Day 11: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Starring: Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, J. Pat O'Malley, Colin Campbell, John McLeish, Campbell Grant, Claude Allister, Pinto Colvig, Leslie Dennison, Edmond Stevens

Songs: "Merrily on Our Way," "Ichabod," "Katrina," "Headless Horseman"

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is the final package film made by Disney and the last animated feature of the 1940s.  Like Fun and Fancy Free, this movie has two segments, both of which were originally planned to be stand alone feature films, but the war halted their production.

• "The Wind in the Willows" is based on the 1908 novel by Kenneth Grahame about J. Thaddeus Toad and his incurable thirst for adventure and inability not to spend his money on foolish things.  He also gets himself into quite a bit of trouble with a supposedly stolen car.  This segment is cute, though the animation is what I would call safe -- no risks taken, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The segment is narrated by Basil Rathbone.
• "Ichabod Crane" is a retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.  Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane wins the heart of Katrina van Tassel before getting chased off by the Headless Horseman.  This segment is narrated by Bing Crosby.

Again, I feel like there's not much to say about this film.  Because there's only two segments and neither is drastically different than the other in terms of animation and art style, it's one of the more cohesive looking package films.  The observation I made is that of the six package films, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros are alike in style, subject, and structure. Make Mine Music and Melody Time are alike in that way, as are Fun and Fancy Free and this film.  In that way, though the package films are fun and cute, they can start to blend together... I suspect this is why the last two haven't stood out much for me.  Not to say I disliked them... but I will be glad to return to feature length films with one story.

I didn't grow up with this movie, but I did see and like both segments as a child.  This is still a movie I enjoy, and I like to watch the Ichabod segment around Halloween.

What I Liked: Bing's voice.  The comedy of a Toad supposedly stealing a car with his horse.

What I Disliked: Nothing in particular comes to mind.

Favorite Segment: Tied.

Least Favorite Segment: Tied.

Should You Watch This Movie: If you're a Disney fan, sure.  Younger kids would probably like it but it may bore the older ones.  Honestly, it's cute, but you can probably get away with missing it.