The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
| The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | |
|---|---|
 Original theatrical poster | |
| Directed by |
Jack Kinney Clyde Geronimi James Algar |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Written by |
Erdman Penner Winston Hibler Joe Rinaldi Ted Sears Homer Brightman Harry Reeves |
| Based on |
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving |
| Narrated by |
Basil Rathbone Bing Crosby |
| Starring |
Eric Blore Pat O'Malley Colin Campbell John McLeish Campbell Grant Claude Allister Leslie Denison Edmond Stevens The Rhythmaires |
| Music by | Oliver Wallace |
| Editing by | John O. Young |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. |
| Release dates | October 5, 1949 |
| Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 American animated musical feature produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is composed of two segments, based on the stories The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving respectively.
The film is the 11th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was released theatrically on October 5, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures. It is also the finale of the package films series produced by Disney until The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Fantasia 2000, following Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, and Melody Time.
Beginning in 1955, the two portions of the film were separated, marketed, televised, and later sold separately on home video as part of the Disneyland television series.
Segments
The film is set in a live-action library divided by two animated shorts. The first segment, The Wind and the Willows is narrated by Basil Rathbone and followed by Bing Crosby narrating The Legend of Sleepy Hallow.
The Wind in the Willows
In 1906, the charismatic J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq., is a happy-go-lucky, wealthy proprietor of Toad Hall. Toad believes in fun, adventure and traveling to "Nowhere in Particular"; He had built a great deal of debt from disregarding the financial responsibilities of his insatiable love for fads and "manias", such as recklessly riding through the countryside on a canary-yellow gypsy cart with his loyal Lancashire horse, Cyril Proudbottom, who keeps crashing through obstacles. Angus MacBadger tells Toad's friends, Ratty (Water Rat), and Moley (Mole) to try to talk some sense into him but Toad quickly discovers two men driving a newfangled motor car and is determined to get one of his own by any means necessary. Toad is subsequently charged with car theft after trading the deed to Toad Hall for a car belonging to Mr. Winky, a tavernkeeper, and his gang of "tough-looking" weasels. Toad is thus sentenced to twenty-years in solitary confinement at the Tower of London when Winky falsely testifies at Toad's trial that Toad tried to sell him the stolen car (which Winky's cronies actually stole). On Christmas Eve, Cyril, disguised as Toad's grandmother, visits the imprisoned Toad and assists him in escaping. After a grueling police chase, Toad manages to find Ratty and Moley, who are later informed by MacBadger that evil Winky and his weasels have indeed taken over Toad Hall. With his friends' aid, Toad redeems his good name by recovering the deed to Toad Hall from the very hands of its captors in a huge brawl, which destroys most of the estate. Toad, touched by the loyalty and kindness of his friends, promises to reform. Ratty, Moley and MacBadger give a toast to the new Toad at their New Year celebration in 1907 only to shockingly find Toad now recklessly flying a 1908 biplane with Cyril into the sunrise.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
In October 1790, Ichabod Crane, a lanky, gluttonous, and very superstitious man, arrives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, a small village north of Tarrytown that is renowned for its ghostly hauntings, to be the town's new schoolmaster. Despite his odd behavior and awkward appearance, Ichabod soon wins the hearts of the village's women. Brom Bones, the oafish town hero, begins to bully Ichabod. Ichabod then falls in love with Katrina van Tassel, the beautiful daughter and only child of Baltus van Tassel, the richest man in the village. Despite falling in love with her, Ichabod secretly intends to take her family's money for himself. Brom, who is also in love with her and is actually Katrina's love interest, competes with the schoolmaster. Ichabod wins Katrina over at every opportunity, although unbeknownst to him, Katrina is only using Ichabod to make Brom jealous.
At the van Tassel Halloween party, Brom tries to swap a plump woman he is dancing with for Katrina, who is dancing with Ichabod, but comically fails. Later, as the night grows dark, Brom sees Ichabod toss salt over his shoulder after spilling some during dinner. Using Ichabod's strong belief in superstitions to his advantage, Brom tells the story of the town's legendary Headless Horseman through song. The infamous horseman is said to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head in battle many years ago, and every Halloween, he rises from the grave to seek a new head. Brom claims that he encountered the ghost the previous year and that after fleeing across a nearby old wooden bridge, the ghost disappeared. While Katrina finds Brom's song humorous, Ichabod takes it seriously and becomes scared by it.
On his way home from the party, Ichabod becomes paranoid by every animal noise he hears while riding through the dark woods. While traveling through the old cemetery, Ichabod believes he hears the sound of a horse galloping towards him, but discovers the sound is being made by nearby cattails. Relieved, Ichabod begins to laugh with his horse. However, their laughter is cut short by the appears of Headless Horseman riding a black horse (that is, ironically, identical to Brom's horse). After the ghost gives chase, Ichabod, remembering Brom's advice, crosses a bridge, stopping the ghost's pursuit. The horseman throws his flaming head, revealed to be a jack-o'-lantern, at Ichabod.
