The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

An animated adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows" followed by an adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".

Directors:

James Algar, Clyde Geronimi

Writers:

Washington Irving (story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"), Kenneth Grahame (story "The Wind in the Willows")

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	...	Water Rat (voice) (as Claude Allister)
Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires	...	Additional voices (voice) (as The Rhythmaires)

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 | england | thought bubble | new york | bowler hat | 

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Taglines:

BING and WALT wake up Sleepy Hollow with a BANG! (Lobby card).

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name "Katrina" is a derivative of "Katherine"/"Catherine". It derives from Greek feminine name Aikaterina/Aikaterine and first appears in history with Catherine of Alexandria, a Roman saint with a significant cult in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The meaning and etymology are uncertain, though some have suggested a connection with the goddess Hecate/Hekate whose name sounds similar. Other variants and related names include "Kathryn", "Cathryn", "Caitlín", "Kathleen"/"Cathleen", "Karen", "Katarina", "Caryn", "Catalina", "Cate", "Cateline", "Caterina", "Cathy", "Catie", "Catina ", "Catja", "Catrine", "Catrìona", "Ekaterina", "Jekaterina"/"Yekaterina", "Kasia", "Kat", "Katen", "Keti"/"Kety", "Katia"/"Katya", and "Trin"/"Trina".

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Goofs

When Brom Bones grabs the barrel of ale, the side with the corked hole is pointed away from him. When the camera moves to show him pulling the cork out it is suddenly facing him.

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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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Alternate Versions

The version on shown on the Disney Channel edits out shots including weapons in the Mr. Toad segment.

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Connections

Referenced in DuckTales: Woo-oo! (2017)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(1788) (uncredited)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Sung at the end of Mr. Toad's story

User Reviews

One of the better Disney features

Excellent feature comprising of 2 half-hour segments. The animation is first rate, particularly on Ichabod's journey home through the woods, which is the highlight of the film. The quality of the direction and storytelling is excellent, and though both are quite short, they are remarkably concise and fully formed, and actually feel like they are both feature length. They are both highly atmospheric, and the characterisations are top-notch. There are some aspects of the film which have dated it somewhat, but you get past that soon enough. This film is also notable for it's fine use of colour. Anyone with an interest in animation should see this film.