La légende de la Vallée Endormie

Over the years, there have been several movie versions made of Washington Irving's classic tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". While many of these were quite good, the best of them all may be Disney's 1949 animated classic. Originally shown on TV, it presents what is probably the most faithful rendition of Irving's story using classic animation, catchy songs, and narration by the voice of the late, great, Bing Crosby. The old school animation is simply breathtaking, with its many vibrant color schemes and ever amazing ability to captivate us. Sure, Pixar type animation may be cool, but there's something about the old school cartoons that still makes them magical. Perhaps it's because of the fact that it took a lot more effort to create an animation sequence using who knows how many drawings as opposed to just drawing on a computer. Either way, it still holds up after all this time. As for the execution of the story, it's equally wonderful, managing to be both spooky and comedic at the same time for the kids. And then there is the brilliant, soothing sound of Bing Crosby, who narrates the tale beautifully as well as providing the small amount of dialogue with his baritone voice and wit that made him famous. All in all, if you're looking for a perfect Halloween family film, you can't go wrong with this version. Since it doesn't seem to be shown on TV anymore, you could either find it on DVD I believe or catch it on you tube.

P.S. If you find yourself walking in Sleepy Hollow one night, cross that bridge as fast as you can and Happy Halloween!

I love this animated short! The music is great, and Bing Crosby does a wonderful job as the narrator. And yes, it is even scary at some points. I never let Halloween go by without watching this. It is also faithful to the book!

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.

I absolutely love this film. The animation is great and has a real Walt Disney family feel to it. The movie has surprisingly no speaking except for a few words here and there. The only person speaking is the narrator. That makes the movie even cooler as it is largely similar to the book and just like the book, the only dialogue comes from the narrator.

And for the little kids, there are the usual songs to keep them occupied and there is plenty here for the adults to enjoy too.

Brilliant film, gives you a Halloween feeling, I sure enjoyed it and I hope I speak for everyone else.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a truly wonderful gem, that I personally think is underrated. Bing Crosby, a great actor and singer, narrates and sings, and I thought he was sublime, so effective and expressive. He never overdid the narration, and the narration while written simply, was well written and kids will understand it. Of course it is quite short, but it goes by so quickly, that it passes the time perfectly. The animation is lovely, very dark at times, but for telling a very dark story, that style of animation was necessary. The music is memorable and fits very well with each scene. The famous story tells of a schoolmaster called Inchabod Crane, a character who doesn't say much, but is immediately likable when you see him, who is in love with the beautiful Katrina. However, in a plot we have kind of seen before, he is rivalled by Brom Bones, a handsome tower of strength, who wastes no time in telling anybody a story that disturbs Crane greatly. Soon after, Crane meets the landmark character of the short, the Headless Horseman, a character so scary that very young kids will be terrified. Yet, because he was scary, as the legend says that he is and much worse, the Headless Horseman was very effective, and a villain that has been imitated in things like Scooby Doo, but never as well, as the very look of him had my hairs standing up on my neck. The short concludes with a suspenseful ending, that leaves us wondering what did happen to Inchabod Crane? Overall, an underrated gem, with a 9.5/10. Bethany Cox.