Die Abenteuer von Ichabod und Taddäus Kröte (1949)

Die Abenteuer von Ichabod und Taddäus Kröte: Directed by James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney. With Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, J. Pat O’Malley. An animated adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows” followed by an adaptation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

“I guess you describe this Walt Disney classic as a cartoon/cartoon. Two separate stories done to fill out one barely over an hour film. After 63 years it still has enough magic to entertain.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhy Disney reversed the order of The Adventures Of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Iu0026#39;ve not figured out since the Mr. Toad story comes first. Basil Rathbone narrates this part and Eric Blore is delightful as that rascally scamp J. Thaddeus Toad who has the finest estate on riverbank. But heu0026#39;s a spendthrift and really needs a keeper. Which his friends the badger, the rabbit and the mole supply.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBlore reached back to his own career in interpreting Toad and I think Disney and his staff of animators must have seen him in The Road To Zanzibar and his character of Bates the valet to The Lone Wolf in that series. In Zanzibar Blore has a brief but memorable part as an eccentric millionaire who sells Crosby and Hope and diamond mine, but heu0026#39;s also the family idiot and he has no mines to sell or rights to sell them. And seeing how his Toad character escapes from the law reminds me so much of Bates making fools of the law in helping Warren William outwit them.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWashington Irvingu0026#39;s Legend Of Sleepy Hollow is the basis for Ichabod and Bing Crosby narrates and sings with Jud Conlonu0026#39;s Rhythmaires backing him up and occasionally providing a voice. Ichabod Crane the new schoolmaster is cutting in on Brom Bones and his wooing of the richest girl in town Katrina Von Tassel. We all know how Brom Bones got Ichabod out of town on a stormy Halloween night, but you have to see the fine animation that Disney did for this film to really appreciate it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBing gets three songs to sing in this film, Ichabod Crane, Katrina, and The Headless Horseman. The last is really memorable and a great song for kids of all ages on a Halloween night.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRemember folks, you canu0026#39;t reason with a headless man.”