The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was the very last of the Disney Studio’s package films and it resembles Fun and Fancy Free in format but in my opinion, this is the best of all the anthology films. I have watched this Disney version of Sleepy Hollow almost every Halloween 
for as long as I can remember. I was a bit early this year but I also got to see The Wind in the Willows for the first time!I loved how it not only acknowledges that these two great cartoons are classic books but it is actually what ties the whole movie together! The narrator starts off in the British classics section of the library for The Wind in the Willows because it was written by a British man named Kenneth Grahame in 1908. Then after the cartoon is over we move over to the American classics section and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (written by Washington Irving in 1820) is told.
The story of Wind in the Willows (or The Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad) is narrated by Basil Rathbone who was a British actor most famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes, which one of the characters (Rat) resembles a bit. I really enjoyed this zany cartoon but no where near as much as Sleepy Hollow.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (or just Ichabod Crane) is narrated by one of my favorite singers from the 1940's, Bing Crosby. He’s wonderful and he does all of the narration, the voices, and the
singing too of course. The cartoon itself is a bit odd because there really isn’t anyone speaking except the bully Brom Bones and Crosby is his voice but you never even notice!~This is such a great movie that I was sorry when it was over. I actually had to watch it again before I took it back! The current DVD for it isn’t that great (and don’t get me started on it’s lack of bonus features!) Hopefully there will be a better DVD available soon!
Trailer:
Headless Horseman Song:
Related Reviews
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Bing Crosby Films
Holiday Inn (1942)
High Society (1956)
I love Disney's Sleepy Hollow. One of my absolute favorites. Very creepy. It's been years since I've seen Mr. Toad though. The Disney ride is classic, however.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen this movie in years. It is one of my favorites. I think I'll be heading to Blockbuster this weekend to rent it!
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