- “You know something, Robin? I was just wondering: are we good guys or bad guys? You know, I mean, uh, our robbing the rich to feed the poor.”
- ―Little John questioning if he and Robin Hood are good or bad guys
Little John is a brown bear and is one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Maid Marian) in Disney's 1973 animated feature film Robin Hood. He is Robin Hood's loyal sidekick and best friend.
Background[]
Personality[]
Nothing is known regarding Little John's past. However, he is the best friend and sidekick to Robin Hood. Little John appears to be more cautious than Robin Hood and often reminds his friend of the potential consequences of his plans. However, Little John is shown to be extremely loyal to his friend, going so far as to threaten Prince John when the tyrant sentences Robin to death for treason. When not participating in one of Robin's plans, Little John is shown to be fairly laid back, while also offering good advice to Robin.
Abilities[]
Like Robin Hood, Little John is talented with disguises. His two disguises seen include a fortune teller, and a Duke called Sir Reginald. He later impersonates the Sheriff of Nottingham. When fighting, he is seen using various weapons, including a quarterstaff, and a dagger. He appears to have some familiarity with archery, as he is seen using one during the jailbreak sequence.
He is shown to be a skilled fighter since he punched the Sheriff with ease and defeated many of Prince John's rhino guards.
Appearances[]
Robin Hood[]
Little John is often seen alongside Robin Hood, first escaping from the Sheriff of Nottingham and his posse. Despite the successful escape, Little John worries about being captured and hanged. He later attempts to cite a law against robbing royalty to try to get out of robbing Prince John. However, he assists Robin in the robbery of Prince John while disguised as a fortune teller. While Robin is in the royal coach with the Prince, Little John remains outside and steals gold from a large chest as well as the gold hubcaps of the coach.
Later on, he is seen in a hideout he shares with Robin, trying to encourage the lovesick Robin to propose to Maid Marian, whom Robin is in love with. He then gets upset with Robin for not paying attention when he was supposed to be tending to the fire, annoyingly saying "Aw man, you burnt the chow!" Robin seems unconcerned about the blackened food and dismisses the suggestion of engagement, claiming his outlaw status would not fit life with Marian. Little John somewhat sarcastically remarks for Robin to think of something, for he sure is not going to impress Marian with his cooking abilities (as John annoying adds spices to try to salvage his dinner). When Friar Tuck arrives at the hideout and delivers news about Prince John's archery tournament with a winning prize being a kiss from Marian, Little John notes that Robin could win it "standing on his head" but also fears that the Prince's guards, as well as the Sheriff, will be at the tournament.
Little John is next seen at Prince John's archery tournament, reminding Robin, who has disguised himself as a stork to enter the tournament, that he must fool the Sheriff of Nottingham. While Robin participates in the tournament, Little John, disguised as a nobleman named Sir Reginald, Duke of Chutney, consorts with Prince John. After Robin is unmasked and captured, Little John is instrumental in helping Robin escape execution by threatening Prince John's life if Robin is not released.
Later, Little John is in his hideout with the citizens of Nottingham (including Friar Tuck and his mice), where they surprise Robin and Marian after the couple return from their moonlight stroll. During a celebration honoring the newly-engaged couple, Little John plays his song "The Phony King of England" on his lute and dances with Lady Kluck.
Much later, Little John assists in a jailbreak to rescue the citizens of Nottingham, including Friar Tuck, who is sentenced to hang at dawn. Robin retrieves the jail key and passes it to Little John, who then goes into the jail. He frees the citizens while Robin climbs up to the royal treasury to reclaim the taxes that Prince John had taken from them. Little John later impersonates the Sheriff to facilitate their escape and pulls a cart loaded with all the citizens of Nottingham, intent on taking them to Sherwood Forest. When Robin is trapped in the castle, and forced to jump in the moat to escape, Little John is seen watching from the forest with Skippy. He, like Prince John, believes Robin to be dead, as the Sheriff's posse had been shooting at Robin. He is overjoyed to see that Robin has survived his escape from the castle, after initially believing the latter had been killed.
After King Richard returns, Little John is pardoned alongside Robin. He drives the coach containing newlyweds Robin Hood and Marian and allows Skippy to join them.