The next morning, Ichabod's hat is found at the bridge next to a shattered pumpkin, but Ichabod is nowhere to be seen. Sometime later, Brom takes Katrina as his bride. Rumors begin to spread that Ichabod is still alive, married a plump widow with children who all look like him. However, the people of Sleepy Hollow insist that he was "spirited away" by the Headless Horseman.
Cast
- Bing Crosby - Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Narrator (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
- Pinto Colvig - Ichabod Crane screaming (uncredited)
- Basil Rathbone - Narrator (The Wind in the Willows), Policeman
- Eric Blore - J. Thaddeus Toad
- Pat O'Malley - Cyril Proudbottom, Mr. Winkie, Policeman, Unseen Paper Boy
- Colin Campbell - Moley
- John McLeish - Prosecutor
- Campbell Grant - Angus MacBadger
- Claude Allister - Ratty
- Leslie Dennison - Judge, Weasel #1
- Edmond Stevens - Weasel #2
Production
In 1938, shortly after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, James Bodrero and Campbell Grant pitched to Walt Disney the idea of making a feature film of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows.[1] Bodrero and Grant felt that Wind in the Willows with its anthropomorphised animals, could only be produced using animation. Disney was skeptical, however, and felt it would be "corny"[1] but acquired the rights in June that year. The film was intended to be a single narrative feature film with the title of the same name.
By early 1941, a basic script was complete.[2] Along with a song written by Frank Churchill called "We're Merrily on Our Way". Although it was intended to be low-budget film (much like Dumbo), Disney hired many animators from the prestigious Bambi (which was nearly complete) and production began in May that year. Within six months, 33 minutes of the film had been animated.[3] However, the studio's ability to produce full-length feature films had been drastically diminished, because World War II had drafted many of their animators into the military and had cut off their foreign release market. Thus, in October 1941, Disney put the production of Wind in the Willows on hold.[3][4]
Then in December 1941, the United States became embroiled in the war after Pearl Harbor was attacked. The US government then asked the Disney studio to produce several propaganda films to help rally support for the war effort. During this time, much of Disney's feature output was made up of so-called "package films". Beginning with Saludos Amigos in 1942, Disney ceased making feature films with a single narrative due to the higher costs of such films, as well as the drain on the studio's resources caused by the war.
Walt Disney and his artists felt that the animation of the cartoony anthropomorphized animals in Wind in the Willows was far below the standards of a Disney animated feature. They then decided that Wind in the Willows would be better off being part of a package film.[3]
Walt Disney started up production again in 1945. Many scenes in Wind in the Willows such as Toad buying several cars before his allowance is cut off, Rat and Mole visiting McBadger in a Sanatorium, Toad making an elaborate escape from his bedroom and Toad tricking a washer woman into helping him escape from prison had not yet been animated.[5] Therefore, in order to condense the story for the package film, Disney cut these scenes and completed the remaining animation.[3]
Under the title Three Fabulous Characters they tried to pair it up with Mickey and the Beanstalk and The Gremlins.[6] However, after The Gremlins failed to materialize, the title was changed to Two Fabulous Characters. Then Mickey and the Beanstalk was cut from Fabulous Characters in favour of pairing it with Bongo under the title Fun and Fancy Free which was eventually released in 1947.
Meanwhile, in December 1946, Disney started production on a new animated feature film, an adaptation of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".[7] However, the filmmakers found that the running time for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was not long enough to be a feature film and was more suited to be a package film.
Finally, in 1947, Walt Disney decided to pair The Wind in the Willows with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow under the new working title The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.[4] Well-known celebrities Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby were cast as narrators in order to provide mass audience appeal.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was the last of the "package" films, and Disney returned to single-narrative features with 1950's Cinderella, and Disney would continue, despite the package feature, to produce independent shorts on a regular basis until the mid-1950s.
Reception
The film has received positive reviews, garnering a 91% "Certified Fresh" score among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment has received particular praise for being both effectively scary but still suitable for children and families. The film has gained quite a large fanbase, mostly people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s when the film was shown on television during the autumn months.
M. Faust of Common Sense Media gave the film five out of five stars, writing, "Two classic stories told in the best Disney style".[8]
Accolades
- Golden Globe Awards[9]
- Best Cinematography Color - Won
Subsequent usage and home video release
The Mr. Toad segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was first screened on television, in edited form, as part of the inaugural season of the Disneyland anthology series, on February 2, 1955, under the title The Wind in the Willows.[10] It was paired with an edited version of Disney's The Reluctant Dragon[10] due to the fact that both cartoons are based on stories by author Kenneth Grahame.[11] The Ichabod segment of the film had its television premiere during the following season of TV's Disneyland, on October 26, 1955, under the title The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.[12] Notably, for this airing of Sleepy Hollow and subsequent reruns, a new 14-minute animated prologue was added, recounting the life of Washington Irving, the story's author. This prologue has never been released on home video.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was released on its own to theaters as a 33-minute featurette in September 1963.[13] This was the same edit presented on the Disneyland television series, minus the 14-minute prologue and the Walt Disney live-action host segments. Similarly, in 1978, The Wind in the Willows segment of the original film was re-released to theaters under the new title The Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad to accompany Disney's feature film Hot Lead and Cold Feet.[14]
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow had a subsequent television airing, in truncated form, as part of the 1982 TV special Disney's Halloween Treat.
