I was looking for a small project that had enough mileage for me to be able to produce both characters and also a rich environment for them to sit in. Enter, Robin Hood. I selected the famous moment when Robin hood encounters Little John for the first time, described below in one of the 17th century Robin Hood ballads.
'Thou talkst like a coward,' the stranger reply'd;
'Well armd with a long bow, you stand,
To shoot at my breast, while I, I protest,
Have nought but a staff in my hand.'
From The English and Scottish Popular Ballads
by Francis James Child, 1888.
by Francis James Child, 1888.
Despite its popularity the Robin Hood mythology has only spawned one notable animated adaptation so I felt there was room for me to explore new versions of the characters without treading on the toes of previous incarnations.
The reverence that has been built up surrounding Sherwood forest allowed for a nicely atmospheric depiction without feeling too far removed from the English countryside.
