The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Directors:

James Algar
Clyde Geronimi

Writers:

Washington Irving (story)
Kenneth Grahame (story)

Release Date:

5 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

HEAR BING SING: "THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN" "KATRINA" "ICHABOD CRANE" (original print media ad - all caps)

Plot:

Two animated adaptions of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "The Wind in the Willows."

Plot Keywords:

Headless Horseman | Car | Anthology | Furries | Christmas Eve

Awards:

Won Golden Globe.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Narrator (segment "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow")
Basil Rathbone	...	Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows")
Eric Blore	...	Mr. Toad (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Cyril Proudbottom (voice) (as Pat O'Malley)
John McLeish	...	Prosecutor (voice) (as John Ployardt)
Colin Campbell	...	Mole (voice)
Campbell Grant	...	Angus MacBadger (voice)
Claud Allister	...	Rat (voice) (as Claude Allister)
The Rhythmaires	...	Additional voices (voice)

Also Known As:

Ichabod and Mr. Toad (USA) (promotional title)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (USA) (TV title)
Two Fabulous Characters (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (2006) | USA:Approved (certificate #12133) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1971)

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

One of Disney's four "Package Films". During World War II the studio lost a lot of manpower and resources, which left it with countless unfinished ideas too long for shorts and too short for features. So, inventive as Disney was, it stuck short ideas together into feature-length movies. See also Make Mine Music (1946), Melody Time (1948) and Fun & Fancy Free (1947).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ichabod is in his bed, writting in his book with a feather pen, his shadow can be seen in the wall next to him, but the pen's shadow is missing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: If you were asked to choose the most fabulous character in English literature, who would it be? Robin Hood? King Arthur? Becky Sharp? Sherlock Holmes? Oliver Twist, perhaps? Well, any one of them would be an excellent choice. Still, for the most fabulous character of all, I would nominate...

Movie Connections:

Featured in DisneyPedia: The Life of a Pirate Revealed (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Headless Horseman

Excellent interpretation of the Headless Horseman.

Usually when a movie is not faithful to the book it's based on it turns out worst.This is not the case with this one.I have a copy of the original story and though it is fairly good,it's no masterpiece.This movie takes the three main characters, focuses on their love triangle, showing us each one has it's own charms.It then takes us to a Halloween night where the stories told and the animation that matches them are better than most horror films.If you thought this were the highlights you are wrong.The scenes with the Headless Horseman,(his colours black and red)are genuinely scary and impressive.This has been one of my favorite movies(of any length)since I was 7.Along with Tim Burton's movie they are the only movies I know which exceed the book they are based on.A must see for anybody.Ignore Mr.Frog's story its a much less interesting one.