Dubbing Differences: Disney's Robin Hood

 

I found the following notable changes in the Brazilian Portuguese dub of Disney's Robin Hood. I had a lot of déjá vu while writing these down. I must've told my brother about them too or something, but I could've sworn that this was the first Dubbing Differences post I've made. Weird.

• Allan-a-Dale (which I never noticed was his name before)’s name is “Rooster Troubadour.”

• Instead of saying his job is to “tell it like it is. Or was, or whatever,” the minstrel says his job is to “Tell the facts. In prose, or in verse.”

• The much-repeated word “oodelally” in English is always replaced with something else in Portuguese, whether that be a different exclamation like “How beautiful!” or just something related to the situation at hand, as will be listed below.

• The “Oodelally” song’s lyrics explain exactly what’s happening on the screen, instead of the more figurative approach that English takes.

• Robin Hood: “Risk? I was just having fun, Little John.”

• Instead of saying “Are we good guys or bad guys?” Little John says “Are we men or are we bandits?”

• Prince John speaks in a Continental Portuguese accent.

• Instead of “Ah, the richest plum of them all!” Prince John says “Ah, the lion’s share,” which I think is very clever given his animal type.

• Whenever Sir Hiss speaks to Prince John, he addresses him in the royal plural.

• Prince John says that he gives “permission to kiss the royal hands. Whichever you like… most.”

• Fortune Teller-Robin, instead of chanting “Oodelally, oodelally…” to the crystal ball, says “Come, past! Come future!”

• Robin says that Prince John has a “kind face” instead of a cuddly one, yet King John still reacts with disgust.

• This one’s very curious: After Hiss smacks Robin’s hand, there’s a line inserted from Prince John where he says “What happened?” I noticed there’s actually an animation for him mouthing something, but in English, it’s Robin who says “Now what?” I wonder if there was an issue with a sound bite in the original English version and it had to be covered up.

• The Sheriff of Nottingham sings “la la la la la” instead of “doo doo doo doo.”

• Skippy says “an entire penny!” instead of “one whole farthing!”

• Robin Hood as the beggar says “Alms? Give an alm, for the love of God.”

• Instead of “Oodelally! I’m gonna try it out,” Skippy says “I’m going to be just like you!” (to Robin Hood)

• Skippy’s name is Tapeti, which is a type of Brazilian cottontail rabbit.

• The oath is “Snake, lizard, dog that barks. If I tattletale, may a lightning bolt kill me.”

• “As your lady-in-waiting, I’m waiting” changes to “As your lady-of-company, I want to accompany you.” Not the same, but probably the best translation possible.

• Lady Kluck says “My girdle is starting to squeeze me.”

• Skippy: “Oh, please don’t tell Prince John! Mama says he’ll rip off my head!”

• Lady Kluck says “Don’t look now, but it looks like we’re done for.”

• Sis Rabbit says “Mama says she’s very beautiful” instead of “awful nice.”

• When Lady Kluck is imitating Prince John, she uses his Continental Portuguese accent.

• Lady Kluck’s repeated sound bits of “Augh! Augh! Augh!” are corrected in Portuguese into a more natural-sounding series of yells.

• Instead of “A kiss? Aw, that’s sissy stuff,” Skippy says “A kiss? Aw, I don’t like that stuff.”

• “An outlaw for an in-law” is cleverly translated as “A bandit as your husband,” which rhymes in Portuguese! (“Um bandido a seu marido”)

• Robin Hood dreamily humming as he stirs the pot is undubbed.

• Little John says “Romeo?” instead of the French pronunciation of “Robert?”

• Instead of saying that Marian is a “highborn lady of quality,” Robin says she “was born in a golden bowl.” What a beautiful metaphor! I’ve never heard that before.

• Instead of “Well-done, ain’t it?” Friar Tuck says “Well-seasoned, huh?”

• Maid Marian is referred to as “the Beautiful Marian.”

• Instead of “Faint hearts never won fair ladies,” Robin says “Without courage, man does not win over his love.”

• Prince John says “This will be a memorable day” instead of “This will be a red-letter day.”

• Instead of Bushel Britches, Little John’s nickname for the sheriff is “Hungry Wolf.”

• Little John’s nickname for Prince John is “Beautiful John” instead of PJ.

• Little John calls Hiss “Earthworm” instead of Buster, but he doesn’t call him Long One—he just says “Get out of here!”

• Instead of saying “A perfect bullseye!” Prince John said “He hit the fly.” This is a Portuguese saying similar to “hit the nail on the head,” and refers to being able to shoot a target as small as a fly.

• Hiss: “Please! I don’t drink beer!”

• Since adjectives in Portuguese are backwards, to add emphasis to the last word, Prince John says “I condemn you to death suddenly, immediately, and ALREADY!”

• Prince John accuses Robin Hood of being a “traitor to the throne” instead of the crown.

• Little John: “Now tell my pal to kiss Maid Marian or I’m gonna turn you into a sieve.”

• Little John: “Hey! Who’s driving this flying boat?”

• Instead of “A pox on the phony king of England,” they sing “Down with the king of England,” which fits the lip syncing better. The song is also sung in the past tense instead of the future and present tense.

• Instead of saying Prince John “taxes the heart and soul out of the poor people,” Little Sister says he “rips bread out of the people’s mouths.”

• Prince John keeps his insults to Hiss alliterative in Portuguese, including “Yes, you retarded reptile.”

• Nutsy’s name in Portuguese is “Windsock.”

• Trigger’s name translates basically to “Sharpshoot.”

• Trigger (Sharpshoot) and Sheriff have changes in their exchange after the crossbow misfires. In English, it goes “What in tarnation are you trying to do, you birdbrain?”
  “Just doing my duty, Sheriff!”
  “You and that itchy trigger finger of yours!”
  But in Portuguese, it goes “What the devil are you trying to do, Looseshot?”
  “My name is Sharpshot!”
  “Yeah, well, I think your name should be Wrongshot!”

• Apparently the Sandman in Portuguese is called Johnny Eyelash. That’s who Nutsy-Robin says is coming to help the Sheriff fall asleep.

• Prince John mumbles in his sleep, “Robin Hood! Pay me!” instead of “I’ll get even!”

• Instead of saying “Oodelally” after Robin Hood survives, Robin Hood and Skippy say “Long live King Richard!”

• Sir Hiss has a hilariously high-pitched voice at the end when he’s crying for help as Prince John is chasing him.

• King Richard doesn’t keep the “Bandit for a husband” outlaw-for-an-inlaw joke. Instead, he says “Friar Tuck, it appears I promoted a married person to a married couple. Ha ha ha ha!” I don’t get it.

• The final “Oodelally oodelally, golly what a day” is changed to “And that’s how our story happened.”