The Thief and the Cobbler - DVD Release - Completed Version - Uncut - Unedited

The purpose of this petition is to help influence those in power to release a completed version, abiding by Richard Williams' (animation director of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?") dream for the film, of "The Thief and the Cobbler". You may know of this film by the name "Arabian Knight" which was distributed in United States theaters in 1995 by Miramax. In 1968, Richard Williams began work on The Thief and the Cobbler, financing all the work on the film himself. The film to this day actually holds the world record for the longest production schedule of any film ever released, 28 years. In the early 1990's, Warner Bros. stepped in to help finance the film and help Williams complete his vision. But, due to Williams' long production schedules, he was fired from his own project. The film was handed over to a Korean animation company to finish the fifteen minutes that remained to be animated. Disney stepped in and bought the rights for the film (which would eventually be distributed by Miramax) and compiled a very sloppy, edited version of the film (with the inclusion of three song sequences and inclusion of dialogue spoken by the two main characters who remained speechless in the original film). The film received poor reviews and had poor reception at the box office. The film was panned off as an "Aladdin" rip-off, even though all the characters in Disney's "Aladdin" are pretty much exact look-alikes of the characters in "The Thief and the Cobbler".

What we are asking is for the current owners of this film, Disney, to either sell the rights to another company who will help Williams finish what he intended for the film, or you personally finance to help get a completed version of this film out there. We ask that the song sequences be removed and the dialogue by the main two characters be removed. We ask for the removed footage (the suffering King, the throne sequence, the Witch, the Thief getting caught stealing and being sentenced to have his hands cut off, and any other unfinished work print footage) to be put back in the film and completed.

Richard Williams' "The Thief and the Cobbler" is a mastermind vision of animation. It is regretful that because of those who have the most influence in the industry that the original concept of this film has not seen the light of day other than in a bootlegged work print version.

By signing this petition, you are agreeing that you are a supporter of Richard Williams and his vision, and that you will purchase the film on DVD if it is ever released in its completed format.