The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

This movie is a set two unrelated but very enjoyable shorts. The first is an abridged version of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows. It tells the story of an anthropomorphic toad who is goodhearted but loves to live beyond his means and his animal friends who try to save Toad from himself.

Some changes have been made to the novel to make Toad more likable. All the characters are well-developed. The dialog in simple and elicits a few laughs and there is one particularly catchy song. It is narrated by Basil Rathbone, with a gentlemanly air, perfect for this tale set in Victorian London. However, this short is only meant for kids; the human characters treat the animals like equals and it is difficult for adults to take it seriously.

The second short adopts the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow onto screen. This short in true to its source material and it has no dialog. The story is told through a narrator (Bing Crosby) and has a few musical numbers. Ichabod Crane moves to a sleepy little village of Dutch- settlers, as the new school master. He finds himself competing with the local roughneck, Brom Bones for the affections of Katerina Von Tassel. One night, to scare Ichabod, Brom tells him about the local myth of a headless horseman, who haunts the woods around the village at night. But could the legend be true?

While the first short had clear cut good and bad guys, the line is blurred here. Ichabod is rather opportunistic and covets Katerina for her wealth. Brom is not very pleasant and is shown to go to great lengths to out-rival Ichabod. Katerina herself likes to toy with the affections of both the men and is referred as a "coquette".

The animation is good in Mr.Toad's story but it is simply wonderful in Ichabod's. The movie makes full use of the creative possibilities it offers to bring Ichabod's thoughts and imaginations to life. There is a song in which Ichabod dreams of the money he could make from Katerina's farm, after marrying her and it has a beautiful sequence that shows a wheat grain in the fields turning into a gold coin as it falls down. Similarly, the final song, where Ichabod is traveling in the woods, shows exactly how one imagines to see and hear specters in the dark when they are scared. The headless horseman, when he finally appears, is every bit as impressive as he has been built up or as our imagination can conjure.

I will say it even if I sound clichéd; they don't make it like this anymore.