House of Mouse[]
In some episodes, he is seen sitting with Robin Hood next to Baloo and Bagheera after a cartoon ends.
In the episode "Dining Goofy", he is seen laughing at Wilhelmina Packard's joke with Pinocchio.
In "Ask Von Drake", he is seen sitting at a table with Lady Kluck and a puppy from One Hundred and One Dalmatians and is later seen in the background during "The Ludwig Von Drake Song" when Ludwig von Drake names off Lumière and Cogsworth.
At the beginning of the theme song, he is seen inside at the entrance talking and laughing with Baloo.
Once Upon a Studio[]
He and Robin Hood appear, jumping from their frames and grabbing Scrooge's two sacks of money as they say "Oo-de-lally!". They later join the other Robin Hood characters in singing the last line of "When You Wish Upon a Star", as the group photo is successfully taken for Disney's 100th anniversary.
Live-action appearances[]
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland[]
In the Enchanted Forest, a human Little John is part of Robin Hood's band of Merry Men who pilfer money from the wealthy for the needy. After successfully pulling a stealing heist on the road, everyone rejoices at their campsite. A new recruit, Will Scarlet, procures a large chest of treasures and is accepted into their group. Will suggests their next destination should be Maleficent's castle. Robin Hood accepts only after being convinced the rewards are worth the risk, as Maleficent is currently away, and the hordes of gold inside the castle will be enough to feed many poor villagers. Once they break in, Robin Hood emphasizes that only the gold will be taken and nothing else. Following the success, they once again regroup at camp but are interrupted by the booming voice of Maleficent, who demands the return of a stolen item or suffer the consequences. Angrily, Robin Hood calls the thief among them to step forward, but no one does. Unknown to Little John, Will previously took a looking glass from the castle, and later escapes during the night. ("Forget Me Not")
Once Upon a Time[]
Little John is portrayed by Jason Burkart in the third season. He turns out to live in the Enchanted Forest, exactly in the old mansion of Rumplestiltskin where he comes to help Neal and Mulan, with his friend and leader, Robin Hood. The way whether he was spared by the curse remains a mystery. A possible explanation is that Robin Hood, the Merry Men, and himself were spared by the curse by the spell of Cora, as it was the case for Mulan, Aurora, and Prince Phillip. Little John is also the protector of Roland, the son of Robin Hood, and the deceased Marian.
Video games[]
Disney Emoji Blitz[]
- “Little John escapes Prince John's guards and leaves 'borrowed' coins behind!”
- ―Little John's Power description.
Little John appears as a Gold Emoji, only available in Gold Boxes. When using Little John's Power, he circles the board while donning his fortune teller disguise from the opening of the film, being chased by several of Prince John's rhino guards. As Little John passes emojis, they transform into extra coins given to the player during the match. Little John, alongside Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Lady Kluck, Sir Hiss, and Prince John, make up the Robin Hood group collection, rewarding players who collect and upgrade each of the emojis with several prizes.
Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]
- “Oo-de-lally! Little John is a longtime enemy of injustice. His strength and nimbleness make him hard to hit, and he hits even harder!”
- ―Little John's in-game Hero description.
Little John appears as a front-line Tank Hero, focused on keeping opponents from reaching his team, and drawing all attention to himself while lowering their defenses for his allies to strike. Like all characters, Little John has two unique Friendship Campaigns, each pairing him up with a different Hero. The first, "Making Merry", has Robin Hood and Little John explore the City together to find people in need of their unique brand of generosity. They initially attempt to find Aladdin and Cinderella, hearing stories about their poor upbringings, but soon realize they're no longer poor and now live as royalty. They then attempt to steal from Scrooge McDuck, only to start feeling guilty once they learn he's a good person. The story ends with the two thieves deciding to take it easy since the City has plenty of Heroes already. The second Friendship Campaign, "Bear Country", has Little John paired up with Baloo, who seeks to help Little John deal with the stress of the City by teaching him to relax "like a bear". After unsuccessful and stressful run-ins with Koslov, Fozzie Bear, and Merida, the two give up and decide to take a nap by the side of the road and look out for rich people to steal from.
| Skill Type | Skill Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| White Skill | "Chummy Charge" | Little John charges through the enemy team, dealing Normal Damage and Snaring all enemies for 8 seconds.
