The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a rather obscure effort from the Disney catalogue, and that's a big shame, because I really do love it.
When I was around 5 or 6 I owned a VHS copy of Disney's 1990 The Prince and the Pauper film. I remember watching it quite a bit, but I always stayed behind for the extra short film put on the cassette; it was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, narrated by Bing Crosby, and I'm pretty sure I thought this bonus short was better than the main feature. It was funny, spooky, and just plain entertaining. And it was later that I found out it was in its own movie.
So what we have here is basically a cartoon double feature, with both cartoons being adaptations of classic stories. First we have The Wind in the Willows, narrated by Basil Rathbone. It's the classic story of Mr. Toad, a character who develops a mania for anything new and hot, and would give anything for the latest car model - even, perhaps, his mansion. It's a very well paced adventure with a brilliant voice choice for Toad (Eric Blore, most famous for playing the butler in the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical series), and some amusing supporting characters (I loved Cyril the Horse). On the whole it's a nicely done adaptation with a good climax and some pleasing animation.
Then we have The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the famous horror tale here narrated by Bing Crosby. While the previous cartoon was going more for charm, this one is edging more towards comedy, despite its story. It tells the tale of the mysterious disappearance of Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster who attempts to marry a beautiful and rich woman in order to get her money. He's up against the school bully Brom Bones who also wants to marry her. But everything goes dark when Ichabod takes his horse down through the woods of Sleepy Hollow at night-time...
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a macabre tale which manages to be both highly amusing and distinguishably Gothic, with Bing Crosby giving us his effortless charm, holding the story together brilliantly. Perhaps the most memorable moment is the climax, with the nightmarish Headless Horseman chasing the helpless Ichabod through the woods. The build-up of the Horseman is intensely creepy, and the reveal is no disappointment. Sleepy Hollow will give kids a good fright, but it's just about silly and light enough to prevent them from sleeping with the lights on.
Really, kids will enjoy both stories. I myself prefer Sleepy Hollow, but only because I didn't watch The Wind in the Willows as a kid. They're both fun and kid-friendly, but there's nothing there to prevent grown- ups from liking them too. Overall it's a fun double bill with some excellent animation and superb voices, with both stories entertainingly told and working well back-to-back.
When I was around 5 or 6 I owned a VHS copy of Disney's 1990 The Prince and the Pauper film. I remember watching it quite a bit, but I always stayed behind for the extra short film put on the cassette; it was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, narrated by Bing Crosby, and I'm pretty sure I thought this bonus short was better than the main feature. It was funny, spooky, and just plain entertaining. And it was later that I found out it was in its own movie.
So what we have here is basically a cartoon double feature, with both cartoons being adaptations of classic stories. First we have The Wind in the Willows, narrated by Basil Rathbone. It's the classic story of Mr. Toad, a character who develops a mania for anything new and hot, and would give anything for the latest car model - even, perhaps, his mansion. It's a very well paced adventure with a brilliant voice choice for Toad (Eric Blore, most famous for playing the butler in the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical series), and some amusing supporting characters (I loved Cyril the Horse). On the whole it's a nicely done adaptation with a good climax and some pleasing animation.
Then we have The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the famous horror tale here narrated by Bing Crosby. While the previous cartoon was going more for charm, this one is edging more towards comedy, despite its story. It tells the tale of the mysterious disappearance of Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster who attempts to marry a beautiful and rich woman in order to get her money. He's up against the school bully Brom Bones who also wants to marry her. But everything goes dark when Ichabod takes his horse down through the woods of Sleepy Hollow at night-time...
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a macabre tale which manages to be both highly amusing and distinguishably Gothic, with Bing Crosby giving us his effortless charm, holding the story together brilliantly. Perhaps the most memorable moment is the climax, with the nightmarish Headless Horseman chasing the helpless Ichabod through the woods. The build-up of the Horseman is intensely creepy, and the reveal is no disappointment. Sleepy Hollow will give kids a good fright, but it's just about silly and light enough to prevent them from sleeping with the lights on.
Really, kids will enjoy both stories. I myself prefer Sleepy Hollow, but only because I didn't watch The Wind in the Willows as a kid. They're both fun and kid-friendly, but there's nothing there to prevent grown- ups from liking them too. Overall it's a fun double bill with some excellent animation and superb voices, with both stories entertainingly told and working well back-to-back.