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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Charming animated Disney film, why the jarring edit?
Review: Both halves of ICHABOD AND MR TOAD are charming examples of late-'40s era Disney animation. "The Wind in the Willows" segment is filled with detailed English countryside backgrounds and English manor interiors ... very cozy, very warm. The "Sleepy Hollow" portion is wonderfully creepy, the final ride home of Ichabod remains one of the most memorable and thrilling sequences in animated history.

Still, can any cartoon buff out there tell me why there's a weird little missing snippet during the "riot at Toad Hall" sequence? Out of nowhere, a flying axe (presumably thrown by Winky) cuts through the chandelier sending the heroes soaring (at 33:41). They had been saving Mole, but after the axe is thrown, Mole is no longer in their grasp but running along the floor. Are there more than a few seconds missing here? There's also an abrupt cut in the musical score. Wha' hoppened? Fellow Amazonites, I await a response!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Two for the price of one
Review: This fine feature film, made from two featurettes, is a real gem to add to your collection of family Halloween favorites, or a joy to behold at any time of year.

This 11th addition to the Disney feature film canon is worth watching over and over again.

In the first featurette, we are treated to a retelling of one story from Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" - the story of what happens when Mr. Toad decides to go for a wild ride in his new motorcar. I can't even imagine any other version of the vision of Toad Hall and its inhabitants than this one anymore. I thought it was fairly true to the original source material. Basil Rathbone provides the narration, but other characters have their own voices. The only problem with this is that I thought Rathbone's horror talents would have lent themselves better to "Sleepy Hollow".

In the second, and far better, story, we are treated to a Disney version of Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow". While not as scary as the original story, nor anywhere near as scary as Tim Burton's movie based on the same story, it's still chilling enough to make a great Halloween party event without scaring the young ones silly. The Disney style lends itself fairly well to this story, too, especially in the characterization of Ichabod Crane and other characters. The story is told by Bing Crosby - who also supplies all of the character voices and songs. Crosby does a great job on characters who I thought would have been better voiced by Rathbone.

The DVD also features a karaoke segment - a standard feature of almost all newer Disney DVDs, as well as a storybook adventure and a gallery of collectibles.

A stellar addition to the Disney collection, and a good investment for anyone planning a Halloween get together for children.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "You Can't Reason with a Headless Man!"
Review: Disney's THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD is one of the best Halloween DVDs available, especially if you are looking for something to entertain--and spook!--the entire family.

There are actually two stories on this film, the first segment being a "telling" of Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. The animation is well done--as are most Disney cartoons from this era (c. 1949)--and the narration by Basil Rathbone is wonderfully literate. Voice characterizations are done by other actors, however, which detracts from the film's premise that the story is being "told" by the venerable Mr. Rathbone. While this segment is certainly entertaining enough, it is NOT the highlight of the DVD. That honor goes to the other segment....

The remainder of the film is a "telling" of Washington Irving's THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, and it is sheer delight. This classic American ghost story is narrated by Bing Crosby, who also sings all of the songs and voices nearly all of the characterizations. The script is very loyal to the source material, even including--though a little less subtly than Mr. Irving--the same wry sense of humor. The depiction of the Headless Hessian himself is really spooky, too, though still gentle enough so as not to scare the little ones too much. Lots of fun for old and young alike, this, and a great film for the family to watch on Halloween night!

Also included on the DVD is the classic Disney animated short LONESOME GHOSTS. This one has Mickey, Donald, and Goofy working as ghost exterminators, and one could easily make the argument that it was the inspiration for 1984's live-action GHOSTBUSTERS. (Indeed, one of our animated heroes even utters the line "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!") A real hoot, and another great film to include in the family's Halloween celebration.

If you're already a fan of the animated THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, you'll definitely want to include this DVD in your collection. The colors are much richer than on the VHS release, and the details are understandably crisper. You'll see Ichabod, Bram Bones, that little coquette Katrina, and the infamous Headless Horseman like you've never seen 'em before!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: My all-time favorite story is "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow," and this version has to be the best and most entertaining film adaptation of the classic story out there! The "Mr. Toad" part is fine too, but the real gem is the "Ichabod" part. Bing Crosby's narration and singing is wonderful, he did a marvelous job! I absolutely love it, it is one of Disney's best, and I recommend it for anyone!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: When the spooks hold a midnight jamboree...
Review: I'd never really realized that this was the name of the movie when I was a child. I never remembered Mr. Toad at all. I only remembered The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I guess the Wind in the Willows part is OK. It's because of the Headless Horseman that I bought this movie. I haven't seen the whole thing in its entirety since I was a child. It's much longer than I remembered. Still, it's a classic that I love to watch around Halloween.