Snared enemies have their Movement Speed reduced to 0%, but they can still use Basic Attacks and Skills that are within range. |
| Green Skill | "Robbing the Rich" | Little John bows to the enemy team, decreasing all enemies' Reality by 85% while increasing his own by the same percentage. The increase / decreases last for 8 seconds. |
| Blue Skill | "Fortune's Forecast" | Little John waves at the furthest enemy, Distracting them and decreasing their Armor for 5 seconds. After using this skill, Little John will Dodge the next projectile aimed at him.
Distracted enemies target all of their Attacks and Skills towards the Hero using the Distraction. |
| Purple Skill | "Belly Bastion" | Little John's basic attacks now Knockback and Stun enemies for 6 seconds. Additionally, "Fortune's Forecast" now provides Little John with a shield. |
| Red Skill | "Beautiful Brawl" | Little John now deals additional Fantastic Damage and Steals 4 random buffs from each enemy hit with "Chummy Charge". He then gives these buffs to his allies for 10 seconds. Additionally, Little John gets a stat boost to his Max HP and Armor, and bonus Normal Damage on "Chummy Charge". |
| Friendship Disk 1 | "Rich Reward" | Shields from "Belly Bastion" gain extra Shield HP worth 20% of Little John's Max HP, with the percentage increasing up to 100% as the Friendship Disk is upgraded. Additionally, Little John and his allies gain a stat boost in Skill Power and Reality when this disk is equipped. This disk is unlocked and upgraded through Little John's Friendship Campaign with Robin Hood. |
| Friendship Disk 2 | "Bear Country" | Little John can dodge 2 extra projectiles after using "Fortune's Forecast", with the amount of projectiles increasing up to 10 as the Friendship Disk is upgraded. Additionally, Little John and his allies gain a stat boost in Max HP and Armor when this disk is equipped. This disk is unlocked and upgraded through Little John's Friendship Campaign with Baloo. |
Disney Magic Kingdoms[]
Little John appears as an obtainable character in Disney Magic Kingdoms, appearing in the Robin Hood Collection alongside Maid Marian, Robin Hood, Sir Hiss, and Prince John. Added during the Robin Hood event in March 2022, Little John is an event character that is currently only available via cycling premium chests such as the Legendary or Sapphire Chests. During the Robin Hood event, Little John was the first character players could unlock through the Welcome a Merry Man quest, beginning the storyline to build the Sherwood Forest and Nottingham attractions, and bring Maid Marian, Prince John, and Robin Hood into the Kingdom.
Once welcomed into the Kingdom, Little John can perform various tasks and activities to entertain guests and earn Tokens to upgrade other characters. Little John specifically can earn Tokens to upgrade the other four Robin Hood characters, as well as Antonio. Little John also has unique tasks involving both the Sherwood Forest and Nottingham attractions, and has team tasks with Sir Hiss, Maid Marian, and Prince John. In order to upgrade Little John himself, alongside using the English Shortbow Tokens used and earned with all Robin Hood characters, players must also collect two types of unique tokens: Little John's Lute Tokens (earned from Robin Hood, Sir Hiss, Baloo, and Shere Khan), and Little John Ears Hat Tokens (earned from Maid Marian, Prince John, Lady, and King Louie).
Other Appearances[]
In the now-delisted mobile RPG Disney Sorcerer's Arena, Little John appeared as a collectible talisman that players could use as an avatar.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Little John bears a lot of resemblance to Baloo in appearance, personality, and voice since they are both voiced by Phil Harris. However, Little John is smarter, more serious, and more responsible than Baloo. Also, many of his animations are recycled Baloo animations.
- He is the third and final animated Disney character to be voiced by Phil Harris before his death in 1995, with the other two being Baloo from The Jungle Book and Thomas O'Malley from The Aristocats.
- In Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, Little John and Baloo have a Friendship Campaign with each other and in the campaign's dialogue, they point out how similar they look and sound.
- In Disney Magic Kingdoms, Baloo is one of the four characters not from the Robin Hood collection that can earn Little John's unique Tokens.
- Bing Crosby and Louis Prima were all considered to voice Little John.
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