The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) on Netflix
G19931h 12mActionAdventureAnimation
Three golden balls atop the Golden City's minaret keep the kingdom safe. A nameless Thief eyes them. The Grand Vizier Zigzag has a cobbler named Tack arrested, and Princess Yum-Yum saves him.
- Watch on NetflixThis title is not on Netflix right now. Please check back later for updates.
- Watch on Prime
- Watch on NordVPN
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb7.1/105,409 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes50%
Trailer
Plot summary
In the Golden City, deep in the Arabian desert, King Nod rules and three golden balls atop the tallest minaret keep destruction at bay, as a prophecy warns. A cobbler named Tack and a nameless Thief both live within its walls. The Thief slips into Tack's house and the two end up stitched together, spilling tacks into the street, where the Grand Vizier Zigzag steps on one and has Tack arrested. The Thief, who has his eye on the golden balls, escapes. At the palace, Princess Yum-Yum rescues Tack by asking him to mend a shoe she breaks. Zigzag wants the throne and the princess for himself. Beyond the city walls, the one-eyed One-Eyes, led by Mighty One-Eye, intend to destroy the Golden City.
Cast
- Steve Livelyas Tack the Cobbler (Majestic Films version)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Thief and the Cobbler (1993)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In 1978 Saudi Arabian prince Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud agreed to fund a ten-minute test sequence with a budget of $100,000; the studio missed two deadlines and the scene was completed in late 1979 for $250,000, and Faisal backed out over the missed deadlines and budgetary overruns despite liking the finished scene.
- Williams agreed to direct the animation on Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg's Who Framed Roger Rabbit in order to get financing for The Thief and the Cobbler and finally finish it; Roger Rabbit became a blockbuster hit and won Williams two Oscars.
- According to Richard Williams, Sean Connery was set to record the cobbler Tack's one line but never showed up at the studio, so the line was performed by a friend of his wife's instead. Connery stayed credited as Tack in the Recobbled Cut end credits before being removed.
- One of the longest production times in film history left this the final film for animators Ken Harris, Grim Natwick and Art Babbitt and for actors Kenneth Williams, Sir Anthony Quayle and Vincent Price, who died in 1993, one month after the film's initial release.
- Walt Disney Feature Animation meanwhile began work on Aladdin, which bore striking resemblances in story, style and character; the character Zigzag shares many physical characteristics with both Aladdin's villain Jafar and its Genie, animated by Williams Studio alumni Andreas Deja and Eric Goldberg.
- The test animation of Princess Yum-Yum seen in the released versions was traced from the live-action film Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, using a scene with actress Rekha, and her design was changed slightly later on in production.
- Tomm Moore said that he and some college friends were inspired by Richard Williams's unfinished masterpiece and by the Disney movie Mulan when they shaped the traditional-art style of his three Irish animated films, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers.
