Original hand painted production animation cels 1) Prince John & Sir Hiss numbered 19 lower right w/production numbers & Disney seal lower right; 2) Sheriff of Nottingham numbered 467 lower right; Both from "Robin Hood," 1973; Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Framed with silver and grey wood frame and fillet, suede acid free mat, and UV conservation clear glass.

"Squeeze every last drop out of those insolent musical peasants." - Prince John

"Robin Hood" was the twenty-first full length animated film released by Walt Disney Studios on November 8, 1973. Robin Hood is an anthropomorphic fox and the protagonist of the film. Although Robin Hood is often shown as an outlaw who chooses to rob from the rich to help the poor people, in this Disney animated version, he is shown mainly attacking Prince John and his agents (Sir Hiss and the Sheriff of Nottingham), who have impoverished Nottingham with high taxes. Robin Hood and Little John steal the tax caravans and give it back to the peasants while trying to avoid capture.

All the characters in Disney's version of "Robin Hood" were played by animals. Prince John was a lion, Sir Hiss (no surprise) was a snake, and the Sheriff of Nottingham was a wolf. Prince John was voiced by the great and deep voiced Peter Ustinov, Sir Hiss by Terry-Thomas (who's hissing speech was masterful), and both were animated by Ollie Johnston. The on-screen presence of the two together is just wonderful and Johnston's animation skills, at this point, are top notch! The personalities are different and distinct, as are the ways the two different characters move and interact. Kaa from a prior film "Jungle Book" must have been a nice starting point in order to allow Sir Hiss to show more emotion and expression.

The Sheriff of Nottingham was voiced by Pat Buttram and animated by Milt Kahl. Pat Buttram's voice was just so wonderful and he had an extraordinary career. He was Gene Autry's sidekick and I remember him as Mr. Haney in the television show "Green Acres." He voiced several characters for Disney Studios but my favorites were Napoleon the hound dog in "The Aristocats" and of course the evil and cruel Sheriff of Nottingham.

For any Disney Villain or animation collector, this is exactly the cel set-up you want for your collection. Here are all three of the Villains together in one frame from "Robin Hood;" Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. All three characters are eyes open and in this two cel set-up, Prince John is furious over the mocking song about him:

Sheriff of Nottingham: "But, but Sire, it's a big hit. The whole village is singing it."
Prince John: "Oh, they are, are they? Well, they'll be singing a different tune. Double the taxes! Triple the taxes
[grabs Sir Hiss by the neck]
Prince John: "Squeeze every last drop out of those insolent musical peasants."