The Thief And The Cobbler (1995) ****

Stylistically, this is one of the greatest animated films ever made. Edward Summer called it "a modern reinterpretation of Persian design: succulently colorful, whimsically minimal in character design, phantasmagorically rich in background detail". Unfortunately, the film (whose production started in 1968) was taken away from director Richard Williams, re-edited by Fred Calvert and released by Miramax in August 1995 as "Arabian Knight". It was a monumental flop, due to a wrongheaded marketing campaign which advertised it as a Disney-like fairy tale musical for children (similar to "Aladdin"), while in fact it's a sophisticated, avant-garde cult movie for adults. The re-editing seriously weakens the plotline, but Richard William's magnificent animation and background art remain intact. Songs:

"She Is More" **
"Am I Feeling Love" *
"Bom Bom Bom Beem Bom" **
"It's So Amazing" *