The Wind in the Willows (TV 1987)

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writers:

Kenneth Grahame (novel), Romeo Muller (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Nelson Reilly, Roddy McDowall, José Ferrer

Cast

Cast overview:
Charles Nelson Reilly	...	Mr. Toad (voice)
Roddy McDowall	...	Ratty (voice)
José Ferrer	...	Badger (voice)
Eddie Bracken	...	Moley (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Wayfarer (voice)
Bob McFadden	...	Magistrate (voice) (as Robert McFadden)
Ray Owens	...	(voice)
Gerry Matthews	...	(voice)
Ron Marshall	...	(voice)
Alice Tweedy	...	(voice) (as Alice Tweedie)
Jeryl Jagoda	...	(voice)

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Genres:

Animation | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Wind in den Weiden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last project produced by Rankin/Bass Productions.

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Goofs

During Toad's victory banquet, the backs of the guest dining chairs are about 2-3 feet tall. When the camera pans the guests in the next shot, the backs are considerably shorter.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Toad: Oh... was there ever such a yachtsman as Mr. Toad?
[camera flash, followed by a puff of smoke]
Mr. Toad: Never!

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Connections

Version of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

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Soundtracks

"I Hate Company"
Sung by Jose Ferrer, Roddy McDowall, and Eddie Bracken

User Reviews

Classic TV production with surprisingly high quality

"Wind in the Willows" is one of the all-time classic children's books, no doubt about it. And this is quite a good production, made (I believe) for Saturday morning television. I was about 4 or 5 when this was first aired, we've taped it and had it for the ensuing 15 or 16 years. Even aside from the hilarious 80's commercials (remember how popular claymation was back then?), it's still a treat to pull out the old tape and run it through the VCR again. One of the keys to the cartoon's success was the excellent musical score, with some truly memorable songs (particularly the wistful title tune which perfectly captures the yearning spirit of Rattie). And there's a great sequence with the Seafaring Rat seducing Rattie with tales of the far-off wonders of the world...it gets right to the soul of every adventurous Englishman, divided between the serene comforts of home and the wide world beyond (it's almost a David Lean moment here). The animation is admittedly not up to Disney's caliber, but then neither was Disney at the time this was made (it would be a few years before "Little Mermaid" signified their renewal). Sometimes the drawings are a bit flat, but other times they're wonderfully evocative. All in all, I recommend this if you can find it--I really don't know if it's on video or not although it probably says so on this site. Oh, and one last thing: the voices are dead-on perfect, especially Roddy McDowell as the Rat (just found out it was him recently, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect. There have been many versions of "Wind in the Willows"--a stop-motion production done for PBS in the 90's, a lushly drawn cartoon introduced by Vanessa Redgrave, even a live action version starring the Monty Python crew, which is worth watching...and of course the Disney cartoon which is a big departure from the spirit and story of the book in many ways, but contains that irrestible Disney charm and enthusiasm. Still, in some ways, this remains my favorite production, both for personal reasons (it evokes as much nostalgia for me as Teddy Ruxpin and Mr. Potato Head) and because it is the movie which most lives up to the spiritual undertones in Graham's story.