Disney’s 1973 animated classic (?) Robin Hood has stood the test of time for a few reasons. One, it’s very novel. It was a bizarre choice for Disney, making an adaptation of Robin Hood filled with animals to appeal to kids. Because, you know, that’s what kids love to watch: the righteous battle against taxation!
Secondly, the music for Robin Hood is pretty solid, especially that “Love” song, and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t enjoy most of the music from Disney films. Thirdly, apparently there are a lot of people who were super turned on by the animated Robin Hood. This I did not know but, yes, it seems that a lot of folks came-of-age (to put it politely) to the character in their formative years. Classic horny Disney.
Anyway, Disney knows when it’s got a classic on its hands and that’s why they are planning a “live-action” remake of the film for Disney+. I put live-action in quotes because apparently the film will be a mix of “live-action/CG hybrid.” So I would bet all the animals will be CG creations, like Disney+’s recent Lady and the Tramp. Speaking of Lady and the Tramp, this new Robin Hood will be written by Kari Granlund, who wrote Lady. And Robin Hood will be directed by Blindspotting filmmaker Carlos Lopez Estrada. I hope he’s comfortable with turning viewers on!
I think this move makes a lot of sense for Disney. It’ll play on a lot of peoples’ nostalgia, for sure, but it also follows the recent business model of remaking cartoons into live-action. And since Robin Hood was never as cherished as, say, The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast it makes even more sense that they would create this film for Disney+. Now a whole new generation of viewers gets to be...um, entertained by Robin Hood.