User reviews

A quintessentially British classic, brought back for a new generation.

It's a pleasure to watch a new children's movie without dead parents or body fluid slapstick. The film is surprisingly close to the book, with saturated colours director Talalay seems to have been denied with her TV work.

Most of the casting is superb; standouts are Mark Gatiss as Ratty, Bob Hoskins as growly Badger and Oscar-nominee Imelda Staunton as the Barge Lady, with some surprisingly attractive Romanian weasels and underrated Canadian Mary Walsh as the unattractive bosom-rearranging washerwoman. Little Britain's Matt Lucas is a scenery-chewing disappointment as Toad, driving down the stars from 8 to 7; whenever he's on screen, despite his good music-hall turns with the songs, he jars us back to the 21st century.

Like most great stories, 'Willows' survives beyond its period-piece setting with a moral for young and old. Whether you subscribe to the id/ego/superego trio, or the class structure of the stupid rich Toad, proper Rat and afraid-but-brave homebody Mole, there's more to the tale than Toad's latest toy.

Children younger than 6 likely won't stand more than a few minutes of this, but nostalgic adults will enjoy watching this with school-age children who hopefully will ask for the whole story.

The Wind In The Willows' latest BBC adaptation is definitely an enjoyable watch - even if it is just for Matt Lucas's depiction of Toad of Toad Hall. Some nice settings and good historical settings (this is meant to be set in the 1920s) ensure that this isn't just stupid fun for thick kids. But unfortunately, the show's main sense of humour lies in Matt Lucas' ability to make stupid noises and just generally be an idiot - a shortage of sharp wit or cruel sarcasm is a shame and ensure that this will only be fully enjoyed by lovers of Little Britain. But to be honest, this wasn't meant to be the Beeb's latest comedy breakthrough. This was made purely to entertain the family for 100 minutes. And revisiting old classic tales has always done that. There's also a bit of human emotion in the film - from Mole (or was it Badger? I don't know), who wishes he had a real home and a real family again, as testified to a number of times in the film. But as I said earlier, most people would only watch this for Matt Lucas anyway, and he's great as the massively over-the-top, scheming and barmy Toad of Toad Hall. He brings the technology-obsessed Toad to the screen with his own unique humorous signature and manages to help make these 100 minutes very enjoyable indeed. Some of it is well made (take the dream sequence with the floating boat which bordered on Lord of the Rings quality), and some of it is a bit duff (take the CG plane at the end, although this manages to help the film reach the conclusion it wanted), but it is all very fun, and the BBC have thrown a few million out of their money pot in the right direction. Some photography is neat and on the whole, this film is nice to look at. It would have been more original if the story had taken a more mature and adult twist instead of being aimed solely at the whole family - after all, Matt Lucas does specialise in adult comedy. Unfortunately, it's practically all family friendly and there ain't much to satisfy a mature audience, although some guns and fighting at the end help to keep it slightly away from PC-mush-land. But who cares? The Wind In The Willows is a family story, and with Narnia-esquire photography in parts, this will be two hours that you won't regret sitting through. And I must admit, I did chuckle when Toad pranged his car. 7/10

So now that I've recently rewatched this adaptation for the first time since my teenage years, here are my thoughts: While of course this is not the adaptation that immediately comes to mind and/or is necessarily part of the conversation when it comes to some of the best-known adaptations of this timeless classic story, this is still such a fun adaptation. Is it perfect? No, not entirely. Is it more faithful to the book? Surprisingly yes, especially with the full inclusion of the Piper at the Gates of Dawn chapter which otherwise no other version had dared to include up to that point and yet I'll go on the record to say that that whole sequence is so beautifully well-handled and crafted here.

When it comes to the performances, everyone for the most part does a rock-solid job here from the main 4 all the way down to even the wonderful supporting performances and/or extended cameos from the likes of Anna Maxwell Martin as the Gaoler's Daughter, Imelda Staunton clearly having a ball with her 2 or 3 minutes of screen-time as the Barge Lady, Jim Carter as the Train Driver, Michael Murphy and/or Tom Baker as the Judge and even a nicely hilarious bit part from Canadian comic Mary Walsh as the Washerwoman.

Lee Ingleby is so suitably sweet, likeable, endearing and relatable as Mole that you'd just want to give him a nice big hug and he actually surprisingly provides the emotional core of the film.

Mark Gatiss is fine as Ratty. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's not necessarily a bad casting choice for this role per se but of the main 4, his is the performance I frankly have to single out as the weakest and I honestly don't know why. It's almost as if he's trying a bit too hard to overact or ham up this performance and honestly if I was the casting director, I would've picked someone much better suited to the role like David Tennant for instance.

Matt Lucas is strangely perfect for the role of Toad and just perfectly nails the essence of the character from the book: The way he chews up the scenery and carries himself, his line delivery, his facial expressions, the vocal inflections in his voice, his natural comedic timing, the way he sings Toad's musical passages from the book kind of eerily similarly to the way Terry Jones sings them in the '96 version, even the gut-bustingly funny comic insults he casually dishes out to Mole and particularly Ratty at the beginning. You can just tell through this performance how much of a true blast Matt probably had behind the scenes and how much he probably wanted to do this character true justice whilst at the same time bringing his own unique and fresh spin on the character. Just such a brilliantly fun, delightfully childish and camp and hilarious performance from Matt Lucas here, just absolutely loved his characterisation of Toad.

