The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Release Date: October 5, 1959

This film is the last in a line of feature length films comprised of shorts. However, both shorts in this film were originally meant to be individual feature length films. Wind and the Willows was brought to Walt's attention in the early 1940's, and perhaps if the studio strike and World War II had never happened, it would have eventually become a full-length film. It isn't the only story to get side-lined due to the strike and the war, but unlike some other stories, at least it re-emerged.

The opening of the movie finds us in a library. We see all sorts of books, some of which will later become Disney films. But the camera settles on Wind and the Willows. The book is removed from the shelf and opens to tell us its story, narrated to us by Basil Rathbone. The story tells of Mr. Toad, a wild character who develops manias and only lets go of one when he finds another. This creates quite the headache for a trio of friends who have his best interests in mind, even when Toad himself does not!

My personal favorite part of this movie is at the end when Toad and his friends try to sneak into Toad Hall to retrieve evidence of Toad's innocence. What could have been a fairly easy and stealthy mission erupts into chaos due to Toad's inability to remain calm and serious. His antics are fun to watch despite the danger he places himself and his friends in.

Upon the conclusion of this story, the narrative switches from English literature to American literature. Bing Crosby takes over as the narrator as he tells the story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Almost all songs are sung by Bing Crosby, and his voice is perfect in every single performance. Interestingly enough, I believe this is the first movie where the main villain sings a song--a tradition that would be continued in many other future Disney films.

This short has so many fun gags, and I imagine Ichabod Crane must have been a fun character to animate. There are many laugh-out-loud moments, especially as we see Ichabod and Brom Bones compete for Katrina's hand. But by far the most memorable part of this entire film is the Headless Horseman. The scene is intense, and perhaps the scariest animated Disney scene up to this point in time.

One thing that is fascinating to me about these two shorts is how the storytelling was approached so differently. Basil Rathbone narrates Mr. Toad's thoughts, and otherwise provides the viewer with important plot information. But when the story itself is happening, each character has a different voice actor. But in the story of Ichabod Crane, Bing Crosby pretty much tells the whole story without the characters doing any talking. Other voice actors are brought in for some of the musical numbers, but there isn't really any dialogue in the movie at all. And yet, the story is so full of life and is very engaging to the viewer! Bing carries the weight of the entire story and does a marvelous job of it. I love that such a talented actor and performer is part of the Disney legacy!

As I said at the beginning, this film concludes the period of feature length movies being comprised of two or more shorts put together. While I am personally grateful that the studio moved on to create bigger and better things, these feature films certainly had value! They were opportunities for animators to hone their craft and prepare for the next big animated hit of the Walt Disney Studio.

Melody Time

Release Date: May 27, 1948

This movie is very similar in format to the previously released Make Mine Music, as it features multiple cartoons featuring musical performances by famous artists of the day. 

The first segment is "Once Upon a Wintertime," which features a song by Frances Langford. This cartoon features a couple that goes out for a sleigh ride to an ice skating rink. The couple is clearly in love, and animal couples at the rink mimic what the humans are doing. However, the love in the air is threatened when the males accidentally cause some harm by trying to show off. In the end, love is restored when the women face danger and the men heroically rescue them. 

The next vignette is "Bumble Boogie" and features Freddy Martin and his orchestra. This cartoon follows a bumblebee exploring a world where both plants and creatures take on the features of musical instruments. The animation in this sequence is fun. For example, a piano keyboard could be a caterpillar or a snake. The music is especially fun and is timed so perfectly with the animation. It's truly a work of art!

Next we have Dennis Day telling the story of and portraying the characters of Johnny Appleseed. This cartoon is a classic, and one that I saw many times in my childhood, along with other Disney shorts of American Tall Tales. I love the music in this cartoon, and I especially love the relationship between Johnny Appleseed and his guardian angel. This is my personal favorite cartoon in the entire movie.

The Anderson Sisters return to perform the next cartoon, "Little Toot." This short is about a little tugboat who is constantly getting into trouble and ends up accidentally causing a major catastrophe which ends up disgracing his family and causing his own banishment. But while banished, he discovers a large ship in distress and is the only tugboat able to save it, earning the respect of everybody at home.

The next segment, featuring Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, is simply titled, Trees. This short features the poem by Joyce Kilmer and combines words, music, and art to create a beautiful and simplistic short. The storm sequence readily brings to mind Bambi. The ending shot of the tree looks like a cross on a hill with a cloud forming a halo around it, creating a striking Christian image. I'm not positive that was the intent of the animators, but it sure looks intentional to me!

Blame it on the Samba is the next segment and features Donald Duck and Jose Carioca returning together. Ethel Smith and the Dinning Sisters perform the music in this short. At the beginning, Donald and Jose are very blue and gloomy. But soon they are touched by the music of the Samba and everything becomes bright and colorful. This introduces live action combined with animation--something that continues in the next segment.

In the final short, we begin with an animated desert and various animated desert animals. The camera then focuses on a group of live action people gathered around a campfire. There we see familiar faces like Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten. Roy Rogers and The Pioneers are with them, and Roy tells the story of Pecos Bill. This is the longest segment, and a great way to close the movie as it brings the tall tale to life.