Thief And The Cobbler, The – Recobbled Cut

Absolutely love this animation, and seeing it in as full and close to the creators vision as possible is fantastic. These sequences are mind boggling and truly awesome, and some of the most unique and boundary pushing animation I’ve seen, and I expect no less from the man behind the animation of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Fantastic.

A fascinating look into what could have been. I wrote a full review on Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/3OY7AJ

But basically, this edit is an incredible accomplishment, rivaling the Star Wars Despecialized Editions as being one of the most important fan edits to ever exist. Anyone studying animation or is interested in it should watch this film, and the documentary based on it called "Persistence of Vision".

Probably nothing could have fixed how incoherent the story is, even Richard Williams himself couldn't in time, but thankfully it remains an incredible piece of art that challenges conventions, especially when it comes to animation.

January 30, 2010 @ 5:22 am

I am the president of my school’s animation club, and this week we watched TTATC: Recobbled Cut. Even with its rough and unfinished patches, the movie blew my mind. It really makes me sad to think that we may never see a truly finished version of this lost masterpiece, but even if this masturful fanedit is the closest we’ll ever get to seeing Richard Williams’ original vision, it’s still an amazing piece of film that every animation fan and student needs to see. It’s really sad that Williams has disowned this movie, because it truly is a masterpiece even in its rough state right up there with the likes of Snow White and The Secret of NIMH… Possibly even moreso.

I really do hope that with Disney being under new management, John Lassiter in all of his awesomeness will revisit Roy Disney’s plans to restore and finish this movie. The Thief and the Cobbler was concieved as a labor of love, and it will take a labor of love to see it finished. The Recobbled cut is very much a labor of love for a film that never got a fair chance at success, and I am glad that I can now have and share this lost classic with my friends and family even if it is never truly finished.

March 22, 2009 @ 2:10 pm

I’ve commented on linktalk, but i have to comment here too. This is absolutely incredible! Amazing skills are most definitely seen as you watch this edit. The integration of the different materials available into this one PERFECT version. Really loved it. Honestly really good.

The Thief and the Cobbler's decades-long production is one of the most incredibly sad Hollywood stories about a determined and talented filmmaker getting reamed at the last minute by impatient producers. The final cuts of Thief were dismal messes complete with hastily written and badly sung songs that were never intended to exist and the addition of unnecessary voice acting tacked on to the two initially silent protagonists. To add insult to injury, the whole project was ironically passed off as a rip-off of Aladdin by critics when in fact the opposite was true.

It's no wonder Richard Williams never again spoke of his destroyed dream and faded from show business after its release.

Then Garrett Gilchrist came in and used everything in his power and on the cutting room floor to give this tragic tale a bittersweet ending with this well thought out and intricately cared for edit that is by far the closest to Williams's vision to date.

A/V Quality: 10
-Visual Editing: 10
Now, this isn't to say that this edit was seamless; it couldn't possibly be. This gets a 10 because Gilchrist's gumption and drive to reinsert storyboards and uncolored workprints with the help of some of the actual animation team is to be an inspiration for years to come. I can't tell you what frames Gilchrist photoshopped, either, they fit so well. The use of Calvert's footage was indeed noticeable, but unfortunately completely unavoidable.

-Audio Editing: 10
The titular thief and cobbler no longer speak (with the exception of one brilliant final line from Tack), just as Williams wanted. Deleted voice acting from Vincent Price in particular struck me as downright important, not to mention respectful of the terrific actor.

Narrative: 10
The story is back on track and remains simple and timeless (and thankfully song free). The painstakingly crafted visual segments are wonderful and mesmerizing. This would have been a classic had it been finished.

Enjoyment: 10
Garret Gilchrist did something that needed to be done, and he did it well. There's really nothing more I can say there. This is proof that fan editing isn't just fun. Sometimes it's vital.