Once it was split into two segments for airing on the Disneyland television series, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was not available for viewing in its original form for many years thereafter, but was instead screened as two individual items. When first released on home video, the segments retained their names from the Disneyland series (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Wind in the Willows, respectively), having taken their names from the original stories.
Some of the scenes were cut when the segments were split up for home video release. For example:
- The Wind in the Willows
- Part of the introduction was cut because of the new music added.
- The scene where MacBadger confronts the angry townspeople who are suing Toad.
- The newspaper scene regarding Toad's disgrace was shortened by removing the newspaper articles of his friends' attempts to reopen his case.
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
- The only thing that was cut was the introduction in the bookcases.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad received its first complete home video release in the UK in 1991 and in the US in 1992, when it was released by Walt Disney Home Video on laserdisc. A subsequent complete release on VHS followed on October 28, 1994, in the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection line of home video releases. It was re-released on VHS in 1999 as the last title in the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection line. In 2000, it appeared on DVD for the first time as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection line.
The 1963 theatrical version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was released on VHS as part of the Walt Disney Mini Classics series on October 19, 1990. Part of the same Walt Disney Mini Classics line, the 1978 theatrical version of The Wind In The Willows was released on VHS on March 4, 1994. This same version of The Wind In The Willows was issued on DVD for the first time in 2009, as part of the fifth volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films series.
Mr. Toad, the Weasels, Ichabod, Katrina, the Headless Horseman and Tilda were featured as guests in House of Mouse, as audience members/attendees and in various spots. Here, Mr. Toad was voiced by Jeff Bennett. Toad, Ratty, Moley, Mac Badger, Cyril and two of the weasels also made an appearance in the Christmas featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol, as Scrooge's old employer Fezziwig, the two Charitable Gentlemen asking for donations for the poor, an attendee of Fezziwig's party, Donald Duck's horse and two grave diggers, respectively. Mr. Toad and Cyril Proudbottom also made cameo appearances in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while the Toon Patrol's designs were based on the weasels from the film.
Merchandising
In 2000, the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection, which is a collection of officially released Disney statue and pin merchandise (not to be confused with the Walt Disney Classics Collection, which was a video series of Disney animated features in the 1980s and early 1990s), released 3,500 limited edition statue sets of the two main Sleepy Hollow characters Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. The figures were originally sold for $695 together as a set. The pair have since been retired from the collection and its value has risen dramatically each year.
On 8/29/10, Mr. Toad was released as an annual passholder vinylmation. On 1/13/12, The Headless Horseman was the chaser in the Animation 2 vinylmation set.
Directing animators
- Frank Thomas (Mr. Toad, Rat, Mole, Cyril, Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Katrina Van Tassel )
- Ollie Johnston (Mr. Toad, Rat, Mole, Cyril, Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Katrina Van Tassel, Trial Scene)
- John Lounsbery (Ichabod Crane)
- Wolfgang Reitherman (The Weasels and Headless Horseman)
- Milt Kahl (MacBadger, Brom Bones)
- Ward Kimball (Mr. Toad's escape from prison, Baltus Van Tassel)
- Marc Davis (Katrina Van Tassel)
- Eric Larson (Mr. Toad, Ichabod Crane)
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 website=
- ↑ [http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1021, Wind in the Willows, Michael Barrier-comment]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Barrier, Michael (1999) Hollywood Cartoons, Oxford University Press, UK
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The American Film Institute, catalog of motion pictures, Volume 1, Part 1, Feature films 1941-1950, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad"
- ↑
- ↑ Gabler, Neal-(2006), Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, Alfred A. Knopf Inc, New York City
- ↑ Gabler, Neal-(2006), Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination, Alfred .A Knopf Inc, New York City
- ↑ M. Faust. "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Movie Review". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ↑ Golden Globe Awards http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/25083
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Television. (1955, February 2). Yonkers Herald Statesman, p. 18.
- ↑ Today's Television Programs. (1955, August 3). Long Island Star-Journal, p. 25.
- ↑ Tonight. . .don't miss Channel 7. (1955, October 26). The New York Times, p. 63.
- ↑ Shorts Chart. (1963, September 23). BoxOffice, p. 10.
- ↑ Feature Reviews. (1978, July 31). BoxOffice, p. 77.
External links
- Official website
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad at the Internet Movie Database
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad at the Big Cartoon DataBase
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