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:

Disney's original title for the movie was, "Two Fabulous Characters." Apparently, the only reason these two stories are linked together is the fact that their main characters are "prone to disaster".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mr. Toad first sees a motorcar, his trousers change from grey to orange between shots.

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:

References The Old Mill (1937)

Soundtrack:

Katrina

Uneven but entertaining

Disney's combination of a couple of literary classics – one British, one American – forms an uneven double feature while upholding the studio's impeccable standards of animation.

The first story, a severely truncated excerpt from The Wind in the Willows, follows the exploits of a slightly nutty Mr. Toad who gallivants around the countryside in a yellow gypsy cart pulled by a singing nag from 'oop north' called Cyril. Not quite sure Toad can be held up as a role model for kids as he gets high inhaling exhaust fumes from passing cars and runs up enormous debts in his pursuit of a life of excitement. And we can only wonder whether his impersonation of a motor car was the forerunner of the Crazy Frog motorbike routine that swept the British nation earlier this year. The story drags a little, although it will probably be engaging enough for younger children, and it's worth sticking with to see the tussle for the deed to Toad Hall that takes place between Toad and his friends and the wicked Winkie and his weasel pals.

The second entry, based on Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a much livelier affair with some terrific animation and a consistently humorous storyline. Ichabod Crane makes an unlikely leading man, falling foul of Brom Bones, ringleader of the Sleepy Hollow boys at Ye Olde Schnooker and Schnapps Shoppe, as he attempts to win the hand of the fair Katrina. Ichabod is wonderfully drawn, especially his facial features, and there's a hilarious dance sequence between him and Bones. I also liked Ichabod's tired old nag, sitting obliviously with his backside parked on a gravestone as Ichabod frantically tries to work him up to a gallop. Good stuff.