The greatest movie ever!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Since the start of WWII, Disney's feature films were compilations of short films strung together, often unrelated to each other. Some of these were ideas for single narrative feature films. This would be the last of those package features, while gearing up for the return to the single narratives.The only thing that the two featured stories have in common is that they're both well known stories in literature; One British and one American. Although The Wind And The Willows was published within the lifetimes of Walt and his staff. The wrap arounds take place in a quaint live action Technicolor library.Both films have very strong character animation and excellent staging. Toad and Cyril are fun and entertaining characters. I love the dark and dramatic staging during Toad's escape from prison and they're sneak into Toad Hall to retrieve the Deed. Later generations will recognize virtually every character from this segment in MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983). Sadly, by that time all the voice actors were long gone. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow seems like a curious choice for a Disney adaptation. Bing Crosby's smooth narration enhances the upbeat and suspenseful moments. While most of the action is pantomime, the character animation is still top notch. Most of the sequences revolve around the rivalry between Ichabod and Brom Bones over Katrina. The memorable scenes come toward the end during Ichabod's spooky journey through the woods late at night and his terrifying, but comical, encounter with the Headless Horseman. Both stories are condensed versions of the original stories but are otherwise faithful to their source material. One can imagine how these would have looked had Disney produced them as separate feature length films. The best time to watch this is during the Holidays.

Of course the little ones loved Ichabod Crane a bit more than Mr. Toad (and I sadly miss the Toad ride at WDW). That being said, the mischievous touch of Ward Kimball shines through both shorts released as a feature film in 1949. Please note that Disney wisely chose to "tone down" the fright factor of the fiery Headless Horseman even though it still scared-me-to-death even in glorious B&W on our small DuMont TV in the 1950's. I love the sweet-short-dumpling-of-a-girl who begs for a dance (several times) and the outlandish way that "Ichabod Bing Crosby" is drawn. Another great Disney Park Ride that was never made! The humorous horse is reused in various shapes and forms throughout many Disney Animations and stars in both "Ichabod and Mr. Toad". Although Mr. Toad is the lesser of my two favorites here, both the animation and presentation are first rate. "Mr. Winky", the slippery bald-headed bartender and con-man, a slightly dirty joke, that somehow passed by the censors and critics! The weasels are deliciously evil and act like small-town gangsters and bullies. By their manner of dress, they must be French Weasels. Most enjoyable and easily-viewed separately on Disney Disc.

I have mixed feelings about this movie. I really loved the story with the frog, and loathed the Ichabod one. So you'd think I'd give this a balanced 5, but instead I gave it a 7, because a) the animation's pretty good, and b) I really liked the frog story. I'm gonna review those two stories separately. The Adventures of Mr Toad: I don't know why I loved this one so much, I just know I did. Maybe because it combines a character who's flawed but still lovable and a whodunit - a whodunit I hope was explored more, but still a sweet, heartwarming story that I fell in love with. And it doesn't last too long. Some short stories just feel stretched, particularly when they have an extremely boring content, even for a short story, but this one was just fine. The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow: Oh god. Oh my God, where do I begin? This story tells the classic story of the Headless Dude. And though I love spooky stories (and I wold have loved this one if for what I'm about to say next) "The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow" was ruined in the worst possible way; by having a love triangle. Or rather no, not the triangle itself, but rather the protagonist. Ichabod Crane, or some sort, I honestly don't remember. Here's the thing; Crane goes to the Sleepy Hollow to teach the children there. He meets Katrina, a lovely unmarried young girl with many admirers, and falls immediately for her. So far so good. Unfortunately for poor Ich, Katrina has an admirer who's more ardent than the others, Brom Bones, aka the Gaston of the "Walt Disney is Around" era. We have some rivalry between the two for the woman's hand (apparently said woman has no opinion on that!) but what truly bugged me was Crane's feelings. In the scene where he basically day- dreams while he's class is a chaos (bonus sin; he's a terrible teacher) he practically states that the reason why he's after Katrina is her good looks and family wealth. That's it. Crane sees Katrina as a pretty face that can make him rich and nothing more. And though it's not unheard of a man making profit though women, what really annoys me it's that the whole thing is portrayed as positive. We're meant to side with Crane. We're meant to want Katrina pick him at the end, though it's clear he doesn't care about her. Do we ever seem him speak to her and get to know the real her? No. One could say that that's right about Brom Bones and all the other men, but at least they get the benefit of the doubt. They've lived in Sleepy Hollow their whole lives, so they actually do know the real Katrina. We're meant to see Bron Bones as the antagonist, but does he ever do anything bad? No, not once. There's nothing villainous about his and Crane's fights over Katrina. And there's the assumption that he dressed up as the Headless Horseman and killed Ich (drove him away?), but when Ich took a look inside the Horseman's collar, he was absolutely terrified, as if there was indeed no head in there. If he had seen Brom's face, he'd be angry and outraged, not horrified. So, no, Brom Bones' not the bad guy here, no matter how desperately the movie wants us to believe. Crane is not the good guy, even though he's framed as such. Actually, he acts as a gold-digger whose gold- digging nature is presented as good, maybe because he's a man. Imagine if the genders were switched. Would any viewer have any sympathy for female!Crane whatsoever? I don't think so.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad comes from a time in Disney's history where it was cheaper to make shorts than feature length films. So that's exactly what they did, and would combine various shorts together, disguised as feature length films for the audience. Here, the stories of The Wind in the Willows and Sleepy Hollow form to make a feature that focuses on fabulous characters from classic literature.The Mr. Toad segment of the film is manic, completely wacky and whimsical. It brings some great character animation and some true squash and stretch that bring a real energy to the story. The characters and their designs are all memorable, even if they seem simple and small compared to the usual grandeur that comes from Disney. The story balances on silly and serious, tackling issues of trust and control while still bringing laughs and moments of cuteness. But as kinetic as Mr. Toad's wild ride is, the true fun begins with the second segment, focusing on the tale of Ichabod Crane.Disney doesn't often delve into the horror genre, and when it does it usually looks like heffalumps and woozles or pink elephants on parade. Here, we are introduced to characters through silly gags and songs that feel very much Disney and very much like the previous segment. But this retelling climaxes in one of Disney's great scares as Ichabod encounters the Headless Horseman.Movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie and The Hunchback of Notre Dame may be better examples of Disney's take on horror, but this take on Sleepy Hollow is both hair-raising and iconic. As the mood becomes clearer, the story becomes quiet, aside from the narration, and there is a real sense of isolation, allowing the imagination to begin to play its games. Drastic colors and lighting are on full display here, as well as other elements that would prove frightening to some adults, let alone any child. Again, the animation becomes kinetic and manic and expressive, but this is quite beautiful in a way that Mr. Toad's story was not and leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has the pleasure to view it. This segment has even directly inspired scenes in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.Despite not being part of Disney's usual, popular fare, both Ichabod and Mr. Toad's stories are entertaining and bring a sense of excitement in their own right. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is not a film to treat lightly, with its spectacular character animation, bold sequences and dynamic energy. And all this wrapped up within a narration by Bing Crosby and Basil Rathbone.