The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 9, 2014

Disney loves August. I don't quite understand the trifecta of late summer, Blu-ray and family entertainment, but the Mouse House has once again settled on August as the month du jour, unleashing another deluge of new releases. Four Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films are making their BD debut -- Fun and Fancy Free (1947), The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Hercules (1997) and Tarzan (1999) -- as is the nearly forgotten RKO Radio Pictures feature The Reluctant Dragon (1941), live-action classic Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), direct-to- video DisneyToon movie Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), brand spankin' new sequel Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and DisneyNature's latest natural history documentary, Bears (2014). For those keeping count, that's nine films spread across seven Blu-ray releases. Whew. Most studios would space it out. But Disney? Open the floodgates, gentlemen. Given the second, sometimes third tier nature of most of the films, though (save Muppets Most Wanted), it isn't exactly overwhelming. Most fans will pick and choose their favorites. Only a select few completists will have to find a way to purchase all seven in bulk.

Buried within the release of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Fun and Fancy Free is The Reluctant Dragon, making Disney's 2-Movie Collection something of a surprise 3-movie bargain. Yes, the films, each one an anthology of animated shorts, and their accompanying AV presentations are of varying quality, with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad handily topping the trio, followed by Fun and Fancy Free and, finally, the little RKO live-action/animation hybrid that could, The Reluctant Dragon. But the trip back in time provides a captivating tour of '40s-era Disney, and students of animation history will find plenty of familiar -- and not so familiar -- standout moments spread across the trio; enough to justify the cost of expanding your personal collection.

Disney's 11th animated feature, 'The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,' adapts two children's classics: "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. First, J. Thaddeus Toad's (Eric Blore) mad mania for motorcars drives his dear friends Moley (Colin Campbell), Rat (Claude Allister) and Angus MacBadger (Campbell Grant) into a worried frenzy; especially when toady trades the magnificent Toad Hall for a stolen red roadster. Before long, Mr. Toad is merrily on his way to nowhere in particular... until his whimsical escapade lands him behind bars, leaving his friends to clear his good name. Then it's onto Sleepy Hollow with narrator Bing Crosby. There, schoolmaster Ichabod Crane pursues wealthy Katrina Van Tassel, much to the dismay of rival suitor Brom Bones, who frightens the superstitious Ichabod with the perfect ghost story: the fearsome tale of "The Headless Horseman" that haunts the very road Ichabod must take on his way home from Katrina's Halloween party.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a quaint but wonderful, oft-forgotten Disney classic. And while its two stories don't exactly mesh very well, each one is a joy in its own right. Narrated by Basil Rathbone, "The Wind in the Willows" is unique among the studio's early animated projects. A wild, fun-filled tale of recklessness, debt, false accusation, friendship and obsession, the 34-minute short barrels along at the same bumpy, carefree speed as Mr. Toad on one of his joyrides. It almost blazes by too quickly, but the brisk, break-neck race from the road to the courtroom to the skies is a delight; one backed by the sort of contagious laughter sure to transcend its sixty-five years and appeal to audiences today, young and old.

The 31-minute "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" proceeds at a much more leisurely trot, stopping along the way to indulge itself one time too many. It's still an enjoyable short, particularly when the Horseman finally appears, but unlike "The Wind in the Willows," it doesn't feature any voicework other than Crosby's narration, its characters aren't all that likable (even Ichabod) and its animation isn't as accomplished or noteworthy (other than perhaps the lanky, sometimes rubber-faced expressions Ichabod flashes while moving through various states of panic). The treat here isn't necessarily the visuals, music, pacing, humor or horror (as Disney-inspired horror goes), but rather the frights and mystery of what many adults would consider one of their first scary movies. If it wasn't the Evil Queen in Snow White or the Pleasure Island transformation in Pinocchio, chances are it was the second half of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The nostalgia of those unsettling early images -- Ichabod's last desperate dash for a bridge -- stirred up enough deep-seated childhood shivers to bring a smile to my face and a fitting end to a solid anthology film.

Disney's 9th animated feature, 'Fun and Fancy Free,' was the last animated feature starring Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, and the only film featuring all four of Disney's most famous characters: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket. The film tells two stories "Bongo," based on "Little Bear Bongo" by Sinclair Lewis, and "Mickey and the Beanstalk," based on the classic fairy tale. In "Bongo," a mistreated circus bear escapes into the forest, only to realize life isn't any easier away from humans, especially in matters of the heart. Then, in "Mickey and the Beanstalk," Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy climb a magic beanstalk and find themselves face to face with Willie the Giant, an enormous brute the three friends have to outwit to rescue a beautiful singing harp and restore peace to their Happy Valley home.

