By Michael Lyons
In the pantheon of iconic scenes from Disney classics like “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King” one must reserve space for the kinetically animated sequence in which The Headless Horseman pursues Ichabod Crane.
The sequence has also become synonymous with this Halloween time of the year. In fact, Disney’s Headless Horseman stands alongside The Great Pumpkin and Michael Myers as a symbol that the season is upon us.
Many who have seen Disney’s take on author Washington Irving’s tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” may not realize that it was originally part of a feature film from the Studio called “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.”
Released on October 5, 1949, the film came at the end of what had been a challenging decade for Walt Disney and his Studio. During this time of financial belt-tightening, Walt kept animation going at the Studio by producing “package films.” These were feature length films that didn’t essentially have a clear cut story, but instead were a compilation of short subjects.
“The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” was the last of these “package films,” serving as a double feature, in which the first half of the film is an adaptation of author Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind and the Willows” and the second part is an adaption of “Sleepy Hollow.”
Both parts are introduced in the film by the framing device of a library. “Mr. Toad” (a/k/a “The Wind in the Willows”) is narrated by actor Basil Rathbone, best known at the time for portraying Sherlock Holmes.
He relays the story of J. Thaddeus Toad, who is always looking at the latest fad, in this case a motor car. This “motor mania” causes him to lose his mansion Toad Hall and he must call upon his put upon friends Mole, Rat, Badger and Cyril Proudbottom the horse, to help him get it back.
The “Mr. Toad” section moves too quickly to emotionally engage the viewer, as other Disney films have, but it is a perfect study in how compelling personalities and fast-paced animation can carry a story.
Toad, with his clueless eccentricity, the kind Moley, the grinning villain Winky and the fast paced Weasels are all so fun to watch. The culminating chase scene between all of the characters is a masterpiece of frenetic animated staging.
“Mr. Toad” is entertaining Disney story telling at its best, with subtle themes about friendships and how looking to the horizon and “what’s new” can have its pitfalls.
We go back to the library as none other than the world famous crooner Bing Crosby sings and tells the tale of “Ichabod” (a/k/a “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”).
We learn of the gangly schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, who comes to the small town of Sleepy Hollow in New York, taking the locals by surprise. He falls for the beautiful Katrina and is the bane of the villain, Brom Bones, the burly bully of the small town.
Then, on Halloween night, at a barn dance, Ichabod learns of the local legend of the Headless Horseman. And on an dark, eerie horse ride home from the dance, Ichabod comes face to face with the Headless Horseman himself, who tirelessly pursues Ichabod through a terrifying ride that shifts the tone of the film from playful to horrific.
The “Ichabod” section is pure Disney animation magic even before the closing chase scene. Bing Crosby’s soothing voice and sly commentary adds to the fun and the songs composed by Don Raye and Gene de Paul are some of the most catchy and underrated from the studio, particularly “The Headless Horseman” song, as performed by Brom Bones.
The song not only stays with you, but also sets up the scary segment that’s to come (“With a hip,hip and and a clippity clop/He’s out looking for a top to chop!”)
And that final sequence between Ichabod and the Headless Horseman truly delivers. Animated by Disney Legend Wolfgang Reitherman, the sequence is a masterpiece of staging; a horseback ride that turns into a terrifying roller coaster-like attraction with Ichabod tossed around, at one point even riding with the Horseman himself.
With the Horseman’s high pitched cackle and flaming pumpkin in his hand, along with the sequence featuring no dialogue or narration, just sound effects and impactful images (claw shaped clouds close around the full moon), it’s no wonder that this scene has become the stuff of childhood nightmares and so closely associated with Halloween.
In fact, the entire “Ichabod” section just FEELS like Halloween: from scenes of the fall-colored trees lining the river to the corn stalk decor at the barn dance.
It would be decades before the full-length “Ichabod and Mr. Toad” would be seen again, after its initial release, as both segments were edited and shown as short segments on TV and home video. This was particularly true of “Sleepy Hollow,” which was trotted out each year as part of Disney’s Halloween television specials.
Celebrating its 70th anniversary this month, it’s no wonder that “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” has endured, especially as a perfect Halloween offering, with the Mr. Toad section as a niece bonus.
And, of course, there’s that final sequence with the Headless Horseman, summed up perfectly in the song;
“Don’t try to figure out a plan
You can’t reason with a Headless Man!”
Sources:
“The Disney Villain” by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston
IMDb
Wikipedia
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