February 2, 2021
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) ***
Disney +
Free
Disney animation
The theme song literally goes like this: “Ichabod and Mr. Toad/Ichabod and Mr. Toad/Ichabod, Ichabod and Mr. Toad!” So, I am assuming that they had the Rhythmaires in the studio to record, and only at that moment did they realize that they had forgotten to write a theme song, so they just winged it and hoped no-one would notice.
This is two short cartoons together, first The Wind in the Willows, then The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I wasn’t entirely certain as to whether I had seen The Wind in the Willows, or if I just remembered it from the book itself and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, and it turns out that was the case, as it was entirely new to me. It’s narrated by Basil Rathbone, and is a lot of fun, much silliness.
The second one I knew for an absolute fact I had seen before, I remembered seeing it on The Wonderful World of Disney when I was a kid, and as part of various Disney Hallowe’en specials. It is narrated by Bing Crosby, who is perfect, and it’s as enjoyable as the first half.
Slight, but entirely entertaining.
365 Films in 365 Days 