprised if they didn't catch on the better symbolism of having John be a maneless lion when they trashed the tiger idea, I mean other characters are also pretty symbolic in their animal choices, like Robin being a fox, or Little John being a bear so ot only fits for John to be q maneless lion.
I loved this movie as a kid.
I was watching Men in Tights when I saw this video in my feed.
What about "The Lion in Winter"? It's a pretty good movie discussing the troubles of Henry II's family with Peter O'Toole as Henry, Katharine Hepburn portrays Eleanor of Aquitaine and Anthony Hopkins is cast as Richard the Lionheart.
You know what thought terrifies me?
Disney making a life action remake of Robin Hood.
How would that work as the Robin Hood cast acts more like people than animals?
They're allegedly making a Zootopia-style remake; except with real-life backgrounds like in Disney's Dinosaur.
@@Alejandroigarabide shouldn't they be some rules on what to remake and not to as they already had a thin line with Lion King but mange to just barely do it as the LK cast is more like animals while Robin Hood is not it would be like if Yogi Bear or Alvin and the Chipmunks live action movies didnt have any humans .
@@nicholassims9837 Think Honest John and Gideon from the Pinocchio remake. Expresive humanoid animals with realistic fur.
This can be interesting or a trainwreck.
@@Alejandroigarabide I wish A remake for Black Cauldron would happen instead as a live action version could work think in the same vein as Narnia .
That deleted scene with Prince John attempting to kill Robin and Marian with a dagger in the church does strike me as similar to when Frollo did the same in the climax of Hunchback 96.
I was really looking forward to seeing a retrospective on the Disney Robin Hood rogues. This movie always had that charm about it, same with the villians, Pat Buttram as the Sheriff is way too entertaining. Shame more was never done with this cast.
Funny how this one never got a sequel during the Disney sequel craze, especially given that this is one Disney movie that didn’t kill off any of its villains. While the quality of the sequels varied greatly (as did the production values) some did a good job catching the spirit and aesthetic of the original and with Robin Hood being one of the more breezy and light-hearted ones, it could have potentially gotten a good sequel. Guess it just wasn't popular enough.
I'm pretty sure Queen Eleanor did indeed like her oldest son Richard best.
Prince John is definitely one of the funniest Disney villains in my opinion!
Great video as usual. One thing I couldn't help but notice, not that it truly matters, is that you never showed photographs of Pat Buttram, George Lindsey, or Ken Curtis, the way you usually do with bad guy voice actors.
17:07
Appreciate that dig you made at the overused goat scream. If there's ever an animated goat, Hollywood always finds a way to shoehorn that scream in
Can we just take a moment to applaud Peter Ustinov's portrayl as Prince John? Great voice, delivered in such style.
Pat Buttram also voiced Chief in the Fox and the Hound, and Chief was pretty intimidating. I definitely took him as a serious threat, even if he had his funny moments.
Disney did consider a cartoon series version of Robin Hood, but I don't know how far it made it into the planning stages. There were three potential cartoons, the other being a Marie and kittens focused Aristocats series, and the cartoon they finally went with, The Emperor's New School. Maybe because out of the three it was the most recent, or the TV/EI nature made it easy for them to rerun on ABC Saturday Mornings for that FCC requirement. As for Robin Hood, it would have been interesting to see if they used other stories from the legend as basis for the series or they just went the original stories route they went with The Legend of Tarzan. Also, I could have sworn there was a Robin Hood Goof episode of Goof Troop that wasn't mentioned, so I'll just point it out here.
I totally forgot the Goof Troop episode! Good thing I've already covered Pete.
I would love to see a Robin Hood show, especially if they used characters from Robin Hood lore like Will Scarlet and Sir Guy Of Gisbourne
I'm honestly glad they didn't, it would only have tarnished its legacy
@@mariuspoppFM Disney is really good with their TV shows based on movies. I wouldn't expect it to be anything less than Hercules or Timon and Pumbaa. The Aristocats one didn't sound interesting, but I'm not a big fan of that movie anyway.
Maybe after a Robin Hood live action (don't denay it, is gonna happen) they would finally make a TV show, even more by how huge the furry fandom is right now.
Robin Hood definitely has the funniest cast of villains.
Prince John is basically a more likable & comedic version of Joffery from "Game of Thrones."
