There’s
enough substance to both stories in The
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad to make for a great double feature.
They’re both amazing stories with interesting characters and environments for
the shorts adapted from them to actually be expanded on. But at the same time,
at roughly a half hour each, they seem perfectly paced and when contrasted
against each other back to back, make for a fantastic film.
This
film takes the basic idea of Fun and
Fancy Free: creating a feature out of two shorts, but omits the biggest
thing which held that film back, the awkward live-action transitions. Thus the
film feels more whole without the need for a framing device apart from
introductions by narrators Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby.
The
two shorts are adaptations of classic works of literature. The first is Kenneth
Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows
which is set in a pastoral English countryside filled with anthropomorphic
animal characters during the Edwardian era. The eccentric and thrill-seeking
Thaddeus Toad Esquire has bankrupted his estate through his chasing after
numerous fads and copious spending. After he trades Toad Hall to a band of
weasels for a stolen motorcar, his friends Rat, Mole, and Angus MacBadger must
clear his good name.
The Wind in the Willows is
a story that has always fascinated me largely because of the anthropomorphic
cast, my first exposure to animals portrayed as so human. It’s an odd little
story but a very endearing one at that. The characters are a lot of fun and the
world for the most part pleasant. This short is really good at capturing the
social commentary of the book, with Toad being a perfect ludicrous millionaire
jumping on board the latest mania bandwagon. He’s a character very much akin to
P.G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster or real life figures like Howard Hughes. He’s
also quite funny in his insanity. So is his horse Cyril, who feels lifted
directly from Only Fools and Horses.
In fact to reference another British sitcom, their whole environment reminds me
of Last of the Summer Wine. There
isn’t a whole lot to the other characters. MacBadger is irate and despairing,
Rat is stuffy and proper, Mole is clumsy and kind, Mr. Winky has the most
delightfully malicious smile and accent; but they are entertaining. The
animation is also very good, creating a rich atmosphere through the artwork
that makes you believe in this world, even when aspects like the human
characters (yeah, how does that work?) don’t. I love how the short portrays
Christmas, if only briefly. It’s
very homely and warm, maybe a reason why these characters would later show up
in supporting roles in Mickey’s Christmas
Carol. And the animation compliments the comedy very well, particularly the
physical stuff. The action-packed climax is one of the most fun sequences I’ve
seen in a Disney film yet, with a very welcome fast pace and absurdity that’s
ideal for the tone of this story. And Basil Rathbone makes for an excellent
narrator throughout.
The
following short adapts Washington Irving’s The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, set during the late eighteenth century in the
Dutch settlements of what would become New York. Ichabod Crane, a lanky and odd
new pedagogue (schoolmaster) comes to the town of Sleepy Hollow where he
becomes unexpectedly popular due to his generous nature, intellect, and choral
skills. He soon falls in love with Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of the
wealthiest farmer in the county and attempts to court her, in competition with
local hero Brom Bones. But Sleepy Hollow is an old town with plenty of folklore
and ghostly tales, and just when he’s about to win Katrina at a harvest ball,
is told the story of the Headless Horseman, the ghost of a soldier who haunts
the area decapitating people, a story which may be more true than he’d like to
think.
Sleepy Hollow is a much more well-known
story than The Wind in the Willows
and for many, this is where they know the story from. Everyone thinks of this
Disney version, and that’s perfectly fine. The original short story is one of
my favourite works of fiction, the ultimate I think in terror storytelling, so
I would always recommend that above all else; but this is a surprisingly great
introduction to the tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman and easily
the best filmed version yet. The story, what can I say, it’s everything the
story should be. It’s moody, supernatural, thrilling, chilling, suspenseful,
and eerie. But being Disney, this version adds in more comedy and music which
for a story as dark as Sleepy Hollow,
should not work. However, it turns out to be a lot of fun. Disney realized they
needed to entertain kids early on in the short to off-set the horror of the
climax, and it works wonderfully, especially in how it delegates a lot of
slapstick to Brom. In the original story, Brom becomes a practical joker and
rival to Ichabod, and often gets the upper hand. In this film he’s made more a
fool of, largely so you can
sympathize with him later on. But in changing that aspect of his character, I
really appreciate how much it stuck to the accuracy of others. We’re often
compelled to root for Ichabod as the underdog, but this film does a good job to
remind us he’s just as much attracted to Katrina’s wealth as Katrina herself,
and therefore is not really a virtuous spirit. Both the book and the film emphasize he’s more
than a little greedy and selfish,
thus making him a little deserving of his later encounter. I’m not going to
spoil anything as though I’m sure most of you know the story, the climax and
how this film presents it is brilliant. I love the build-up which is phenomenal
in the book, but here we get some added details and red herrings that build
tension. Starting with Brom’s song, and speaking
of, the music is
terrific. The whole short including character voices are narrated by Bing
Crosby, one of the greatest vocalists, and he performs the expositional songs
with aplomb. “The Headless Horseman” song is really catchy and effectively
foreboding. Up to that point the short is whimsical and comedic, but now it
takes a frightening turn. And everything after that is a rush of suspense and
terror as each minute sound threatens to be haunting. There are even a couple
jump scares! The climax has its comic moments sure, but they’re levied by how
imposing a scary villain the Headless Horseman is, from his appearance to his
maniacal cackle. This short scared me and many others as children, and for me,
that’s what made the story itself so much more fascinating. Admittedly the
ending is kind of sugar-coated,
quickly trying to convince the audience both Ichabod and Brom have happy
endings. I understand the need to do that because once again, this is Disney,
but it takes a little away from the creepiness of the original story. However
it’s quick and not enough to taint the rest of the tale. In fact Disney’s Sleepy Hollow is one of my favourite
shorts of all time in how perfectly it manages to relate the story while adding
a unique flavour. The animation and action looks terrific, being slow when it needs to
and fast when it needs to, and they make
the slapstick and comedic reactions effective. As odd as he may look next to
the other characters, this is the most literal appearance of Ichabod Crane ever
rendered, and Brom will clearly serve as a later template for Gaston. It has a
couple problems and is not as gripping as the short story, but I absolutely
love it and will continue to re-watch it
every Halloween.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
combines two disparate classic stories and turns out a thoroughly exciting
feature film. What I like about both these adaptations is that they stick very
closely to their sources where they need to, while changing and adding just
enough. Both are on their own fantastic versions of fantastic stories. They
aren’t ideal, but as long as you remember
it’s Disney putting out The Wind in the
Willows, it’s Disney putting out The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and are expecting at least some of the trappings
of that studio, you’ll certainly enjoy yourselves. You may even be surprised
how well they convey aspects of the original books, particularly the horror in
the latter. This is the last of the package films and in my humble opinion, they
couldn’t have gone out any stronger!
Next
Week: Cinderella
(1950)
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