The Wind in the Willows (1949) User Reviews

Mr. Toad's motormania

[utgard14 · 8/10 · 4 January 2016]

Originally part of the movie The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, this condensed version of the Kenneth Grahame novel tells the story of madcap Mr. Toad's obsession with the newfangled automobile and how his friends try to help him. It's a fun, well-paced cartoon with lots of humor and action. The courtroom scene is a treat. It features the talented voice work of Eric Blore, Pat O'Malley, Claude Allister, Campbell Grant, Colin Campbell, and the great Basil Rathbone as narrator. The music is lively and cheerful. The animation is just gorgeous! The characters and backgrounds are beautifully-drawn and the Technicolor is so rich it's a feast for the eyes. Classic Disney animation was so attractive and so much fun to watch. This is a perfect example of that.

Semi-wild ride.

[OllieSuave-007 · 7/10 · 8 May 2018]

This is Disney's take on the classic tale of Mr. Toad and his wild adventures. Good animation, especially on the motorcars and some fun stuff on the misadventures Mr. Toad brings to his friends. The excitement and suspense were subpar overall, though. Not too much to laugh about, but, not a bad movie short.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 12 September 2003]

A Walt Disney Cartoon Short Subject.

The enthusiasms of a wealthy & irrepressible Toad and his passion for motorcars brings hilarious turmoil to the lives of his friends along the Riverbank.

Disney's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, originally the first half of THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949), gives a drastically shortened & much revised view of Kenneth Grahame's classic book, focusing entirely on the chapters dealing with the marvelous Mr. Toad. As such, it is a fine introduction to the original, but one can only wonder what Disney could have done with a feature length animated film that included the bucolic charm of the book, as well as the high jinks. The production values are excellent, and Eric Blore & J. Pat O'Malley obviously have a high time voicing Toad and his equine pal Cyril Proudbottom, but a true fan of the book can't help longing for a little more...

In the Prologue, narrator Basil Rathbone compares Toad very favorably to some other fabulous characters from English Literature - Robin Hood, King Arthur, Becky Sharp, Sherlock Holmes & Oliver Twist. A bit curious, as there was nothing fabulous about young Oliver (either Fagin or Micawber would have been a better choice) and considering Rathbone's own long association with the Holmes character.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of naysayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Charming, under appreciated Disney classic

[sarah_tate · 9/10 · 26 April 2013]

This is a very under appreciated Disney classic short. Charming and cute with delightful characters, I'd definitely recommend it. The story treatment is both fun and tense in turn. And of course the animation is just beautiful. One of my personal favorite parts is when Toad becomes so enamored with the first "motorcar" he sees that he begins sputtering too. And of course Basil Rathborn as the narrator is an inspired choice.

Listen for sweet, funny songs and a nice score, a trademark of any good Disney film.

As for those who comment about the length, it should be remembered that Walt Disney originally planned this as a feature length film. It was due to budget problems and a smaller staff because of World War II that it had to be shortened. When you keep that in mind it's really quite remarkable what they did.

For a longer movie (and an extra story as the second half which is quite delightful) watch this in its original format as The Adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr. Toad. Ichabod and the narrator are voiced by none other than Bing Crosbey. Such a treat when watched together as Disney intended.

Worthwhile 30 minute or so cartoon based on a great book

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 30 March 2010]

While the story does drag in places, this is a lively and cute animated cartoon based on a truly great book. It mayn't be the best adaptation of the book, that goes to the animated film with Rik Mayall as the voice of Toad, but it is so worthwhile. It is for one thing lovingly animated, with some beautiful backgrounds and lovely colours. The music is also terrific, with some lyrical, rousing and fun themes that are certainly memorable. The story while understandably condensed is still effective, and the scripting is good. The voice acting is very expressive, with Basil Rathbone who I best know as Sherlock Holmes brilliant as the narrator and Eric Blore a lot of fun as Toad, who is just as rascally as he is in the book. I also liked Badger, the gruff and firm character who in the book tries to make Toad change his ways and Cyril, the horse. Plus the courtroom scene is hilarious. Overall, a fun and worthwhile cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This was unforgettabe

[christinesilverman · 10/10 · 19 October 2020]

I saw this movie when I was a kid and never forgot it. I've been looking for it for about 60 years, I loved it that much. It was very entertaining, the characters were charming and the narration was wonderful. I'd love to find it and see it again now that I am an (old) adult!. A classic.

The best short from Disney

[afonsobritofalves · 17 September 2018]

One of the best shorts of Disney, very good animation, interesting history and very good scenes with a very good story. Highly recommend.

Not a fresh breeze

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 July 2015]

"The Wind in the Willows" is a Disney animated short film, which runs for slightly over half an hour and was made over 65 years ago. I have to say from that duology I found the Ichabod part more interesting. This one here is basically about the adventures of a toad and it's again made in a way that it's not only for children, but also includes some more serious references here and there although not as many as Ichabod and also no horror references. I personally felt that this film here dragged on several occasions and did not really have too many memorable characters. For Ichabod they got Bing Crosby as the narrator and for this one here they got Basil Rathbone, a two-time Academy Award nominated actor who is today mostly known for his participation in the Robin Hood film and for his Sherlock Holmes performances of course. The rest of the cast here I am not familiar with. All in all, I must say the animation was okay, but the story just did not feel memorable at all to me this time. Not recommended.

Cute, but somewhat mistreated.

[joseph-51 · 7 September 2002]

It's a shame that the Wind in the Willows was made into a 30 minute film. It would've made a good feature length film, as it's not too long or too short a story to dramatize in under 90 minutes. And where was the rowing boat, the Otter, the rabbits and the willow tree? Needless to say, the characters are cute and it's better than some films like Lady and the Tramp and The Jungle Book.

Just great

[arielsiere · 10/10 · 23 June 2022]

It is based on the movie called The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr Toad and in Disneyland he had his own ride called Mr Toad's Wild Ride which was good and i think this is an excellent short just like Steamboat Willie.

nice, but short

[Heart89 · 1 June 1999]

I liked this movie, but it was too short. I know kids have short attention spans, but a half an hour was too short. I was very disappointed. I thought it would be longer.