Timon and Pumbaa also did a Robin Hood episode titled "Robin Hoodwinked". Timon and Pumbaa take on the roles of Robin Hood and Little John while fighting off the King of "Rottingham" who is played by the Villain of the series "Quint".
You mean C. Quint?
It is also worth mentioning that in the Russian dub of the film, Prince John, Sir Hiss and the Sheriff were voiced by Aleksei Borzunov, Aleksander Lenkov and Aleksei Kolgan respectively and they were just as great, entertaining and fun as the actors in the original language of the film.
Italian dub is great too
Prince John undoubtedly would have had the highest body count with all the townsfolk he had locked up. Also it’s funny that the Sheriff sounds like a old west-style prospector in a film that takes place in England
The interesting thing about Bill Farmer voicing the Sheriff is that he has actually said that Goofy's voice was inspired by Pat Buttram, who was the Sheriff's original VA. It makes perfect sense that he eventually got to voice one of Buttram's characters with that in mind
I grew up watching Robin Hood as a child and I personally find Prince John and especially the Sherrif to be underrated Disney villains.
I watched this movie for the first time in preparation for this video. Had a lot of fun with it and feel if I had seen it as a kid, I would have loved the movie for its slapstick and deliciously evil villains
Oh, I definitely watch this movie a lot when I was a kid. I had a lot of fun memories.
@@harrietamidala1691 just wasn’t one of the ones we owned on VHS and there was no Disney Plus for me back then.
I've always seen Disney's Robin Hood as a perfect movie (other than its recycling animation). Robin Hood the character being a Mary Sue type just checks off the pleasure boxes in my brain, so more critical analysis of it is new to me! I appreciate this nuance! Overall, I love this movie and I Looooovveee the villains. They remind me of a person I know. 👀🙃 Also, the fake Southern politeness of the Sherrif of Nottingham is one of the most unnerving aspects of the film, because it's definitely unnerving in real life.
Ollie Johnson having so much empathy for Sir Hiss is the sweetest thing 😭
Okay, I just need to say one thing. I FEEL your pain about really good Disney comics only being available in foreign languages. Some of the greatest Uncle Scrooge stories are only available in Italian, and are only readable to non-Italian speakers thanks to the tireless work of scanlators on Tumblr. Of course, some stories have made it to American publications (Such as The Miner's Granddaughter which introduced the character Dickie Duck) but most of the Topolino stories (And Brazilian comics so I'm not forgetting them) are mostly only found as fan translations.
This. One very cool Donald Duck comic which talks about how Donald tried to solve a detective mystery in a town terrorized by a bloody WENDIGO got only released in my country of Poland, i think. It was a very cool comic I really loved as a kid, mostly because it played the monster very straight; looking back up until it was revealed the monster was a costumed thief it almost felt like a G-rated version of one of those "forest monster encounter" creepypastas that are popular nowadays.
@@Wojti2000Zapasowe That does sound like a really good comic, I need to do a comic run to Europe one day.
Interestingly, while both come from the original canon, Rockerduck and Flintheart rarely if ever are featured in the same canon in modern comics. In America Flintheart is prevalent while in Europe Rockerduck is more famous, and as a result hardly any American fan is aware of Rockerduck and the same applies to European fans for Flintheart, which resulted in their personalities to have evolved over time to be the same. Thus, you can call Rockerduck "Europe's Flintheart" and Flintheart "America's Rockerduck".
@@EntityofDarkness696 It was published in a 2004-2005 issue of the polish Kaczor Donald (Donald Duck) Magazine.
@@jaggerguth4391 Ah yes, I think in Italian comics, Flintheart is the "official big bad" of the comics.
A few years later, Disney would once again use the concept of lions as feuding siblings for the right to become king in the Lion King movie but it would be more or less a dramatic story mixed with biblical and Shakespearean tones, most notably the story of Moses and Hamlet.
Speaking of Sir Guy of Gisbourne, I've seen at least one fanmade Sir Guy, typically said to be a more serious threat to Robin. I assume this is a reference to the 1930s movie, which had him as John's top enforcer.
I always thought the crocodile was an unnamed Sir Guy given he’s such a great sword fighter (he beats Robin Hood.)
My favorite classical disney movie, bar none. Because it's the closest classic disney ever did to a superhero movie
Superhero?
