Dalbert Pringle (*Movie quote*) - "Tally-ho!"This 70-minute, animated, Disney presentation contains 2, 35-minute stories of Technicolour fantasy, fun, and fright.Story #1 is based on the Kenneth Grahame tale - "The Wind In The Willows". Its main character is the exuberant mischief-maker, Mr. Toad.This story was narrated by actor, Basil Rathbone.Story #2 is based on the Irving Washington tale - "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow". It's main character is Ichabod Crane who, one dark night, crosses paths with the hideous "Headless Horseman".This story was narrated by actor/singer, Bing Crosby.Originally released in 1949 - This animated feature film is fairly entertaining, for the most part.

mike48128 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.

Anssi Vartiainen The final of Disney's package films from the 40s, before they returned to full-length feature animations with Cinderella, and pretty much also the best of them. This time we only get two shorts, both of them adaptations of great literary classics. We have The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both in the same film.First, The Wind in the Willows, tells the story of one Mr. Toad as he's once gain touched with a hint of craziness, this time towards automobiles, as he once again begins the ruin his family's fortunes and glory in pursuit of thrills. The characters are substantially different from the book, which can be a problem if you're die-hard fan of the novel, but they work very well in the boundaries of this particular film, so I have no real complaints. Besides, the original book is a bit... wilder, despite being a children's novel. To summarize, a good segment with flawless animation, great characters, good humour and a plot just long enough for the segment.Our second segment tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a school teacher sent to educate the feeble young minds of one Sleepy Hollow. Crane takes the small village by storm, despite his wimpy frame and general cowardliness, being both educated and well-mannered, rare feats in such a rural settlement. But then the mystical rears its head and Crane is forced to face something beyond even his considerable understanding. A great segment as well, with a magnificent leading man, as well as a villain that's one of the spookiest Disney has ever made.My only real problems with this film is that I kind of wish they had made full-length movies out of the two segments. Sleepy Hollow especially would have been fantastic as a full Disney movie.

Andrew Miller Last night, I watched this film for the first time in a while, and I enjoyed it as much as I did when I first saw it. While this film tanked when it was released back in 1949, I do hope that more people will give this movie another look because it's got the Disney stamp on it.First, we have "Wind in the Willows", a truly delightful adaption of Kenneth Grahame's story and narrated by Basil Rathbone, keeps the British tone of the book very well while still being a lot of fun to watch. The character of J. Thaddeus Toad is really enjoyable to watch because of his fixation on anything that's new and the ways he'll try to get it. Mole, McBadger, and Rat are also a lot of fun, but my favorite character is the horse, Cyril Proudbottom. The courtroom scene just cracks me up because of the line Cyril says to the judge. The voice acting is really too, with Eric Blore and Pat O'Malley doing a particularly wonderful job.Next, we have "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", a much more darker story, but still a great one to watch. The great Bing Crosby's narration and top-notch animation tell a story of great humor and gripping horror. The nitpicking schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, is a piece of animation genius along with some nice layouts and backgrounds to match. Most of the humor in the movie comes from the rivalry between Ichabod and the local town bully, Brom Bones. However, the scene leading up to the appearance of the Headless Horseman are certainly chilling and frightening and the horseman himself is just plan awesome and you get one great chase out of it. Something I never realized about this is that Ichabod is kind of a jerk. All he really cares about is marrying Katrina for her money and fantasizes about her dad being out of the picture and one could argue that Brom Bones is the hero of this film. The songs are also really great with "The Headless Horseman" and "The Merry Song" being the best ones in the film.I really love this movie and consider it one of the most underrated Disney animated films ever, right up there with Oliver & Company. For those who haven't seen this film, go see it and if you have kids, show them this; just cover their eyes when the Headless Horseman appears.Just remember, folks, don't try to reason with a guy with no head.