I saw "The Princess and the Cobbler" in an Australian cinema in 1993. I gather that this version is much the same, but not entirely; and that Australian (and, for some reason, South African) audiences got to see a bit more footage than everyone else. Maybe I'm wrong about this. I do know that, in a sense, this movie doesn't exist: there's just a lot of footage and more or less apt ways of putting it together.
Forget the ways of putting it together: the footage is great, some of the most sumptuous and witty animation you will ever see. I don't know how to plead its case without making a false impression. "Sumptuous", might, to some people, suggest a kind of misguided photo-realism - but no, the drawings are beautifully stylised. "Witty" and "stylised" sounds a bit like code for that kind of animation whose only distinction is its cheapness - but no, clearly a lot of work and detail has gone into the animation. Perhaps I can put it best by saying that the villain has six fingers and blue skin; but he's so convincingly animated that I was halfway through my second viewing before I noticed either fact.
"The Thief and the Cobbler" was one of the earlier, more appropriate titles. It's the only title I've heard that accurately describes the story. It's not a bad story. And the thief is a wonderful character. For his sake I would put up with any number of trite lyrics like, "She is more than this / She is more / So much more / She is more than this."
Forget I quoted those words. Watch it - and bemoan the fact that you can't watch it on a wide screen.
Forget the ways of putting it together: the footage is great, some of the most sumptuous and witty animation you will ever see. I don't know how to plead its case without making a false impression. "Sumptuous", might, to some people, suggest a kind of misguided photo-realism - but no, the drawings are beautifully stylised. "Witty" and "stylised" sounds a bit like code for that kind of animation whose only distinction is its cheapness - but no, clearly a lot of work and detail has gone into the animation. Perhaps I can put it best by saying that the villain has six fingers and blue skin; but he's so convincingly animated that I was halfway through my second viewing before I noticed either fact.
"The Thief and the Cobbler" was one of the earlier, more appropriate titles. It's the only title I've heard that accurately describes the story. It's not a bad story. And the thief is a wonderful character. For his sake I would put up with any number of trite lyrics like, "She is more than this / She is more / So much more / She is more than this."
Forget I quoted those words. Watch it - and bemoan the fact that you can't watch it on a wide screen.