Saturday Evening Cartoon: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

     The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) was released on October 5, 1949.  The 11th Disney animated feature film it is really a combination of two short films known as a "package" or anthology film and is the one of these released by the studio until The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 1977. The two shorts are The Wind and the Willows, an adaptation of the classic children's novel by Kenneth Grahame, and Ichabod Crane, based on Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Walt Disney had wanted to adapt Grahame's story as a feature film ever since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 but the production was delayed, first because of the Disney animators' strike and then because of the second world war. It would resume production, as a short film, in 1947 and, in the meantime, work on Ichabod Crane had already begun. The two segments complement each other nicely. One is based on British literature and takes part on Christmas while the other is based on an American short story and takes place on Halloween.

     James Algar, who had been one of the directors for Fantasia, directs the first segment. I've never read The Wind and the Willows and so cannot comment on it's faithfulness but I found this segment a bit aimless as Mr. Toad seems to have learned very little by the end of it. Nevertheless I was entertained by it. It definitely evokes a sense British eccentricity, aided no doubt by Basil Rathbone's laid back narration. The rest of the voice actors do a fine job as well, especially Eric Blore as lovable rogue J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. The climax is filled with the kind of energetic slapstick that you rarely see in animation today.

     Jack Kinney and Clyde Geronimi  co-direct the second sequence, which is a fairly accurate (if also very condensed) adaptation of Irving's story. Ichabod is less likable here then he is in the book, though he retains most of his source's character traits and the animators do a great job bringing him to life. Like The Wind and the Willows, Ichabod Crane is filled with delightfully inventive slapstick, as the titular character gracefully avoids the attacks of Brom, who competes with him for the affection of Katrina van Tassel. The climax is fittingly atmospheric, as Ichabod is chased away by the legendary Headless Horseman though his fate is less ambiguous then in the novel. This is not surprising however, considering the intended audience. Bing Crosby's narration is delightful and has a winking, tongue-in-the-cheek sensibility.

     The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) may not be up their with the best of Disney aniomation but it's a solid little anthology film nonetheless.

Score: 8/10