The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad poster

Walt Disney Productions
Starring: Bing Crosby
Directed by: James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney

Synopsis: An animated telling of two classic stories; The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Cartoon Cats: Now a Halloween favorite, the Disney version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is difficult for many to separate from the original text. Narrated and partly sung by Bing Crosby, the story follows the exploits of new school teacher Ichabod Crane as he arrives in town and begins to woo the ladies, mostly for their good cooking. When Ichabod first arrives in town he is walking down the street with his nose buried in a book. He is a superstitious fellow and avoids walking under a ladder. Then a black cat prances out in front of him.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - black cat steps out in front of Ichabod

Ichabod deftly uses the handle of his umbrella to hook the cat’s tail and turn him right around so it doesn’t cross his path.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Ichabod Crane turns black cat around with umbrella handle animated gif

Later the town is shown at rest and a dog and an orange cat are seen sleeping.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - orange cat and dog seen sleeping in the street

Moments later there is a horrible sound (Ichabod training a ladies’ choir) and the cat and dog leap up in terror. The cat bolts into a nearby tree.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - orange cat and dog jump up reacting to horrible sound

Finally when the spooky part of the story begins, Brom Bones decides to scare Ichabod by telling the story of the Headless Horseman. As Ichabod shakes with terror he spills hot coffee on a black cat who is sleeping at his feet.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - black cat sleeping at Ichabod Crane's feet