Fun and Fancy Free brought back as many fond memories as The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. It just doesn't hold up nearly as well. "Bongo" is a cute little underdog story, with a welcome dose of grass-is-always-greener reality moms and dads like to introduce to their children at a young age. Although it draws inspiration from Bambi and, of course, Dumbo, there isn't much to the story, or much to sitting through it. It has its moments I suppose -- kids will cheer Bongo on no doubt -- but it's easily forgotten soon after Lumpjaw takes a trip over a waterfall and Lulubelle falls into Bongo's arms.

"Mickey and the Beanstalk" is better thankfully... so long as you still have a soft spot for Mickey, Donald and Goofy. (My heart's grown a bit hard toward the iconic trio, but reminding myself that Uncle Walt was voicing Mickey for the last time helped soothe any old-man irritation before it set in.) As rudimentary as the mechanics of the short are, there's a sense of discovery and adventure lying in wait atop the beanstalk and a handful of sharp laughs to be had, if you're eight (or eight at heart) that is. Mickey's straight-man shtick, Donald's temper and Goofy's bumbly, tumbly antics have always worked best when playing off one another, and it's no different here. The fun is in watching the personalities clash and the friends' rise above their own shortcomings, banding together to pull off great things that couldn't be accomplished alone. Now if only the film's ungodly live-action ventriloquist sequences were erased from existence. That would be a true act of heroism. *Shudder*

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad features a commendable 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation, albeit one that could have used a slightly more meticulous overhaul. While noise reduction has been judiciously employed to some small degree (think Disney's Robin Hood), grain is largely intact, with very few scenes exhibiting any serious anomalies, other than frequent print specks and minor nicks and scratches inherent to the film's source elements. Softness is present throughout, but, as far as I can discern, it's only of the optical variety. Detail is reasonably strong, with nicely defined line art and well-resolved background-painting textures. Colors are relatively muted but faithful to the animators' intentions as well, with rejuvenated primaries, deep black levels and consistently satisfying contrast. Sixty-five years of age is the only formidable foe here; not the studio's encode. I wouldn't go so far as to call the transfer a revelation, or even the best the film could look, but it does represent a marked improvement over its previously released counterparts.

Additional screenshots for The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad can be found here.

Fun and Fancy Free's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is a different story, and not a good one. Noise reduction has been employed with such thoughtlessness that smearing and additional softness have been introduced to a film that wasn't razor sharp to begin with. Grain has been completely and mercilessly eliminated, along with fine textures. The animated sequences haven't been rendered nigh unwatchable -- we're not talking The Sword in the Stone Part 2, thank God -- but the live-action segments are, with waxy faces, blurry shots and unsightly midrange shots. Not that the animation is refined. Edges are sometimes too smooth or hazy, taking on the dreaded "magic marker" appearance (particularly in long shots of Mickey, Donald and Goofy climbing across the giant's furniture in "Mickey and the Beanstalk"), and a few select scenes have been smeared within an inch of their life ("Bongo" being home to the worst of it). Of course, color and contrast are strong, and everything still fares better than it did on DVD. But that isn't saying a lot.

Additional screenshots for Fun and Fancy Free can be found here.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Fun and Fancy Free offer a decidedly decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Narration and dialogue are intelligible, grounded and neatly prioritized, music is full and engaging (if a bit tinny), and sound effects are given limited but effective directional play courtesy of the rear speakers. LFE output is more than serviceable too, considering the age of the films -- engines, headless horsemen, brutish bear bullies and lumbering giants are granted extra weight and presence -- and there aren't any problems begging to be noted. The important thing to keep in mind is that Fun and Fancy Free turns sixty-seven this year and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is pushing sixty-five. They sound great despite their years, but they certainly don't sound as if they were animated yesterday. Adjust your expectations accordingly and you'll be pleased.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Tucked away in the special features menu but sporting a solid HD remaster and 1080p presentation, The Reluctant Dragon (HD, 74 minutes) was originally released in 1941, amidst a very public Disney animator strike, and bombed at the box office. The film is a mix of black and white live-action, Technicolor live-action and four animated shorts (only one of which is "The Reluctant Dragon"), but is more a padded tour of the various Disney Animation Studios departments, strung together with a loose story, than anything else. The animated shorts are the real gems of the picture, and really the only elements of note. (Audio is Dolby Digital Mono.)

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dust off The Reluctant Dragon, revisit Fun and Fancy Free and consider The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad the main feature and you're in for a triple-feature-glimpse into Disney Animation in the rocky 1940s; a tough period in the studio's history, after opening strong with Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi, but before regaining its stride with Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty. Disney's 2-Movie Collection release is actually packing three films, but unfortunately their AV presentations are of varying quality. Ichabod and Mr. Toad is the best of the bunch, with solid audio and video; Fun and Fancy Free is spoiled by noise reduction; and The Reluctant Dragon doesn't include lossless audio. Even so, this is a release worth owning, flaws and all. You could pick up the standalone release of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, but with similar -- if not exact -- price points, you may as well get three films for the price of one.