The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

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

Directors:

James Algar, Clyde Geronimi,

Writers:

Erdman Penner (story), Winston Hibler (story),

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore

Won 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Relating the Story of Ichabod Crane (voice)
Basil Rathbone	...	Narrating the Story of Mr. Toad / Policeman (voice)
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)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oliver Wallace	...	Gang Leader (voice) (as Ollie Wallace)

Storyline

Two stories. The Wind in the Willows: Concise version of Kenneth Grahame's story of the same name. J. Thaddeus Toad, owner of Toad Hall, is prone to fads, such as the newfangled motor car. This desire for the very latest lands him in much trouble with the wrong crowd, and it is up to his friends, Mole, Rat and Badger to save him from himself. - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Retelling of Washington Irving's story set in a tiny New England town. Ichabod Crane, the new schoolmaster, falls for the town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel, and the town Bully Brom Bones decides that he is a little too successful and needs "convincing" that Katrina is not for him.

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Plot Keywords:

headless horseman | car | beauty | schoolteacher | jack o'lantern | 

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Taglines:

Bing and Walt ride herd on The Headless Horseman!

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1950 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thurl Ravenscroft was originally going to sing "The Headless Horseman".

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Goofs

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

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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... a toad - J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. Have you ever met him? You'll find his story in this delightful little book, "The Wind In the Willows". Toad, you might say, was the one disturbing element: ...

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Connections

Featured in Disney Sing-Along-Songs: You Can Fly (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Merrily on Our Way (to Nowhere in Particular)"
(1949) (uncredited)
Music by Frank Churchill & Charles Wolcott
Lyrics by Larry Morey and Ray Gilbert
Performed by Eric Blore & J. Pat O'Malley

User Reviews

Satisfying Disney Animation

Made at the end of the first age of Disney animation, "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" consists of two separate animated adaptations of classic stories. The Ichabod of the title is Ichabod Crane from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and the Mr. Toad is J. Thaddeus Toad from the "Wind in the Willows". Each is short, running only about 35 minutes apiece, and is narrated by top of the line actors, Basil Rathbone doing the honors for "The Wind in the Willows", and Bing Crosby for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". I've not read either story so can't judge the adaptations accuracy, but it doesn't matter. Both stories are highly entertaining, and if you like the old school Disney animation, you won't be disappointed.