This film (full version below) is a great example of traditional animation skills by Richard Williams and is a must see for animation students. Packed full of incredible signature techniques & styles. Although unfinished, the film is nevertheless a fascinating and brilliant animation and the story of it’s production is worth a read. *by C.H
The Thief and the Cobbler is a British animated fantasy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Canadian animator Richard Williams. The film is famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. Due to independent funding and complex animation, The Thief and the Cobbler was in and out of production for over two decades. It was finally placed into full production in 1988 when Warner Bros. agreed to finance and distribute the film.[3] Negotiations broke down when production went over budget and behind schedule. Warner Bros. pulled out and a completion bond company assumed control of The Thief and the Cobbler. The film was re-edited and restructured by producer Fred Calvert without Williams’s involvement; these new versions would be known as The Princess and the Cobbler and Arabian Knight, a version released by Miramax with even more changes made.
Over the years, people and companies including The Walt Disney Company’s Roy E. Disney, have discussed restoring the film as closely as possible to its original version. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences archived Richard Williams’ own 35mm workprint of the film and screened a digital transfer. Williams himself acknowledged the film’s rehabilitated reputation, thanks to projects like the popular fan edit, The Recobbled Cut, and a 2012 documentary of the film’s production, Persistence of Vision.[4]
With The Thief and the Cobbler being in production from 1964 until 1995, a total of 31 years, it surpasses the 20-year Guinness record[5] by Tiefland (1954), eventually having the longest production time for a motion picture of all time. The film was also the final appearances of Sir Anthony Quayle, who died in 1989, and Vincent Price, died in 1993.
source: wikipedia