The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

I work for the Walt Disney World Company. So my coworkers and I get to listen to Disney music all the time.  Plus, since I minored in animation in college, I have studied the animated films of Disney extensively. So when I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood, all I could think of was how it would compare to the animated '70's version.  Personally my favorite version is the one with Russell Crowe. I think it's very action packed.  However, I hoped that there would be a version my daughter, Azalea, would enjoy.  This movie is perfect for a child. It's very colorful, parts are silly, and there are a lot of laughs (especially by Robin Hood himself, who seems to throw back his head and burst out laughing at random times).

When I saw the release year as 1938, I thought, oh no, not another black-and-white film. I don't know what it is about them. Maybe because they're so dull and grey.  I just don't enjoy black-and-white films as much.  However, this film was made in full Technicolor. I found out that their studio only had 11 color cameras and this movie made use of every single one.  And not only that, they made ample use of them all. The characters wore the brightest colored costumes to show off.

Technicolor!!!

Scene by scene, the storyline is almost identical the animated version. The good news is that Robin Hood is played by a cute guy and not an anthropomorphic singing fox.  And there is no random bursting into song. I don't have time for another musical.  Between work and watching whatever my two-year-old chooses, I have seen far too many. Azalea and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. It's the same Robin Hood tale we know and love, wasn't too violent or gory, had some action and a happy ending.  I like being able to share this kind of movie with my daughter. I give this movie a 7/10.