The Thief & The Cobbler: ReCobbled Cut

Post by **Ben** » September 5th, 2006, 6:14 pm

ShyViolet wrote:It still completely amazes me how much of the film's design (characters and scenery) resembles Disney's Aladdin!

I am completly nuts about the Scheherazade Arabian Nights music in the background...

Well, Aladdin resembles Cobbler, lest us forget!

And I've loved the Scheherazade Suite since being a little nipper - my mum used it to send me to sleep when I was younger!

That and Beethoven.

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 5th, 2006, 9:15 pm

How about Tchaikovsky?

Funny, thinking about the Scheherazade suite and classical music, does anyone remember how the Smurfs cartoon actually cut up bits of classical themes and used it as the background score for their episodes?

From what I can remember they used Scheherazade, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and a couple of others.

Well, Aladdin resembles Cobbler, lest us forget!

Right...that's what I meant.

I think the Disney artists must have seen footage of Cobbler...the resemblence is way too strong. (the streets, the Thief sliding off the roofs, warm colors used, and of course Zig-Zag!

. He even had a telescope/crystal ball thingy just like Jafar, and a pet bird!)

I can kinda see why WB "panicked" and basically scrapped the film (although I still think it was a lousy, stupid thing to do).

The way things are nowadays, if Cobbler was relased, some people might say: "Oh, this film is just an Aladdin rip-off!"

(I'm a bit embarassed to admit that when it was released as "Arabian Nights" in 1993, those were my first thoughts at the time.

)

Post by **Ben** » September 6th, 2006, 10:31 am

They DID see footage, not "must have".

That's why WB panicked...they thought it would be seen as an Aladdin rip-off, and to those that didn't know the story, that's how the mangled version ended up playing.

Yup, I liked Tchaikovsky too! And Mozart, and...

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 6th, 2006, 6:35 pm

Plus, and I couldn't believe this--the Cobbler promo actually referred to Zig-Zag as "the evil royal vizier"!

(Who wants to marry the princess so he can become Sultan. And puts people under his hypnotic spells. Oooookayyyyyy......

)

I still love Aladdin though (which I think was originally named "Arabian Nights"

)

Also, I read on IMDB trivia that the Thief was a charicature of Richard Williams. Is this true?

Also, this may be a dumb question, but:

I understand that in one of the mangled versions of this film, characters who were supposed to be silent were suddenly given voices. (Matthew Broaderick and Jonathan Winters) But how did that work exactly? Didn't people notice that the mouths weren't moving--or was new animation suddenly added on to make it look like they were talking?

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 6th, 2006, 10:48 pm

OK one more thing:

I found a really old thread where we first discussed this: both Ben and George recounted much of the history of this film.

http://www.animated-news.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=390

According to Ben, this film was actually called "Once" at one point. (as in Once Upon A Time)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that title!

Post by **Ben** » September 7th, 2006, 9:20 am

Nope, "Once" was the title for a while since Williams said he could only pull off and go through such a process..."once".

But it's a great title

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 10th, 2006, 4:49 pm

They DID see footage, not "must have".

Yeah...I read in one book that Williams got in trouble once because he took a bunch of them out to see part of his film and didn't realize that they had to sign out for the day and get permission. He was like: "Oh, well, I'm not a corporate guy, I don't understand things like that."

But it's a great title Smile

Thanks.

Post by **Ben** » September 10th, 2006, 8:16 pm

ShyViolet wrote:
But it's a great title Smile
Thanks.

??????

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 10th, 2006, 8:52 pm

Oh sorry....I misunderstood. I know I didn't make it up of course but I thought you meant the idea of having it represent "Once Upon A Time" was a good title/idea.

Post by **Ben** » September 11th, 2006, 9:19 am

Nah, I liked the way Williams used it, as in that this was a "Once" in a lifetime project for him.

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 11th, 2006, 6:16 pm

Yeah but he wasn't planning to keep that title, was he?

Post by **Ben** » September 11th, 2006, 6:44 pm

I think for the few weeks it was the title, he had every intention.

The film went many title changes (under Williams and then sadly of course after him), but always went back to The Thief And The Cobbler in the end, which is why it eventually stuck.

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 12th, 2006, 10:33 am

I also think calling it "The Princess and the Cobbler" really wasn't such a great idea, partly because (I don't think) the princess had THAT big a role in the film?? (I guess it was done after Williams got booted off the project.) Also...

I think in 1993 ANOTHER film came out (which probably no one remembers) called "The Princess and the Goblin." Never seen it, just remember it coming out.

Post by **Ben** » September 12th, 2006, 6:35 pm

That's a terrible movie!

Post by **ShyViolet** » September 13th, 2006, 5:55 pm

So I guess the similar titles couldn't have been very good for Thief either!

Shame....