Synopsis: The Thief and the Cobbler is one of my favourite animated films of all time, and it was directed by Richard Williams. It is about a nameless Thief who wants to take jewels and gold and a cobbler named Tack who falls in love with the Princess. Though they have completely different goals, their paths meet in unexpected ways.
Production of this film began in the mid 1960s. This film was meant to be the greatest animated film of all time, and Richard Williams worked hard with his team to animate beautiful scenes on ones, meaning they were animated at 24 frames per second.
Unfortunately because of budget issues and the inability to meet deadlines, this film was taked away from Richard Williams and was butchered for a release by Disney after Aladdin's release, making it seem like a rip off of Aladdin despite Aladdin actually copying from The Thief and the Cobbler.
My thoughts: First, I want to say that my favourite character in this film is Zigzag the Grand Vizier. He speaks entirely in rhyme and is hilarious.
One of my favourite things about this film is the fact that the interest of this film comes from its production and not its plot content. The animations are stunning, but many of them haven't been finished or found in high quality. There is work to be done to restore and recreate this film which makes it a living, breathing work of art.
The Princess and the Cobbler
The first release of this film was Fred Calvert's cut called The Princess and the Cobbler which included new voice actors, some censored scenes, and musical songs. Also, while the main characters were designed to be mute, this version of the film had one of the characters speak.
A workprint of this version is available to watch.
Arabian Knight
Then, the Miramax version of the film was released under the name Arabian Knight. This version had new voice actors and made the other mute character narrate things in his head. Newer releases of this cut are titled The Thief and the Cobbler.
I have four copies of this version: the 1997 VHS, a promotional demo VHS, the 2011 DVD, and a laserdisc!
The Recobbled Cut
The Recobbled Cut was created by Garrett Gilchrist in an attempt to piece together every bit of animation created made for this film in the way Richard Williams would have wanted it.
This was based on Richard Williams's workprint.
El Zapatero y La Princesa
This is the first part of the Spanish version of the film that is titled "The Shoemaker and the Princess".
Le Voleur et le Cordonnier
This is the 1995 French version of the film that was based on the Miramax cut.
I also have this on VHS!
공주와 도둑
This is the first part of the Korean version of the film that is strangely titled "The Princess and the Thief" even though the characters have nothing to do with each other.
I've seen some Korean version name it "욤욤 공주와 도둑", or "Princess Yom Yom and the Thief", with the Korean title logo in green awkwardly pasted on top of the original "Thief and the Cobbler" title logo when it shows up at the beginning of the film. For some reason, I can't find footage of it anymore. I should have a screenshot of it though because I remember talking about it on Instagram. If anyone here happens to find the video, please let me know!
I have this on DVD!
アラビアンナイト
This is the Japanese version of the film which had some of the most high quality widescreen footage that was used in the Recobbled Cut. This version is titled "Arabian Knight" like the original Miramax cut.