Prince and the Revolution

Robin Hood (1973)

Rated: G

Runtime: 83 minutes

Princess/Heroine: Maid Marian

Prince/Hero: Robin Hood

Sidekicks: Little John, Friar Tuck, Lady Kluck, Skippy, Toby

Villain: Prince John, Sir Hiss, Sheriff of Nottingham

Music: “Love”, “Oo De Lally”, “The Phony King of England”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 3 ears. 1 for Robin Hood, 1 for Maid Marian, and 1 for the music.

Hollywood has tackled the legend of Robin Hood several times, and I would say this is solidly in the top 5. I will get to a ranking later. Many a girl I know has said that they had a crush on this foxy Robin Hood growing up. He is amazing and he does the “Sloppy Swish”. Maid Marian is pretty foxy too. Little John is an ok sidekick. Prince John is kind of a baby, much like Joffrey in Game of Thrones. The music is good; “Oo De Lally” is fun and “Love” is charming.

The top 5 Robin Hood movies: I would say the latest Robin Hood with Russell Crowe is #5. I’ve never seen The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), so I will put it at #4. Robin Hood (Disney) at #3. Robin Hood: Men in Tights at #2. And behind the unstoppable Kevin Costner, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at #1. Only Disney’s Robin Hood will be eligible for my bracket and it should do ok.

Abraham de Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley

The Aristocats (1970)

Rated: G

Runtime: 78 minutes

Princess/Heroine: Duchess

Prince/Hero: Thomas O’Malley

Sidekicks: Berlioz, Marie, Toulouse, Madame Adelaide, Georges, Frou-Frou the horse, Roquefort the mouse, Lafayette, Napoleon, Abigail and Amelia Gabble, Scat Cat and his band

Villain: Edgar

Music: “The Aristocats”, “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat”, “Scales and Arpeggios”, “Thomas O’Malley Cat”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 2 ½ ears. ½ for Duchess, ½ for Thomas O’Malley, ½ for Berlioz/Marie/Toulouse, and 1 for “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat”.

With around 15 different characters in this film, you would think at least one of them would stand out; but I can’t find one. Duchess and Thomas O’Malley were ok. Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse were cute. Edgar falls far short of what Cruella de Vil accomplished 3 Disney movies prior. Everyone else in the movie is just there and mostly forgettable ... except for maybe Scat Cat and his band; they totally rock in one of the better Disney songs to date: “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat”.

I am not sure what else I can say about this movie. It’s a bunch of poppycock. I think it begins a rough stretch of Disney movies throughout the ’70s and continues into the late ’80s. But I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel ... or perhaps under the sea??? This movie will definitely have a short run in the bracket, if it makes it at all.

Jungle Boogie

The Jungle Book (1967)

Rated: G

Runtime: 78 minutes

Princess/Heroine: none

Prince/Hero: Mowgli

Sidekicks: Bagheera, Baloo, Colonel Hathi, King Louie

Villain: Kaa, Shere Kahn

Music: “The Bare Necessities”, “Colonel Hathi’s March”, “I Wan’na Be Like You”, “My Own Home”, “That’s What Friends Are For”, “Trust in Me”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 4 ½ ears. 1 for Mowgli, 1 for Bagheera/Baloo/Colonel Hathi/King Louie, 1 for Shere Kahn, and 1 ½ for two awesome songs.

After years of somehow avoiding seeing this movie (several times my former boss Rebecca played this move at work), a Salty review is finally here! Sadly there is no princess ... but Mowgli is a fun little man cub. He is surrounded by several strong characters: Bagheera the panther, Baloo the bear, Colonel Hathi the elephant, and King Louie the orangutan. Kaa the python is a great mini-villain, but he is overshadowed by the awesomeness of Shere Kahn the tiger. The music is fantastic, with two top-tier songs: “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You”.

I wish I had seen this movie as a kid. It was one of the best ones I have seen so far. Oh, and Mowgli does “The Sloppy Swish” which hadn’t happened in a while, so that was cool. Lots of great things happen in this movie and should help it perform well in the bracket. And now I can talk about this movie with all the cool kids!