{"id":75646,"date":"2023-10-25T14:13:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T19:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75646"},"modified":"2023-10-25T14:13:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T19:13:28","slug":"have-you-seen-the-adventures-of-ichabod-and-mr-toad-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75646","title":{"rendered":"Have you seen&#8230;&#8217;The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad&#8217; (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By JOHN BILLINGER<\/strong><br><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disney has made 62 movies total coming this November, and in that time there have been many films that have been high in the spotlight, but with that, there have been quite a few that have fallen by the wayside. And here\u2019s one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad\u201d was released in 1949. Some might be familiar with Mr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride at Disneyland, and they might have wondered, \u201cWhat movie is Mr. Toad from?\u201d Well, this film is the answer, but this film is not a cohesive narrative. It\u2019s two half-hour shorts compiled into one feature. You might wonder why they made it like this, and there is a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1949 Trailer | Bing Crosby\" width=\"790\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QyCnW-mB-qQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After the massive success of \u201cSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,\u201d Disney went forward to make more feature-length animated films starting with the double release of \u201cPinocchio\u201d and \u201cFantasia\u201d in 1940, continuing on in 1941 with \u201cDumbo\u201d and 1942 with \u201cBambi.\u201d During this time they went into pre-production with others including \u201cAlice in Wonderland,\u201d \u201cPeter Pan,\u201d a film titled \u201cLady\u201d (which would eventually evolve into \u201cLady and the Tramp\u201d), \u201cMorgan\u2019s Ghost\u201d (which ended up getting canceled altogether), \u201cThe Legend of Happy Valley,\u201d \u201cBongo,\u201d \u201cThe Wind in the Willows,\u201d and the \u201cLegend of Sleepy Hollow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things hit the brakes with two obstacles. One: World War II cut off the European and Asian box office; the enormously expensive and ambitious \u201cPinocchio,\u201d \u201cFantasia,\u201d and \u201cBambi\u201d flopped (a fate shared with other films of the time such as \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d). Two: the United States joined World War II in December 1941. The studio delayed the production of all their pre-production films and instead went into production of propaganda films for the war effort including \u201cSaludos Amigos\u201d and \u201cThe Three Caballeros.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the war ended, the Studio was in financial trouble but they still wanted to make movies. So the solution was to make what\u2019s known as \u2018package films.\u2019 Basically a compilation of various films. And so began the Package Film Era of Disney of 1942-1949. The films that they made in this era fall into three categories. There\u2019s the Goodwill Tour Films that consist of \u201cSaludos Amigos\u201d and \u201cThe Three Caballeros.\u201d They showcase South American culture in the form of animation and were meant to appeal to Latin American audiences in the hopes of building their support for us during the war. The Shorts Compilation films which are \u201cMake Mine Music\u201d in 1946 and \u201cMelody Time\u201d in 1948. These are just a collection of a whole bunch of shorts with a musical theme. Finally, there are the two that I refer to as \u201cThe Ones that Adapt Canceled Films.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"357\" data-attachment-id=\"75649\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75649\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1156&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1156\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"maryblair\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Original concept art of the \u201cSleepy Hollow\u201d segment by Disney conceptual artist Mary Blair&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?fit=370%2C167&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?fit=790%2C357&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair.jpg?resize=790%2C357\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C463&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=370%2C167&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C68&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C347&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C694&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C925&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/maryblair-scaled.jpg?w=2370 2370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Original concept art of the \u201cSleepy Hollow\u201d segment by Disney conceptual artist Mary Blair <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The two of this category are condensed versions of stories that they wanted to be a full film but ended up just being half-hour shorts. The films are \u201cFun and Fancy-Free\u201d in 1947 (which adapts \u201cBongo\u201d and the \u201cLegend of Happy Valley\u201d) and \u201cIchabod and Mr. Toad\u201d in 1949 (which adapts \u201cThe Wind in the Willows\u201d and the \u201cLegend of Sleepy Hollow\u201d). Following the release of the latter, Disney returned to proper narrative animated films with \u201cCinderella\u201d in 1950. Looking back on the era as a whole, the strongest one of the bunch is \u201cIchabod and Mr. Toad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of that is that it\u2019s a pretty fun ride. Both segments adapt the stories by Kenneth Gramhe and Washington Irving respectively. Since they\u2019re each about a half hour long, we\u2019re given condensed versions of both stories, but that is not an issue. They move at a quick pace and are pretty lively and jolly all the way through. They are presented very differently from how you\u2019d think they would present them though. The framing device used to bridge both stories is that we\u2019re given a tour of a library, and two different narrators are showing off examples of classic literature, one from England and the other from America.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This way of tying the two stories together is a lot better and more clever than what they did in the earlier package film \u201cFun and Fancy-Free.