Richard Williams' magnum opus, a painstakingly hand-animated epic inspired by the Arabian Nights and with the production title "The Thief and the Cobbler", was begun in 1964 and was initially self-funded. As a largely non-verbal feature meant for an adult audience, "The Thief" was dismissed at first as unmarketable. After over twenty years of work, Williams had completed only twenty minutes of the film, and following the critical success of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", Williams sought and secured a production deal with Warner Bros. in 1988. However, the production went over deadline, and in 1992, with only 15 minutes of footage left to complete, The Completion Bond Company, who had insured Warners' financing of the film, feared competition from the similarly themed Disney film "Aladdin," which was scheduled to open on the same day, and seized the project from Williams in Camden, London.