I'm 40 years old and since I was a child, this has always been my favorite Disney movie....but only just now, did I notice a striking resemblance between prince John and Joffrey baratheon
Oh definitely the "I AM KING!" temper tantrum
Well, to be fair, Game of Thrones was made almost 40 years after Robin Hood, so don’t beat yourself up for not making it comparison between the two sooner.
i could see a very different version of the story where sir hiss was the mainvillain, using his hypnotism to rule the kindgom from behind the scenes.
it was a msised oppotunity t make the sheriff of nottingham the more physically dangerous threat as he usually is depicted, being the muscle to Prince John's more offhand villainy. I could easily see an extended version of the climax where the sheriff is having a far more lengthy battle with robin hood. I honestly would think it'd be fun if the sheriff was actually smarter to fit his role as Robin hood's rival.
That Sheriff of Nottingham may think it's just business, but this time, it's personal.
Scar: You're incompetent, you didn't even kill your brother. Be a ruler like me.
Pirnce John: K-kill my brother (sees Scar's abysmal ruling standards) I think I'll stay at taking taxes and mildly abusing my minions instead of them wanting me dead.
Scar: What are you talking about (gets mauled by hyenas).
Ed: He does have a Point.
I've wondered if Sir Hiss was inspired by Sir Guy of Guisborne. (Hiss-bourne?) Kudos to the video game people for picking up on that.
I've got to say this video made me think about the character a lot more. (Sir Hiss, I mean, not Sir Guy.)
P.S.
The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men actually might be my favorite Robin Hood movie.
It is
I suspect that part of the reason why Prince John was so villified was because some of his politics wasn't that popular with the upper class. The idea that the absent King is the good one is most likely mostly based on people idealising what isn't there, never mind that King Richard wasted his time killing people in another country.
Disney's version is Prince John is so much fun, though. I think the genius ist that he doesn't really come off as that threatening, but the impact his temper tantrum has on the people is very real.
See, I totally know someone like Prince John in real life, and their willingness to destroy everything and everyone around them to get what they want, along with the tantrums, is pretty effective villainy, tbh.
I had no idea that IRL John's policies were unpopular with the upper classes, though, that's super interesting!!
I think overall I think prefer the Sherrif of Nottingham the most of the three major villains. I feel like he's just competent enough while still remaining funny and entertaining.
Terry-Thomas had a gap between his two front teeth. The Disney artists incorporated that into Hiss, which helped with Hiss's dialogue.
I mean John was kind of the worst. You'll notice how "John" has never again appeared in the royal family. Honestly it's hard to exaggerate how bad he was as a ruler. (But Richard wasn't any better, so. He didn't speak English, and England was only important to him in that it could bankroll his Crusades adventures.)
Eleanor of Aquitaine favored Richard the most of her sons because from a young age he was set to inherit her lands of Aquitaine. The oldest boy, Henry the Young King, was set to inherit his father's throne in England, but he preceded them in death and so Richard became king.
Add on top his excommunication and having to sign the Magna Carta.
@@RyanofAndor I mean. Eleanor DID also write to the Pope when he excommunicated John and everyone else and signed it, "By the wrath of God, Eleanor, Queen of England." So she kind of made up for it. (Unrelatedly, that's how I sign emails now.)
I love how you put the screaming goat meme in that was hilarious. Also, this retrospective has been really interesting. I can’t wait for the next one.
Is that scene also a take that to Illumination?
I can't wait to see Disney Villains Retrospective Medusa and Mcleach
Me too
Or add The Rescue Rangers since basically its the same thing with Chip and Dale tacked on to this.
@@jaggerguth4391 or both
Either way
Will it be on February?
Loved the overview for Prince John and I'm especially looking forward to the villains of the Rescuers duology!
Madame Medusa and Percival C Mcleach
Don't forget their sidekicks/minions! Mr. Snoops, Brutus, and Nero for Madame Medusa; Joanna the Goanna for Percival C. McLeach.
@@sirhenrymorgan1187 You are right thanks
@@sirhenrymorgan1187 I won’t forget snoops, Brutus, Nero and Joanna.
This series brings nothing but joy.
