Animation Celebration Saturday - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Disney, 1949
Voices of Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, and J. Pat O'Malley
Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, and James Algar
Music by Gene De Paul; Lyrics by Don Raye

This is the last of the six "package" films Disney made in the 1940's when they were short on funds. This one came about less because of a lack of money, and more because the stories were too thin to stretch into full-length movies. Is this anthology of two adaptations of literary classics worth the effort, or should they be chased off a bridge by the Headless Horseman? Let's go the library and see...

The Story: The "Mr. Toad" segment is based after the beloved kids' novel The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and is narrated by Basil Rathbone. Mr. Toad (Blore) is forever obsessed with one form of transportation or another. His friends Rat (Claude Allister), Mole (Colin Campbell), and MacBadger (Campbell Grant) are becoming more and more concerned about him and his finances. If he keeps going through his money like water, he may have to sell his estate Toad Hall. Ratty and Mole try to steer him away from his newest interest, gypsy carts. He does drop it...but only after he sees a car for the first time and falls in love. Toad seriously regrets this passion when he's accused of stealing a car and winds up in jail. With the help of his horse Cyril (O'Malley), he escapes to the others. They discover that Toad traded the deed to Toad Hall to a group of weasels who now live there. It's up to the four to retrieve the deed and clear Toad's name.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is a spookier tale. Bing Crosby takes us back to Colonial America, where Ichabod Crane is the new school teacher. He's also has an eye for the ladies, including the lovely Katrina Van Tassel. Her father is a wealthy farmer, and she herself is quite a catch. Local favorite Brom Bones is also smitten with Katrina, and he does everything he can to make sure Ichabod doesn't win her favor. Brom finally gets his goat at Van Tassel's big town Halloween party. Ichabod is very superstitious, and Sleepy Hollow is full of ghost stories. Brom's tale of the Headless Horseman who lives on the covered bridge does frighten him, but he laughs it off...until he and his own horse have a late-night encounter with none other than the terrifying, pumpkin-headed Horseman of legend!

The Animation: It's not the best Disney's ever done, but it's far from the worst, either. Really par for the course for their 40's work. The finale of the "Ichbod" segment in particular is beautifully done. The build-up and suspense here is aptly conveyed by shadowy blues and blacks and a soft soundtrack. The Horseman himself is awesome when he arrives, especially when he and his black and red horse make that incredible leap into the air, with his head flaming against the dark background.

The Song and Dance: My favorite part of "Mr. Toad" is the relationship between the animals. Ratty, Mole, MacBadger, and even Cyril are true friends, watching over Toad, helping him out, encouraging him when he's down after escaping jail, and even testifying at his trial. I'm glad Toad learns to appreciate them, even if he can't quite give up his manias in the end.

As much fun as the animals and their caper are in "Mr. Toad," the real winner is "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This is possibly the most accurate adaptation of literature Disney has ever done. Katrina is a silly flirt, Brom a bully, and Ichabod a gold-digger out for Katrina's money, which is a perfect reflection of the original story. The final ten minutes are among the most terrifying sequences in any Disney animated film, ever. Bing Crosby's perfect as the narrator. His crooning of several songs, including a jazzy number about the Headless Horseman for Brom at the party, adds to the fun.

Favorite Number: While "Mr. Toad" does have a good song in "Merrily On Our Way," Toad's traveling number as he and Cyril are bumping across England in the gypsy cart, most of the best numbers are in "Legend." Brom Bones' "The Headless Horseman," as he relates the tale of the infamous pumpkin-headed rider, is by far the catchiest and most memorable number in the film. "Ichabod Crane," the opening number from "Legend," is also good.

Trivia: The Wind and the Willows had been earmarked for a feature-length film since the release of Snow White in 1938, but the war brought development to a halt. Work began on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 1946, after the war ended and Disney decided to return to feature-length animation. Beset by strikes and money woes, Disney never did figure out how to extend the thin stories to feature length and finally opted to release them together.

What I Don't Like: The "thrown-together" thing becomes painfully obvious when you realize how little the two stories have in common, besides being adaptations of classic literature. Even the narrators are entirely different. Critics tend to be rougher on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment to this day, possibly due to some slightly out of place slapstick with Brom picking on Ichabod during the middle part. I personally wish more of the original Wind In the Willows could have been used; the animals are rather out-of-character, too. (In the book, Ratty's the laid-back one.)

The Big Finale: My personal favorite of the Disney "package" films of the 40's along with The Three Cabelleros. While I prefer Ichabod a little bit over Mr. Toad, both are worth a look for fans of Disney animation or the classic "golden age" animation of the 30's and 40's.

Home Media: Thankfully, this is not one of the Disney movies that gets tossed into the "Vault" from time to time. It's easily found on most formats, both as separate shorts and a feature-length movie.

Disney Animation Collection Volume 5: The Wind and the Willows DVD
DVD
Blu-Ray
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Crane/Fun and Fancy Free 2-Pack Blu-Ray/DVD
Amazon Prime