For all those not in the know, Walt Disney relied heavily on European revenue to make his films, and with that market pretty much cut off by the Second World War, wonderful yet lavish films such as "Fantasia" and "Pinocchio" did not bring much income and left the studio close to bankruptcy. Needing to bring out feature films yet at that moment unable to make a lavish fully-animated fantasy, Disney turned to the idea of jumbling shorts and featurettes to make feature films. The material in the films consisted of both new projects and things that had been on the drawing board for years. Due to their fragmented nature, the films were subsequently cut up into separate shorts, and they have only been re-released in their original form during the past ten or fifteen years, arguably due to Disney scraping the barrel for films to release as "timeless masterpieces".
"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad", released in 1949, was the very last of these package features, and it does signal the return to a more classic style that would be found in the studio's next two animated films, "Cinderella" and "Alice in Wonderland". Yet it should be noted that "Ichabod and Mr Toad" is still a bit uneven. Its segments, respectively based upon "The Wind in the Willows" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", are very different in tone, and have not much in common aside from them being literary adaptations (the live-action library bookends seem to give the impression of a post-war Anglo-American friendship, highlighting samples of their own literature and storytelling). It is equally true that the low budget brings about some slightly dull animation compared to the early 40s or the 50s. Regardless, the film is certainly one of the better package features, with perhaps "The Three Caballeros" only just beating it.
Opening in the aforementioned live-action study, we hear Basil Rathbone bizarrely favouring Mr Toad of "The Wind in the Willows" above the likes of Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes as the greatest character in English literature, thereby leading into an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic children's novel. This segment is quite good, and had supposedly been in animation since the beginning of the decade. However, it generally seems a bit under-polished and rushed. It is said that this was originally planned as a feature-length film, and it would have certainly benefited from not having its story condensed so much. The backgrounds also seem a bit lacklustre. Had they been given a "Pinocchio" or "Bambi" level of detail (impossible as it would have been considering the studio's financial state at the time) or a more stylised look, they would seem more believable and less pasty.
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", narrated and sung by Bing Cosby, works better. Its origins as a short story no doubt seem better for adaptation into something that lasts around half an hour, and the piece as a whole works well within the financial constraints. Mary Blair, who had been the stylist on the South American films and would later help with the visual style of "Cinderella", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan", creates a relatively simple and folksy style that suits the story and the colonial setting very well (moreover, the stylisation works well within a tight budget). Furthermore, the fact that the story is told with essentially just Bing Cosby's narration and music allows for wonderfully expressive animation. The climax to the film also stands as a pure triumph of colour and of animation.
Overall, "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad" is worth watching, either as one film or as two shorter subjects. It's certainly not up there with the likes of "Pinocchio" and "Dumbo", but that is not the film's objective anyway; it is a fun, unpretentious way to pass an hour or so.
"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad", released in 1949, was the very last of these package features, and it does signal the return to a more classic style that would be found in the studio's next two animated films, "Cinderella" and "Alice in Wonderland". Yet it should be noted that "Ichabod and Mr Toad" is still a bit uneven. Its segments, respectively based upon "The Wind in the Willows" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", are very different in tone, and have not much in common aside from them being literary adaptations (the live-action library bookends seem to give the impression of a post-war Anglo-American friendship, highlighting samples of their own literature and storytelling). It is equally true that the low budget brings about some slightly dull animation compared to the early 40s or the 50s. Regardless, the film is certainly one of the better package features, with perhaps "The Three Caballeros" only just beating it.
Opening in the aforementioned live-action study, we hear Basil Rathbone bizarrely favouring Mr Toad of "The Wind in the Willows" above the likes of Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes as the greatest character in English literature, thereby leading into an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic children's novel. This segment is quite good, and had supposedly been in animation since the beginning of the decade. However, it generally seems a bit under-polished and rushed. It is said that this was originally planned as a feature-length film, and it would have certainly benefited from not having its story condensed so much. The backgrounds also seem a bit lacklustre. Had they been given a "Pinocchio" or "Bambi" level of detail (impossible as it would have been considering the studio's financial state at the time) or a more stylised look, they would seem more believable and less pasty.
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", narrated and sung by Bing Cosby, works better. Its origins as a short story no doubt seem better for adaptation into something that lasts around half an hour, and the piece as a whole works well within the financial constraints. Mary Blair, who had been the stylist on the South American films and would later help with the visual style of "Cinderella", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan", creates a relatively simple and folksy style that suits the story and the colonial setting very well (moreover, the stylisation works well within a tight budget). Furthermore, the fact that the story is told with essentially just Bing Cosby's narration and music allows for wonderfully expressive animation. The climax to the film also stands as a pure triumph of colour and of animation.
Overall, "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad" is worth watching, either as one film or as two shorter subjects. It's certainly not up there with the likes of "Pinocchio" and "Dumbo", but that is not the film's objective anyway; it is a fun, unpretentious way to pass an hour or so.