To be honest, this was the first Robin Hood adaptation that I actually watched. And even after so many Robin Hood versions, this will always be my favorite, not just for nostalgia, but I enjoyed each character like PJ, Robin Hood, Hiss, Marian, and Little John, and yes even the Sheriff (I like wolves). Unlike most versions of Robin Hood since the days of Prince of Thieves/Men in Tights, they kept making Robin Hood a bit more...well too cynical to actually enjoy the legend anymore, at least this Robin Hood is not a bad guy.
True
"Hunting deer was illegal."
Wait, is that why Robin Hood was known for archery? As an ongoing symbol of being a rebel by hunting deer, with a bow and arrow?
Last year read a book on the Plantagenets of whom Richard and John are in it, and what's ironic is in real life, Richard was just as bad a king as Richard if not worst, since Richard was only in England maybe 5 times? During his whole reign, more often he was either in France or off on the Crusades and financing all those wars is why John got tagged with all the negative traits, even if he was a terrible king in his own right. And maybe Peter Ustinov was on to something by having John have Mommy issues since the Real John also had Mommy issues
Another hilarious note is that John, like many Disney villains before the modern age, is fairly queer coded. This is hilarious given that John IRL was infamous for being a womanizer and horn dog who had multiple illegitimate children, whereas in contrast, Richard never bedded his own wife, and was speculated for having a preference for men (see his relationships with Saladin’s brother Saphadin, Philip II Auguste of France, and his own brother-in-law Sancho of Navarra for examples)
@@samuelwolch1302 Didn’t Richard have a bastard kid though? Philip of Cognac?
Ustonov was a history scholar in his free time, I totally feel it went like this
@@samuelwolch1302 Many womanizer stereotypes are daringly flamboyant, specially when luxuriousness is involved. Just because you like to sing, dance and enjoy supple comfort doesn't mean you're secretly gay.
@@Stroggoii i know, but back in the day, and to an extent now, many villains ,including Disney ones, were written with the gay stereotype in mind, i.e effeminate, flamboyant, and wimpy.
ive been waiting ofr this retro spective! Thank you!
I wish that they had both kept in the deleted scene & done a little more to make Prince John seem like an actual threat if pushed far enough. You can kind of see hints of that after “Phony King of England,” with John’s freak-out upon hearing the song & his eerie silence after they’ve captured everyone except Robin Hood. Watching a seemingly silly villain become unhinged is terrifying, and I think they could have pulled that off here.
A villain who is both funny & genuinely threatening can be done, as seen in another Disney villain: Prof. Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective. I think they could have done that with John too, if they’d just tweaked his character a little bit.
Always impressed by your thoroughness!
Great point about Robin being a little too perfect/seemingly invincible. It didn't make him boring or anything as he was very upbeat personality wise, but, it killed any sense of danger in the movie
This movie actually achieves its own sense of danger.
The whole "about to be beheaded" scene is very tense: considering how the audience can observe how the trap slowly closes around him
and witness him getting into a situation from which he only can escape because of Little John's quick thinking, this is hardly not vulnerable.
And then there is the end-chase scene, one of the best climax Disney has ever written, in which Robin searches for a way out
but all of them get closed off to him until he jumps into the water in desperation.
Awesome! I've been looking forward to this!
I have been looking forward to this for a long time.
Maid Marian is a beauty, and if she didnt wear her outfit she`d look like Robin, minus her eyes!
I'm putting notifications on! I missed this release 3 weeks ago! I thoroughly enjoy this series. Thanks!
I've had a great time with watching your videos last year and look forward to more of your Disney Villains Retrospective!
Oh happy it's here, worth the wait
Brilliant episode thanks for these DisTory lessons. Can’t wait for the rescuers
I disagree with the whole take that Robin Hood is never in danger and gets out immediately from trouble immediately.
Not because it isn’t true, but because the actual peril of the story isn’t about Robin Hood but about the townsfolk. Friar Tuck, the children, even the freaking narrator are put in great peril, persecution and prison from Prince John and a LOT of time is spent showing their oppression.
The question is not “is Robin Hood going to get out of this jam” the question is “is Robin Hood going to save a Nottingham?” Which I think is just as interesting as his own peril.
Just wanted to thank you again for making these videos, ever since I first found your chanel I was waiting for Robin Hood to show up soooo muuuch!
I loved that movie as a kid, and I still do!
Finally covering my favorite villain
great episode