Watches like a longish episode of the old Wonderful World of Disney TV show…which makes sense, given I probably saw this very work on that very show back in my childhood days. There’s nothing particularly wrong with either of the vignettes presented herein, other than a little too much reliance on slapstick. That’s especially grievous in the case of the Toad piece, where all the sense of lyric beauty of Graham’s original writing is largely lost in the service of showcasing comedy. A full treatment of the Wind in the Willows, shifting back and forth between Toad's antics and the natural character of Rat's and Mole's lives on the river, could have been more interesting (though might not have produced the theme park’s "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." I guess you have to prioritize ... As for the treatment of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the mean, jockish guy gets the hot, blonde chick--but you already knew that. That's about the only takeaway from the second set piece. The animation in both sequences is impressive, while the songs are largely paint-(or, rather, sing-)by-numbers works, the kinds of tunes where the chorus just repeats the character’s name over and again. Narration by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby add a touch of class and star power to the proceedings. Otherwise, this flick overall is modestly above average, but hardly a masterpiece. Probably it's still good for today's kids, and nostalgic adults, but entertainment has moved so far on and away from the displayed world and culture and society that I suspect few ever watch movies like this anymore, outside of maybe a few quirks in smalltown Utah. I can’t quite decide if that’s a good development or not. I guess history will ultimately decide. 
Saturday, August 13, 2022
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Watches like a longish episode of the old Wonderful World of Disney TV show…which makes sense, given I probably saw this very work on that very show back in my childhood days. There’s nothing particularly wrong with either of the vignettes presented herein, other than a little too much reliance on slapstick. That’s especially grievous in the case of the Toad piece, where all the sense of lyric beauty of Graham’s original writing is largely lost in the service of showcasing comedy. A full treatment of the Wind in the Willows, shifting back and forth between Toad's antics and the natural character of Rat's and Mole's lives on the river, could have been more interesting (though might not have produced the theme park’s "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." I guess you have to prioritize ... As for the treatment of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the mean, jockish guy gets the hot, blonde chick--but you already knew that. That's about the only takeaway from the second set piece. The animation in both sequences is impressive, while the songs are largely paint-(or, rather, sing-)by-numbers works, the kinds of tunes where the chorus just repeats the character’s name over and again. Narration by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby add a touch of class and star power to the proceedings. Otherwise, this flick overall is modestly above average, but hardly a masterpiece. Probably it's still good for today's kids, and nostalgic adults, but entertainment has moved so far on and away from the displayed world and culture and society that I suspect few ever watch movies like this anymore, outside of maybe a few quirks in smalltown Utah. I can’t quite decide if that’s a good development or not. I guess history will ultimately decide. 
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