Highlights: The Wind in the Willows is a fun short with a cute story and memorable characters. The Legend of Sleepy Hallow portion has some high points in it, though overall I wasn’t a huge fan (though I know many people are). But I did enjoy some of the music in it and some of the scenes.
Low points: The Legend of Sleepy Hallow came off as a bit odd to me. I think part of this is because the original story itself is odd, but then turning it into an animated movie presumably for kids makes it a bit weirder. It seems funny and lighthearted at the beginning, but the ending… not so much. Ichabod himself isn’t very likable so there’s not a ton of investment in the characters.
Music: None of the music was particularly memorable, but it worked well in the films and in the stories. I actually liked the music in Sleepy Hollow, though the bright, peppy and jazzy tunes seemed a little bit out of place. There’s an opening song about how odd Ichabod is when he first walks through town with his nose in a book, very reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast (though Belle is much better!).
Villain rating: The weasels and Mr. Winky are the villains in the Wind in the Willows. Mr. Winky is rather slimy and despicable, but not super intimidating. The weasels are actually quite violent in the end! Definitely scarier than they look. But of course, in Sleepy Hollow you have the Headless Horseman, who represents scariness and Halloween in many ways. If you’re looking for the scary factor in your villains, he’s a good one.
Fun Fact: This is the last package film produced by the Walt Disney Animated Studios (phew!)
Where in the World: Both shorts are represented in small ways in the parks. There used to be a ride in Disney World called Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (still found at Disneyland). In memory of Mr. Toad’s ride, you can find a portrait of him handing over the deed to Pooh on the Winnie the Pooh ride. Plus, he pops up in the pet cemetery outside of the Haunted Mansion. In the Magic Kingdom you’ll find a building in Liberty Square called Sleepy Hollow, which serves up snacks (including some incredible waffle sandwiches!). Finally, the headless horseman makes a brief appearance at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, leading the parade.
My rating: I’ll give it a 5 out of 10. It’s definitely a stronger one of the package films, but I’m ready to go back to the real animated classics!
I prefer the ‘Mr. Toad’ segment over the Ichabod Crane segment as well and wish they had the time and resources to have made a full-length animated film of it.
I’ve recently gotten into Bing Crosby so I feel I’ll enjoy the music in Ichabod Crane now as opposed to before when I never cared for it.
I could definitely see Mr. Toad being a full length film if they were able to dedicate more to it.
Is a package film just one where they put two or more shorts together? Did they do that in theaters?
Yes, that’s basically what it is. They did release them in theaters, since they weren’t producing full length films at the time.