It's such a shame the film was never completed. It's truly a masterpiece of animation, it goes without saying. I hope whatever the issues are, they can be resolved so that the film can be finished and sold on DVD (with the great added bonus behind the scenes/making of features!) :-)
From Wikipedia...
"The Thief and the Cobbler is an animated feature film, famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. The film was conceived by Canadian animator Richard Williams, who worked 28 years on the project. Beginning production in 1964, Williams intended The Thief and the Cobbler to be his masterpiece, and a milestone in the art of animation. Due to its independent funding and complex animation, The Thief and the Cobbler was in and out of production for over two decades, until Williams, buoyed by his success as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, signed a deal in 1990 to have Warner Bros. finance and distribute the film. This deal fell through because of Warner Bros. disliking a rough cut of the film, Disney's Aladdin appearing as competition and Williams failing to complete the film on time. As Warner Bros. pulled out, The Completion Bond Company assumed control of The Thief and the Cobbler and had it finished by producer Fred Calvert without Williams.
In the process, Calvert completely re-edited the film, removing many of Williams' scenes and adding songs and voiceovers, in order to make it more marketable. Two versions were released: One was issued in Australia and South Africa in 1993 as The Princess and the Cobbler and the other in the United States in 1995 as Arabian Knight (later released under the film's original name, The Thief and the Cobbler, on home video), distributed by Miramax Family Films. Neither was a financial success nor met with a positive reception. However, the film's history and intent has given it significant cult status among animation professionals and fans. As many animators from the Golden Age of animation were involved, the development of the film also played a significant role in preserving the knowledge and skill of animation for the newer generation of animators.
Video copies of a workprint made during Richard Williams' involvement of the film often circulate within animation subcircles. In addition, several different people and collectives, from animation fans to The Walt Disney Company's Roy E. Disney, have initiated restoration projects intended to create a high-quality edit of the film which would mirror Williams' original intent as closely as possible. With The Thief and the Cobbler being in production from 1964 until 1995, a total of 31 years, it surpasses the 20 year Guinness record by Tiefland (1954), eventually having the longest production time for a motion picture of all time.
The film was the final appearance of Vincent Price (d. 1993), who recorded his dialogue from 1967 to 1973."
The Thief Archive via Michael Sporn
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