The Thief and The Cobbler

The Thief and the Cobbler is a 1993 British animated fantasy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Canadian animator Richard Williams. The film is famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. Williams 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 independent funding and its 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 1988 to have Warner Bros. finance and distribute the film. However, negotiations broke down when production went over budget and behind schedule and Williams was unable to complete the film on time. As Warner Bros. later pulled out, The Completion Bond Company assumed control of The Thief and the Cobbler and had it finished by producer Fred Calvert without Williams' involvement.

In the process, Calvert completely re-edited the film, removing many of Williams' scenes and adding songs and voice-overs, to make it more marketable. The revised final film was split into two alternate versions and they were released as followed: 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 title, The Thief and the Cobbler, on home video). The Princess version was distributed by Majestic Films International and Arabian Knight by Miramax Family Films. Although neither version was a box office success, the film's history and intent has developed into a cult film among animation professionals and fans. As several 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 an unfinished workprint made during Williams' involvement in the film often circulate within animation subcircles, and this workprint gives a good idea of Williams' original intent for the film. Over the years, people and companies including The Walt Disney Company's Roy E. Disney, have discussed restoring the film as closely as possible to its original intended version, but none of these projects have come to pass. In 2006, filmmaker Garrett Gilchrist released an unofficial restoration known as The Recobbled Cut to the internet, intending 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, upon release, the final appearance of Vincent Price (died 1993), who recorded his dialogue from 1967 to 1973, and the final appearance of Sir Anthony Quayle, who died in 1989.