The Princess and the Cobbler (1993)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Richard Williams

Writers:

Richard Williams (screenplay) &
Margaret French (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

The film tells a story which takes place in an oriental city from the tales of thousand and one night...

Plot Keywords:

Obsessed Love | Unfinished Film | Kleptomaniac | Dream Like | Independent Film

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Zig-Zag the Grand Vizier (voice)
Anthony Quayle	...	King Nod (original version) (voice)
Hilary Pritchard	...	Princess Yum-Yum (original version) (voice)
Windsor Davies	...	Chief Roofless (voice)
Paul Matthews	...	Mighty One-Eye (original version) (voice)
Joan Sims	...	Nurse / Mad Holy Old Witch (original version) (voice)
Clinton Sundberg	...	Dying Soldier (voice)
Donald Pleasence	...	Phido the Vulture (voice)
Sean Connery	...	Tack the Cobbler (voice) (unconfirmed)
Felix Aylmer	...	Narrator (original version) (voice)
Kenneth Williams	...	Goblet / Tickle (voice)
Stanley Baxter	...	Gofer / Slap (voice)
George Melly	...	Dwarf (voice)
Eddie Byrne	...	Hoof (voice)
Thick Wilson	...	Hook (voice)

Also Known As:

Arabian Knight (USA) (recut version)
Once... (UK) (working title)
The Amazing Nasruddin (UK) (working title)
The Majestic Fool (UK) (working title)
The Thief Who Never Gave Up (UK) (working title)
The Thief and the Cobbler (USA) (recut version)

Runtime:

72 min | 91 min (working print) | Australia:77 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:G | Australia:G | South Korea:All | Spain:T | USA:G

Company:

Richard Williams Productions

Trivia:

Paul Matthews, the original voice of Mighty One-Eye, was a delivery person that Richard Williams overheard in an elevator on the way to a rehearsal space. He hired him for his deep, dark voice despite no prior acting experience.

Quotes:

Nurse: Your bath's ready! The water's getting cold! Princess, he's a Cobbler! Keep your eyes on your work, Cobbler!
Tack the Cobbler: Y-yes, ma'am.
Tack the Cobbler: [after Princess Yum-Yum and Nanny leave] Nothing wrong with being a Cobbler. Why can't I ever talk when it matters?

Movie Connections:

References Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916)

Flawed, but worth seeing for animation fans

It's too bad the studio thought it necessary to add mediocre songs (I dislike the American rule that all animated films must be musicals) and an annoying voice-over to a mute character, this is really one of the most visually interesting American animated films I've seen. As others have pointed out, the look of the film owes a debt to MC Escher. The film often has a more abstract than realistic look, which I find interesting. In places, it makes me think a little of French animation I've seen.

I found the Jonathan Winters voice-over for the thief to be rather annoying and distracting, as the thief was intended to be a silent Wile E. Coyote-type character, and I think he would've been funnier if he had remained silent. The songs are pretty forgettable too. If you can get past this studio tampering, you'll find a very interesting and unusual animated film. The film is also noteworthy for being a widescreen cartoon, which you don't see made very often these days. Of course, this means a good deal of the picture is lost on video. I know there's probably not the biggest demand for it, but I'd be interested in a DVD release of this film so it could be seen as it was intended.