Dashing outlaws and dastardly lawmen collide once again in Disney's appropriately scrappy, talking animal production of a well-worn literary tale. Smartly cast as a thrifty, roguish fox, Robin Hood is the charismatic engine that drives the whole affair. Whether athletically embarrassing palace guards in public, lifting a stash of the king's gold on the sly or winking at gobsmacked kids to share a taste of the day's thrills, he's a mesmerizing character. Dare I say, the animated version is right in-line with Errol Flynn's timeless, entrancing live-action take from thirty-odd years prior. One glance at Robin's optimistic vigor and never-say-die attitude and it's tough to look elsewhere.

After a few lean years, Disney's animation department seems to have turned a corner with Robin Hood. They still take some artistic shortcuts - this film's become notorious for its use of repurposed shots from prior features, plus its copy-and-paste stock animations - but the workmanship is top-notch, bursting with life and detail and smooth, extravagant flourishes in motion. There's an energy to this picture, both in action and appearance, that smooths over most of the rough edges. It's not top-shelf material - neither as ambitious, nor as miraculous as the daunting epics of the studio's past - but few are. As innocent, inoffensive, swashbuckling adventures go, one could do a whole lot worse.