The Thief and the Cobbler

Looking back, my favorite memories of my childhood are of when I would spend the night at my Aunt's home. Each night, I would watch old VHS tapes and my sister and I would be able to tolerate the other a little more than usual. One movie that would always bring my sister and I to tears from hysterical laughter was The Thief and the Cobbler. When my Aunt's home burned down, the tape had been reduced to ash, and I found myself wishing that I could have enjoyed that VHS one last time. As fate would have it, a few months later while on Netflix, I discovered the movie and found that the magic and humor of the film hadn't lost its touch.

The Thief and the Cobbler is a film about Tack the Cobbler, and how he goes from being a poor boy who mends shoes to one of the most heroic men in his city, the Golden City of Baghdad, all the while dealing with the sneaky and not-so-cunning, Thief. The pair meet by fate as the Thief attempts to rob Tack's cobbler shop, and after a series of unfortunate events, Tack ends up prisoner in the city's palace, where he meets the beautiful Princess Yumyum. Zigzag, the king's Grand Vizier, wants Tack executed for publicly humiliating him in town, though Princess Yumyum saves him by saying she needs a cobbler, and the two start to develop feelings for one another.

A brave knight of the kingdom, who had been on the battlefield fighting the dastardly King One Eye, returns to the palace with grave news that One Eye would soon arrive to overtake Baghdad with his unstoppable army. When trouble brews in the kingdom due to the mysterious disappearance of the three golden balls that protect Baghdad from evil, Tack and Princess Yumyum embark on a journey to save the Golden City by going to search for One Eye's twin sister, the Good Witch, the Thief following them the entire way for the prospect of finding wealth.

This movie has the ability to entertain many people, no matter what their age. Even now my sister and I find ourselves laughing uncontrollably throughout each scene, finding that the story's magic has never faded to us. It's a story about never doubting yourself and what you can do. No matter how small you believe you may be, you can acccomplish great things. The Thief and the Cobbler is a movie that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants a good laugh, and I know that I will share this mystical journey with my own kids when the time comes.