From a studio perspective, finishing and properly releasing it would be a lucrative venture. In 1994, the film was written off as an "Aladdin" rip-off. Today, however, it would be epic. No matter when it was was first released, "The Thief and the Cobbler" was conceived as -- and is -- an animated classic. They could market it as "the movie 50 years in the making." There could be collector's edition boxed sets with remastered version of every cut of the movie and a wealth of extras (many of which have already been leaked by private collectors). There's character merchandising and countless other tie-ins that they could make a buck on.
And I had another thought while watching this recently... If they were to finish it and give it a proper theatrical release (which it is absolutely is deserving of), it probably wouldn't take a lot to strike some 3-D prints. Even in 2-D, the lush, multi-plane Richard Williams footage is practically in 3-D. I still contend the 3-D fad is going to fizzle out (it's a fad that comes and goes every few decades), but in digital clarity with 3-D effects, the film would be breathtaking. Plus 3D means higher ticket prices, which puts more profit in the studio's pocket.
It just makes sense to give the movie the release it deserves, cuz God knows, they're not reaping many rewards from the version that's widely available.
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bnitsch-1
14 years ago
I'm not entirely sure an official restoration will ever emerge. The "Recobbled Cut" is the closest we are going to get.
Roy Disney has passed away, and the fact that this movie was stolen and recut left Richard Williams so heartbroken, he quit producing animation and to this day he refuses to even make mention of the film's existence.
Ryan N.
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