The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Basil Rathbone starts this double feature off with his engaging narration of a very much shortened version of "The Wind in the Willows". "Toad" is a bit of an adventurer. Indeed, he might even be the world's first faddist! Running amok the countryside with his new equine friend "Cyril" pulling a great yellow wagon, he is causing no end of stress for his friends "Angus MacBadger", "Ratty" and "Moley". Finally , they apprehend him and confine him to his room - but nope, that's no good. He shimmies down from his window and is soon in the possession of a shiny new motor car. How did he get it? Well that's soon a matter for the law and things are going to ge even messier for the friends and he is imprisoned and they have to get to the bottom of a dastardly plot involving some weasels and Toad Hall itself. Then, we morph seamlessly onto the equally mellifluous tones of Bing Crosby who takes us through a not so enjoyable interpretation of "Sleepy Hollow". We follow the almost vulture-like "Ichabod Crane" as he arrives in the village as the school teacher and who then sets about wooing local heiress "Katriona" - much to the chagrin of local beefcake "Bron". "Crane" seems to have the upper hand at every turn until the younger man hits on a idea to, quite literally, resurrect a creature from the depths of the graveyard to finally remove this obstacle from his path to true love (and a decent sized fortune too). The animations are old style Disney with plenty of vivid colours and, certainly for "Toad, characterful animations. The second story features just a little too much music - our renowned crooner manages at least two songs, and the characterisations rely much more on their physical attributes and less on their "acting" if you will. It's still an enjoyable hour that showcases two enduring stories well, and it's not just for the children either.