Package Films: Part IV

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

The final entry into the Package Film section of the Disney canon, and this one has one of my favorites. I will be splitting this review into two parts, due to the fact that both stories are pretty different, and well worth each having their own review. And we'll start with J. Thadeus Toad first!

The Wind in the Willows

Disney continued his foray into adapting existing literature into animated film with this short, that I must say is very far from the original text..... Also a trademark of Walt's.
 For those of you who are unfamiliar with the original children's novel this is based off of, The Wind in the Willows is about a group of anthropomorphised animals living in a pastoral version of England at the beginning of the 20th century. What made the book so good, was it showed these animals with very human traits and faults, but allowed the reader to fall in love with them despite their short comings.
Now, fast forward to the Disney version, which brought most of those faults (specifically those of Toad with his 'manias' towards fast vehicles and general shenanigans), and turned them into a hyperactive, surprisingly violent animated story with VERY British humor and terminology. What was once a charming idyllic story, became a darkly humorous tale about a rich amphibian with a habit of grand theft auto and vandalism that got himself into too much trouble with the law, and retakes his mansion from thieves, with a whole bunch of guns, knives, and rough housing thrown in between it all.
Overall, I was shocked at just how violent this was. Again, going with the continuous discovery of how much goes over our heads as children, I could not believe I was ever allowed to watch this. Toad's behavior alone would be seen as highly inappropriate by today's standards. Stealing cars, giving into reckless indulgences, and general selfishness aren't really great for the moral compasses most children's movies steer themselves with in today's cinema... And honestly, this isn't the best animated version of this book made (as much as it pains me, as a Disney fan to say it). Regardless, it was a fun, nostalgic trip back into childhood to see this again. And it always reminds me of the ride at Disneyland, which, now that I think about it, also has some pretty adult themes to it too.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

And now onto one of my all time favorite animated films. This short is nostalgia incarnate for me. I will always remember watching this as a child, scared to pieces, but also riveted. Disney took a piece of American folklore, and translated it perfectly to the screen. The art style, the pacing, the collaboration with Bing Crosby's vocals, and the willingness to not sugarcoat the scares makes this one of Disney's best, in my humble opinion.
It also, holds a continuing debate among fans on who the main protagonist is. The story focuses mostly on Ichabod Crane, and his brief stint in Sleepy Hollow, trying to woo Katrina away from Brom. On the other hand, most fans point out, Ichabod's character is painted very unflattering, as it's made quite clear he is driven by greed in his lustings for her, and the tale is more about Brom, the town hero. Seeing through Ichabod's charm, he fights hard for Katrina, and ultimately scares the fraud out of town. Regardless, the story is compelling.
Growing up, in a very rural area all but enhanced this movie for me as a young child, living close to deep wooded areas, always created a strong enthusiasm for me with fairy tales and ghost stories. I would always watch this one around Halloween, and would always think of it as I ventured out to go trick-or-treating among the rural farmland of my childhood.
Disney was given a lot of backlash for this movie when it was first released. Even to this day, parents regularly complain at how terrifying the film is, and not too appropriate for children. He definitely succeeded in creating one of the most frightening villains in his canon with The Headless Horseman, ranking right up there with the Demon from Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain, and The Horned King from The Black Cauldron. But, again I must repeat what I said earlier in my reviews regarding scares in animated movies, and the balance it creates.
I hearken back to an article I once read regarding a children's movie released some time ago that was deemed almost too scary for children, but when children who had seen the movie were asked about it's scary parts, most of them were un-wavered by it, seeing the necessity of having peril to tell a good story of good triumphing over evil. It seemed their parents were more scared than they were.
Summing things up with this part, it's always fun to revisit this film, it's one of my all time favorites, and I never seem to tire from it. Still slightly terrifying, but necessary to tell the story.

Overall, finding the common connection between these two films seems to be that they both tell tales of severely flawed characters who's action lead them to great problems. The first having somewhat closure near the end with a happy ending but showing he never learned from his mistakes. The second film showing a character driven by greed, and ultimately falling victim to his own superstitions either through an elaborate rouse, or actual demonic intervention. Pretty adult stuff I must say, and even I walk away wondering how appropriate it is for youth. Nevertheless, i enjoyed myself, as a true fan would!