The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)

A lonely princess and a poor cobbler fall in love while trying to retrieve three magical orbs that were stolen by a bumbling thief, all while outwitting a powerful sorcerer as adventure and comedic pop culture references abound.

Director:

Richard Williams

Writers:

Richard Williams (created by), Richard Williams (screenplay)

Stars:

Vincent Price, Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Beals

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Price	...	ZigZag (voice)
Bobbi Page	...	Princess YumYum (Majestic Films version) / Additional voices (Miramax version) (voice)
Steve Lively	...	Tack the Cobbler (Majestic Films version) / Additional voices (Miramax version) (voice)
Ed E. Carroll	...	The Thief (Majestic Films version) / Additional voices (Miramax version) (voice) (as Ed. E. Carroll)
Clive Revill	...	King Nod (re-edited versions) (voice)
Mona Marshall	...	Nurse (Majestic Films version) / Witch (Majestic Films version) / Additional voices (Miramax version) (voice)
Joan Sims	...	Mad and Holy Old Witch (voice)
Kevin Dorsey	...	Mighty One-Eye (re-edited versions) (voice)
Donald Pleasence	...	Phido the Vulture (original and Majestic Films version) / Additional voices (Miramax version) (voice)
Stanley Baxter	...	Gofer / Slap (voice)
Kenneth Williams	...	Goblet / Tickle (voice)
Clinton Sundberg	...	Dying Soldier (voice)
Windsor Davies	...	Chief Roofless (voice)
Frederick Shaw	...	Goolie (voice)
Thick Wilson	...	Hook (voice)

Storyline

When Tack upsets ZigZag the Vizier, the wizard drags him off to the royal castle, where Princess YumYum falls for the bashful boy and saves him from execution. Unfortunately, ZigZag plans to marry the Princess in order to succeed her father, King Nod. The Thief, meanwhile, is more interested in gold than love and takes off with the protective orbs topping the palace. Together, Tack and YumYum attempt to retrieve them in order to prevent ZigZag and the One-Eye army from conquering the city.

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Plot Keywords:

unfinished film | surrealism | surreal | king | baghdad | 

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Williams had before experimented with shots animated by hand to move in three dimensions with characters, including several shots in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)'s opening sequence. With this movie, Williams began planning several sequences to feature a greater use of this animation technique, including Tack and the Thief's palace chase. This was achieved all without computer graphics imagery. According to rumors, Williams approached The Thief with a live-action point of view coming off of Roger Rabbit. Williams was creating extra footage and extending sequences to trim down later and that he would have edited down the workprint he later assembled.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the song "She Is More," when the Nanny puts the veil on Princess Yum-Yum, we can clearly see that there isn't a feather on the crown she is wearing. But in the very next shot, a feather suddenly appears atop the crown.

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Quotes

The Thief: Hey! Two trees on the edge of an impossible-to-climb cliff - perfect!

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Crazy Credits

The end credits for the "Princess and the Cobbler" version use the standard Dolby Stereo logo, though a trailer for it uses the Dolby Stereo SR logo, but the American prints of "Arabian Knight" use the Dolby Stereo SR logo instead.

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Alternate Versions

An unofficial video reconstruction has been created in 2006. It consists of footage from a first generation videotape of the first work-print, the "Princess and the Cobbler" work-print, a pan & scan DVD of the completed "Princess" cut, and a wide-screen DVD of the Miramax "Arabian Knight" version. Whenever possible, the Miramax cut is used to fill in as higher quality footage. The pan & scan DVD is sometimes overlaid over the work-print to allow the highest quality given the limited resources. Finally, the original audio is kept such as the music, original voices, keeping Tack and The Thief silent. This is meant to reflect the original intended version.

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Connections

References Battleship Potemkin (1925)

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Soundtracks

Bom Bom Bom Beem Bom (That's What Happens When You Don't Go to School)
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Music by Robert Folk
Performed by "The Brigands": Randy Crenshaw, Kevin Dorsey, Roger Freeland, Nick Jameson, Bob Joyce, Jon Joyce, Kerry Katz, Ted King, Michael Lanning, Raymond McLeod, Rick Nelson (as Rick Charles Nelson), Scott Rummell (as Scott Rummel)

User Reviews

Probably the most bold feat in animation history.

I can't stand this film being so obscure. It was a 30-year-old labor of love that Richard Williams promised to be the greatest animated film ever, before it was taken away by his creditors. All he cared about was the perfection of the art, rather than the restrictions of schedules and budgets. What happened to the movie was awful, but the remaining animation shines through, greatly. I, for one, was very upset with the release of the Miramax version on DVD, with only pan and scan, and a lack of extras. It was an insult to the original version. I really hope the restoration project is revived soon. A fully restored Director's cut is my on and only "Dream DVD". That film really changed my life and outlook on animation. It deserves more recognition and it's a great learning exercise for animators. Stay away from the Miramax version.

Details

Country:

UK USA Canada Taiwan Ireland China Hong Kong Thailand

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arabian Knight

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$319,723, 27 August 1995

Gross USA:

$669,276

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$669,276

Company Credits

Production Co:

Richard Williams Productions, Allied Filmmakers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (workprint) 80 min (The Princess and the Cobbler) 74 min (Arabian Knight)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR (theatrical print) Dolby Digital (theatrical print)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1