\u201d In that, Jiminy Cricket is going along, listens to a record album about Bongo and then goes to a party where he hears a story about Mickey Mouse in a \u201cJack and The Beanstalk\u201d-inspired tale. That felt kind of forced and loose. Here, it\u2019s simple but more clever and effective. The first narrator who showcases the \u201cWillows\u201d section is Basil Rathbone, a popular character actor from the time best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of films from back then. The second narrator for the \u201cSleepy Hollow\u201d section is Bing Crosby. Yes, they got one of the biggest names of entertainment from the 40s to narrate this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These days, people complain about casting celebrities for animated films, but here you see that this trend is hardly new (in fact the first celebrity who voice acted in an animated film was singer Cliff Edwards who played Jiminy Cricket in 1940\u2019s \u201cPinocchio\u201d). Both actors do a great job narrating, but Crosby pulls double duty as he also voices all the characters in the Sleepy Hollow section. This is a little odd, as the Willows section is all voiced by a variety of different actors. I\u2019m not sure why they did this, but it helps give both a unique feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"286\" height=\"176\" data-attachment-id=\"75651\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75651\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?fit=286%2C176&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"286,176\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"headlesshorseman\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?fit=286%2C176&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?fit=286%2C176&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75651\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?resize=286%2C176\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?w=286&amp;ssl=1 286w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/headlesshorseman.jpg?resize=150%2C92&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 286px) 100vw, 286px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"188\" data-attachment-id=\"75648\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75648\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?fit=250%2C188&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"250,188\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"mrtoad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?fit=250%2C188&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?fit=250%2C188&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75648\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?resize=250%2C188\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75648\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?w=250&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mrtoad.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"415\" data-attachment-id=\"75647\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75647\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?fit=1024%2C538&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1024,538\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"windinthew\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?fit=370%2C194&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?fit=790%2C415&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75647\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?resize=790%2C415\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?resize=370%2C194&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?resize=150%2C79&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/windinthew.jpg?resize=768%2C404&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, Crosby also sings some songs as this film is technically a musical. The songs themselves are fine. There are not really any especially iconic or famous Disney songs in this, but the Headless Horseman song is the highlight of the group. The animation for both segments is also good, but it\u2019s nothing to ride home about. Since this had a lower budget, it doesn\u2019t quite rise up to the visual level of the films they had made just a couple of years prior, but it does the job and it\u2019s still nice to look at. The Headless Horseman scene is especially good. It\u2019s definitely the highlight of the whole show. Speaking of which, if you want a good spooky ghost story to watch for Halloween, the Sleepy Hollow section is just what the doctor ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t really have much else to say about this movie that I haven\u2019t already said. It\u2019s a chill, fun movie. And looking at the Package Films as a whole, this is the only one that\u2019s really worth seeing. I mean, there\u2019s really no reason to watch something like \u201cFun and Fancy-Free\u201d outside of historical curiosity. By comparison, this actually has more to enjoy and it has achieved some form of legacy as it did spawn a Disneyland Ride and the Headless Horseman has appeared in quite a few other properties. The Weasels from the \u201cWind in the Willows&#8221; have had a life of their own, appearing as stock henchmen in a number of other Disney properties such as \u201cWho Framed Roger Rabbit.\u201d So it\u2019s very likely that you\u2019ve seen something from it, and if you were ever curious where that stuff originated from, check out the original source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, if you\u2019re looking for a fun fall movie, give this a watch. And if you only want to watch one segment rather than the full thing, you can actually view them separately. See, in the 1950s both of them were rereleased as their own individual shorts. So, see them both or only see one at a time. Take your pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>John Billinger is currently in the Informatics department at FHSU and is an avid movie buff.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By JOHN BILLINGERTiger Media Network Disney has made 62 movies total coming this November, and in that time there have been many films that have&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":75650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3391,3505,55],"tags":[14808,14981,12484,21,442],"class_list":["post-75646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-movie-reviews","category-local-movies","category-opinion","tag-have-you-seen","tag-john-billinger","tag-movie-reviews","tag-movies-2","tag-reviews-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ichabodthumbnail.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75652,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75646\/revisions\/75652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}