The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)

It is. While I give credit to Tim Burton for his re-imagination of the tale(putting Ichabod Crane as a detective rather then a school teacher, plus other gazillion changes), this remains to date the best version of the classic tale. The short movie offers a well-balanced dose of comedy and horror(still scary even by today's standards) with some musical segments courtesy of the narrator, good old Bing Crosby with his deep singing voice. The animation, while obviously dated, is a solid reminder of Disney's good old days. On DVD it looks particularly nice, even when you can tell it's very outdated. The soundtrack is simple and enjoyable in the funny sections and the movie and intense in the final part, Bing Crosby's singing segment will have you whistling them hours later after seeing this movie. Recommended for Disney fans and it's perfect for Halloween.

This may be one of the oldest Disney's cartoons but it is certainly one of the bests. This time the real story (Sleepy Hollow) by Washington Irving is taken seriously and the characters' design couldn't be more ideal. The main character, Ichabod Crane, is a teacher going on his way to Sleepy Hollow and he is exactly like the book tells us, a really strange person, big ears and nose almost looking like a scarecrow. This guy falls in love by Katrina Van Tassel, a very beautiful and apparently innocent girl, who is the only heiress to her father fortune. Then there's Brom, a very strong man who is decided to win Katrina's heart at all cost. There will be really fun moments due to Ichabod's character and when Ichabod and Brom are both trying to win Katrina. Then in the Halloween night there's a party in the Van Tassel's mansion where Brom will scare the superstitious teacher by telling the legend of the Headless Horseman. After the party, Ichabod will have to ride home alone and now the question is: Will the Headless Horseman ride again to cut a head off?

A Walt Disney Cartoon Short Subject.THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW - about the Headless Hessian who rides at night seeking his lost head - is about to terrify another victim on Halloween Night.Washington Irving's classic story comes alive in this wonderful little film, originally the second half of THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949). Bing Crosby's singing narration and the excellent animation tell a tale of humor and genuine fright. Ichabod Crane, the pedantic pedagogue, is a triumph of the animators' art, while the film's climax - the ride through the Hollow & the appearance of the hideous Hessian - is a celebration of pacing and stylistic understatement.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of naysayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

As a halloween treat for young viewers this is a classic. The animation is the usual Disney standard - excellent. The story has its scarier moments, but there is plenty of comedy laced throughout the movie to soften the scare. This version of the Washington Irving tale gives parents a great opportunity to laugh with the kids and also introduces them literature. Bing Crosby's narration and singing crosses a lot of generation barriers as well. I've found that most of my generation X friends refer to this version of the story as THE Legend of Sleepy Hollow.