Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The Wind in the Willows: Concise version of Kenneth Grahame's story of the same name. J. Thaddeus Toad, owner of Toad Hall, is prone to fads, such as the newfangled motor car. This desire for the very latest lands him in much trouble with the wrong crowd, and it is up to his friends, Mole, Rat and Badger to save him from himself. - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Retelling of Washington Irving's story set in a tiny New England town. Ichabod Crane, the new schoolmaster, falls for the town beauty, Katrina Van Tassel, and the town Bully Brom Bones decides that he is a little too successful and needs "convincing" that Katrina is not for him.
A Disney package film pairing two beloved literary adaptations. The Wind in the Willows segment is charming but briskly paced and somewhat slight. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment is where the film truly shines, building genuine dread and culminating in an iconic, legitimately frightening climax with the Headless Horseman that stands as one of Disney's finest set pieces. Cinematography is solid Golden Age Disney work but not landmark. Novelty is moderate — the pairing concept is distinctive, and the tonal range from comedic to genuinely horrifying is impressive for a family film, though the package format itself was a cost-saving measure of the era. The Headless Horseman ending earns an exceptional mark for its sustained tension and ambiguity.