#Reynard is the OG furry but yall aint ready for that conversation

[dellinah]

Uh so someone mentioned my awakening I mean Robin Hood

Disney's Robin Hood actually started out as an adaptation of this old tale called 'Reynard (Renart) the fox', which was meant to be a movie about this anthro fox called Reynard (duh) but somewhere along the way they dropped that idea and adapted Robin Hood instead, only keeping the anthro designs from the original concept years later. Apparently they thought Reynard was too much of a bad example to be a hero and used Robin Hood instead. And I mean, I don't disagree, but then again hardly any disney movies' inspirations were good to begin with (anyone remember how sleeping beauty had rape in it...? Rapunzel's prince had his eyes plucked out? Hamlet freaking dies?) So like. Not that good of an excuse imo. They could change it they were just LAZY

The tale of Reynard is actually a bunch of old french stories about a fox that bullshits his way out of confusion to save his ass, basically. And it was popular enough in France that his name now is the word for Fox (Renart) as opposed to the actual word for fox that was used before (which I assume was rusé but I learned french with my mom who isn't a native speaker so don't quote me on that)

Anyway. Apparently Reynard's uncle was a wolf (which is also the main antagonist of the tales and probably the inspiration for the wolf in Robin Hood), so... I mean I guess Foxes are closer to Wolves than Lions, so maybe there was a hybrid there somewhere along the way, but I'm just saying, different species being relatives goes a long way back. So marriage ties? Adoption? Anything goes. So while Marian being a lion is a great AU idea, the concept of her being a vixen isn't THAT unlikely, or even something Disney pulled out of their butt. Their source material had different species being relatives back in the 1400's

Also Reynard has an affair with his uncle's wife so you get small male fox with big woman wolf. Just look at the scale of those irl and you'll see how big the difference is. Not a lion, buy close enough?

(And she's also his aunt so sweet home alabama. But I choose to ignore that part bc its gross)

Now I am personally very fond of Disney's Robin Hood and not bc it awoke things in me but I am more of the opinion that if it aint broke don't fix it, yknow? Especially with how great the animation is in the original one and how Robin's voice is way hotter than it had any right to be and I'm ever so grateful it inspired Zootopia. But I like it as it is. I like it a lot. Love me a disney movie where they almost hang someone

So as much I like I like Odin's sugestion of a Zootopia-like remake, I would much prefer for Disney to FINALLY get that Reynard movie out of their system, if they must do anything Robin Hood-related. Just give me SOMETHING NEW. And finally give this centuries-old tale a good, modern twist (we don't talk about the 2005 movie. I grew up with that one and I don't talk about it). Sure, they'll have to change and adapt a bunch of stuff if they ever do that, but isnt that what Disney always did anyway?

Just make Reynard a cunning fox with a good heart. Maybe start him out as a villain and have a redemption arc. They CAN make that happen regardless of how unfriendly the original material is. And then give him a wolf lover instead and you have what yall wanted Marian to be.

And maybe do things right, for once, and make that in 2D like it's meant to. Ofc that's never going to happen. But yknow...

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

Also anyone gonna talk about how Prince John doesnt have a mane and that happens with castrated male lions so that means its cannon he has lost his balls? No? Ok

Patience, my dear. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder. — Or forgetful. Robin Hood (1973) dir. Wolfgang Reitherman