Les trois compères

"Wind in the Willows" is one of the all-time classic children's books, no doubt about it. And this is quite a good production, made (I believe) for Saturday morning television. I was about 4 or 5 when this was first aired, we've taped it and had it for the ensuing 15 or 16 years. Even aside from the hilarious 80's commercials (remember how popular claymation was back then?), it's still a treat to pull out the old tape and run it through the VCR again. One of the keys to the cartoon's success was the excellent musical score, with some truly memorable songs (particularly the wistful title tune which perfectly captures the yearning spirit of Rattie). And there's a great sequence with the Seafaring Rat seducing Rattie with tales of the far-off wonders of the world...it gets right to the soul of every adventurous Englishman, divided between the serene comforts of home and the wide world beyond (it's almost a David Lean moment here). The animation is admittedly not up to Disney's caliber, but then neither was Disney at the time this was made (it would be a few years before "Little Mermaid" signified their renewal). Sometimes the drawings are a bit flat, but other times they're wonderfully evocative. All in all, I recommend this if you can find it--I really don't know if it's on video or not although it probably says so on this site. Oh, and one last thing: the voices are dead-on perfect, especially Roddy McDowell as the Rat (just found out it was him recently, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect. There have been many versions of "Wind in the Willows"--a stop-motion production done for PBS in the 90's, a lushly drawn cartoon introduced by Vanessa Redgrave, even a live action version starring the Monty Python crew, which is worth watching...and of course the Disney cartoon which is a big departure from the spirit and story of the book in many ways, but contains that irrestible Disney charm and enthusiasm. Still, in some ways, this remains my favorite production, both for personal reasons (it evokes as much nostalgia for me as Teddy Ruxpin and Mr. Potato Head) and because it is the movie which most lives up to the spiritual undertones in Graham's story.

Perhaps you wouldn't immediately consider The Wind in The Willows a particularly difficult book to adapt for the silver screen, as it could be mistaken as a children's book, a simplistic animal fable. But that would truly under-appreciate a book, that in my opinion, is vastly underrated and incorrectly sold purely as children's reading.

The numerous attempts at filming Willows all seem to fail by varying degrees because they misinterpret the book's wonderful character nuances, the relationship between them, and a tale so beautifully written the story manages to be timeless, poignant, intelligent and relevant.

Most television or film attempts (either live action or animated) come across as simplistic, twee, saccharine-sickly or merely dull. This version, however, rises head and shoulders above the rest.

The Python version with its hideously conceived "dog-food" element, the Disney cartoon, the ITV animated version, and the Cosgrove Hall versions all, while competent, manage to somehow miss the essence of the book. This 1983 animated work of genius, however, is easily the finest.

The casting is truly inspired, the script superb, the songs perfectly judged, the spiritual, ethereal Piper scenes superbly done, and the animation, while a little simplistic, perfectly captures the atmosphere and tone of the British countryside.

The film manages to show the book almost complete, and whilst the songs are witty, and rousing for children, they also entertain adults, and the parts of the book that are a little more mature in scope (the religious/Christ vision of the Piper, the themes of greed and goodwill) are all left intact, and never condescend the younger viewer.

All in all, a magnificent achievement, and 90 minutes of the finest animated entertainment you could want. Shrek who...?

Some of the writers in this thread disparaging the animation quality of this 1987 made-for-TV television version of 'The Wind in the Willows' thought it was made by Disney Productions, but of course it was produced by Rankin-Bass, who brought us 'Frosty the Snowman' in the '60s, and so much more. I'd have to say their animation quality in '87 has come a long way since 'Frosty'! Especially in the lush background illustrations and depth of texture and color mixtures.

This is clearly the truest-to-the-book, the intent-of-the-themes, and the animals' characterizations production of this title to date. I can't believe I was 27 years old when this came out and I presumably first watched it that year or possibly a little later, but I might as well have been 10 years old, for this version has really stuck with me (I'm now 45)! A large part of it was the great songs which have stayed in my head over the years, and, yes, especially the (someone said) 'wistful' theme song. Very soothing in sound and lyrics! Roddy McDowall was perfect as the voice of Ratty and Charles Nelson Reilly as Toad was a masterstroke of casting. For me, it really doesn't get any better than this version because I found that the animation and background settings so often matched a lot of the imagery I already had in my head from reading the book when I was about 13.

I believe I saw it twice more in ensuing years, but unfortunately did not make a tape off of TV, so I am now hoping to find it again by chance in some flea market 'bargain bin'. But I would like nothing better than to be able to see it again!

If I could give this movie a twenty out of ten, it still wouldn't be enough. I've seen several versions of this movie, and except for this one, I didn't think they delivered. It may be that I'm biased because this is the first one I ever saw, but I really do love it. My mom taped it for me when I was three or four, and we've had the tape ever since. (I'm twenty one now.) It was always one of the items that we made sure we had all of the fifteen or so times we moved. Over the years, the quality has become slightly poor, but it is still the one thing guaranteed to make me smile. And things are looking up for my favorite tape, since a friend of mine just transferred it to DVD for me.

I know I'm redundant here, but I just can't say enough what a good movie this is. Everyone learns important lessons, that resonate with real life, and yet, it manages not to be preachy. The songs and dialogue are great, and when I'm not feeling so I hot, I often catch myself singing the title song. Add to that, that my mom calls me Badger, because I hate company, and the fact that we often say, when we're hungry that we'll eat anything but an anchovy, and you have a tiny part of the impact it's had on me for over fifteen years.

A must see if you are lucky enough to find it.

This cartoon adaption of The Wind in the Willows is something rare: a perfect (or at least near-perfect) version of the novel it's based on. Forget the Disney version; this is the one to see. It leaves out only a few parts of the novel, and is very faithful to the tone of the story. Each character is perfectly realized as they were in the novel. The visual style is excellent too; it is what might be called "delightfully grotesque." If you love The Wind in the Willows, and want to see a version that does not ruin it, this is the version you want. Alas, it is unavailable on video or DVD (it was once available on video, but is no longer), and is only rarely (if ever) shown on T.V. I am fortunate that I have a copy taped from T.V. many years, a copy which is, sadly, slowly biting the dust. This movie is hard to find, but if you can find, watch it without delay.