The extras on the DVD that make it worth while are a ghost cartoon with Mickey, Goofey, and Donald. Also, be sure to play the silly question-and-answer game: there's a bonus vintage Disney cartoon at the end of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Disney flick!
Review: This is a collection of two stories told by different stars such as Basil Rathborn and Bing Crosby. the first story if " The Wind in the Willows", inspired by a popular british book and it tells the story of a rich but crazy Toad whom named " Toad" has been accused of stealing a Motorcar but his friends have to solve the case and crack it up.

Then last, " Legend of Sleepy Hollow" told by Bing Crosby and it tells the story of a Skinny Scarecrow-like gentleman named " Icabod Crane" who is trying to charm a beautiful Rich girl named " Katrina" but when his rival is jealous, he tells Icabod the story of the Headless horseman but Icabod doesn't believe him until one night when he finds out the Headless Horseman is for reals.

A very entertaining collection of stories which features good artwork, a hot disney chick named " Katrina" and good songs in the " Sleepy hollow" story. Perfect for Halloween, this is a great Disney movie cause i'm a major lover of Disney flicks.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sneaky marketing ploy cheats Disney fans out of a classic
Review: I have only one complaint about this DVD, and it seems to be a marketing ploy used by many companies. On the original VHS release of TLOSH, there were 2 short "extra" cartoons, "Lonely Ghosts" and "Trick or Treat". I thought the 3 worked very well as a Halloween treat. In the case of the DVD, "Trick or Treat" is left off, why? This is a classic Disney short and should have been included for sure. Do we really need a silly game on the DVD, I'd opt for the masterpiece "Trick or Treat" any day. It's kind of like releasing a Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits album without putting "Thriller" on it, only so the record company can release Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits Volume 2 the next year only to make more money. It's kind of a cop out. Otherwise an awesome DVD, Bing Crosby's narration puts the finishing touches on what I consider to be the greatest Disney cartoon of all time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hidden Cartoon
Review: Play the Toad Wild Ride Game (trivia questions) and get all the answers right. A screen will pop up with a present and a play button. Enter Play and you get the added cartoon: "Susie, the Little Blue Cupe."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An adorable old cartoon collection
Review: I love these two shorts. The notoriously wild Mr. Toad is very lovable and the songs in both Ichabod and Mr. Toad are great. Bing Crosby is highly memorable as Crane, with some hilarious animation. My personal favorite? Mr. Mole. He's so gentle and cute. A must have for real animation lovers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing animation, great narration!!...
Review: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad is my favourite Halloween collection of all time. I, personally, bought this DVD mainly for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" story, of which Ichabod Crane is the main character. I remember my mother taking me to the Library on Halloween when I was about 5 or so to see this show. The story is narrated by Bing Crosby(Perfect voice for the part). He narrates the story and also sings and speaks the lines of various characters. The story builds up to a truly scary climax involving the Headless Horseman. Nobody who orders this DVD will be dissapointed.
As for "The Wind in the Willows", starring Mr.Toad, it is also a great feat of Disney animation. A lot of British(English, more specifically) culture comes thru in this story. The accents are a little thick, but they lend themselves well to the setting of the story. This story, too, bulids up to a climax with a clever conclusion.
The bonus material included with this DVD is also impressive. It includes: An interactive trivia game with a classic cartoon as your reward, another great Halloween-ish cartoon called "Lonesome Ghosts". Spanish, and French soundtracks are also included.

One of the other reviewers mentioned that she couldn't just skip to the Ichabod cartoon and had to watch all of Mr. Toad first. This is simply not true. You just go to the chapter selection menu and choose Ichabod from there. Not too difficult at all!!

Overall this Disney DVD is the epitome of what classic animation should be. Its a shame that Disney has migrated away from the more rounded drawings of years past. But these DVD's ensure that they will always be remembered and accessible.


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