The Wind in the Willows

A bit abbreviated from the book, but wonderfully done stop motion animation and great voice work. The film manages to capture the magic of this world in a way that traditional animation couldn't quite match. The actors were spot on in their portrayals with David Jason giving life to the irascible Toad but somehow, as noted in the bonus feature, making him sympathetic as well. This film spawned 5 TV series which were quite nice in their own right.

together with jeremy brett's sherlock holmes and the burlesque of allô allô, this was a landmark for a very young admirer of brit-fashioned TV productions. i saw this for the very first time on the telly and i suppose this was but the movie of the series. today i know this movie is a fair piece of artwork that moulded my life: i teach English. the characters are so exquisite and the scenario is state-of-the-art tasteful paintings. the Gothic side of the movie is also an allurement to it. when mole leaves in search of badger, part of the tone of the movie is clear: there's true darkness in those woods. that darkness is also stressed through the gory mole's fingernails. there's much violence, too, for those who like a pinch of tavern-like brawl. it's a sweet translation into moving pictures of a great story for parents to read their kids when they misbehave and have problems with the increasing, and at times puzzling, importance of friendships in their lives. there's the hilarious water-dancing of the ducks in the river and the truly tiresome teenager frog. beautiful. beautiful.

I say this as a lover of Kenneth Grahame's wonderful book, and I do agree wholeheartedly with anyone who says it is one of the best versions. The stop motion animation is very effectively rendered, while the writing and storytelling is absolutely excellent, while they remain loyal to the book's tone and details they also have a lot of charm and infectiousness about them.

The characters are immensely engaging and also stick to the characters of the book. And of course the voice acting is wonderful, especially David Jason who is a hoot as Toad.

Overall, this adaptation is wonderful and one of the best versions. If you haven't seen it, do, you will not regret it. 10/10 Bethany Cox

There have been several versions of The Wind in the Willows, and this is, without a doubt, the best of them. Everything about is wonderful. It has magnificent animation and looks beautiful, and is written and played excellently. This is as good as movies get.

The stop motion animation is simply wonderful, the characters exquisitely rendered, the actors delightful, the script true to the spirit of the original. This will be enjoyed on different levels by both children and adults. It is decidedly NOT merely for children, anymore than "The Nightmare Before Christmas." This is a beautiful and timeless production that deserves to live forever.