The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Released: October 5, 1949
Original Release Movie Poster, 1949
On this day in 1949, the Walt Disney Studios released its 11th animated feature film, "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad." I have always enjoyed seeing the sequence of Mr. toad as it reminded me of my childhood experience going to Disney World for the first time and riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I also enjoyed the story of the headless horseman and love the way Disney's visuals came to life on screen. This is the beginning of Mary Blair's influence at Disney and the subsequent films to come in the 1950s. This segment of the movie also compliments my interest in Halloween and everything spooky fun.
I have always wanted to get a piece of art from either of these segments, but it has eluded me over the years. One just has to keep dreaming that one day perhaps a special piece of art will come along. So for now here are a couple of photos from the Mr. Toad sequence of a production drawing (possibly by Frank Thomas) and some maquettes that were up for sale in 2005 at the last Howard Lowery auction I went to.
Original production drawing of Mr. Toad close-up
Original production maquettes of Mr. Toad and what appears to be Ratty as seen in the film.
Happy anniversary Mr. Toad!
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