Speaking of brilliantly fun, the performance Bob Hoskins gives here as Badger is indescribably incredible to say the least and easily my favourite performance of the bunch in this movie. From the first time you see him onscreen to his posture to the way he contorts his face into almost a suitable badger-like growl to the cynically dry humour that perfectly contrasts with the more out-there and bombastic humour of Matt Lucas to the wig and minimal prosthetics they put on him to suitably accentuate his animal-like features to even the voice, he just completely transforms and disappears into this role. Plus, there is so much presence, so much understated nuance and so much gravitas to Bob Hoskins' performance that he singlehandedly dominates every single scene he is in. Not to mention that this probably rivals his Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Smee in Hook and/or Neverland (the miniseries) as the most fun I've seen Bob Hoskins have with any of the great performances he gave throughout his legendary career.

Especially if you're someone who watched some of the episodes of Sherlock and Doctor Who she's done since making this movie, of course you're going to expect Rachel Talalay to do such a fantastic job with her direction here and rather unsurprisingly that's exactly what she does. Also from a technical perspective, the film looks visually pleasing and lovely to look even though I will politely concede that obviously some of the CGI doesn't really hold up as well today and actually kind of looks a bit hokey and clunky but then again of course this wasn't going to be anywhere near as impressive as Lord of the Rings or Narnia especially due to the nature of this being a more low-budget television production.

Now for all the praise I'm giving this film, it's not entirely a perfect adaptation in my opinion. In other words, there are only just maybe 3 issues I have with the film that hold it back from being a masterpiece for me:

The first issue is with the pacing, particularly during the extended winter scenes with Mole and Ratty as they help celebrate Christmas with some young mice. While on the one hand I superficially understand the message and the purpose of their inclusion (especially since this movie aired as part of the Christmas schedules at the time after all), on the other hand, they end up grinding the pacing to a halt for a bit and that's kind of a shame especially for a story that's supposed to be as fast-paced and energetic as its amphibian central character

The second issue I have is with the incidental score which sounds kind of off at times and doesn't always exactly gel as well with the more whimsical, light-hearted, childlike and playful tone of the story.

But by far, the third, final and frankly biggest issue I have with this adaptation is with the rather underwhelming underutilisation of the Weasels. Here's what I mean by this: Firstly, in this version, unlike previous versions of this story, we're never actually shown how and/or why the Weasels manage to take over Toad Hall and instead towards the end, we're somehow only told that it happened. I'm really not the biggest fan of this change from the source material a) because it doesn't really make sense and b) because it consequently makes the mistake of diminishing the true serious threat and menace towards our main four protagonists that the Weasels are supposed to pose which incidentally was surprisingly what the '96 version, for all its obvious faults, managed to handle really well and even what the 1949 Disney short handled so excellently not just with the addition of Mr Winkie as the human substitute for the Chief Weasel but with the clever and rather ingenious twist as well that the Weasels were the ones who stole the motorcar, duped Toad into signing Toad Hall over to them via the deed papers in the tavern and effectively framed him on the spot for the crime. It's almost as if Lee Hall completely forgot to develop the Weasels as proper characters and focused way too much on developing the other characters (particularly Toad that the Weasels end up being treated in this version as more like an afterthought than a plot device within the story Secondly, it doesn't help that their costumes and makeup looks kind of ridiculous. If anything, they look more like demented medieval Cirque du Soleil performers than an actual threat. Thirdly, as a result, the climactic Toad Hall battle in this version kind of feels underwhelming, devoid of any actual stakes, suspense or tension, anticlimactic and rather rushed.

In conclusion, even despite its imperfections holding it back from being a masterpiece, The Wind in the Willows (2006) still remains in my opinion to be a real damn fun and watchable adaptation of this classic story nearly 20 years later. It effortlessly takes advantage of its televisual limitations and manages to retain a majority of the spirit, the essence, the charm, the humour and above all the core message of the book. Matt Lucas and especially Bob Hoskins absolutely kill it in the acting department with their respective individual performances as Toad and Badger and are by far the biggest reason why this adaptation works more than it otherwise had any right to. Easily are what makes this adaptation work more than it otherwise had any right to If you're someone who fondly remembers reading the book during your childhood as much as I do and/or thus want to see a more faithful and book-accurate adaptation of this story, even despite a few reservations, I'd still very much highly recommend that you give this version a watch.

My overall rating for The Wind in the Willows (2006): 7.5/10.

Venturing out from his underground home, Mole joins Ratty for a river trip. They come across the rich Mr Toad, who has taken up caravanning as a new hobby. However this hobby is replaced by a new one when he is run off the road by a motorcar – sparking a new passion in his life. While Badger, Mole and Ratty try to cure Toad of his car obsession, the weasels use it against him in order to get the deeds to Toad Hall.

That this was screened on New Years Day in the early evening slot should give you a clue about what to expect from this version. On the final day of the Christmas holiday, this is aimed at families with the parents enjoying the final day off work, looking for something warm, familiar and undemanding to watch that has enough of a family glow and wholesome feel to it to do the job. And that is just what this delivers nad it has the perfect material to do it with since Wind in the Willows is a family classic that many of us have affection for. Of course that is not saying that it is brilliant (it is not) but rather it is just safe family warmth without too much to really mark it out or justify watching it when not in a turkey-and-wine-induced stupor. The plot is well known and the film delivers it with a "jolly-old-England" air and light humour but not much else. It isn't that funny or inventive but again it does what it needed to do. Fans might also be narked that the weasels are squeezed into a silly panto action conclusion which seems like an afterthought for all concern.

Visually the film looks good and the minimal design of the characters was a nice touch. The sets look good but the jump-edits and backgrounds were modern touches that jarred with the rest of the film and didn't work – the very occasional use of special effects were terrible too. The cast has one or two "holiday BBC family drama" faces in there to draw the audience but nobody does that well. Lucas hams it up in the main role and he seems to be enjoying himself. He will amuse children but he is closer to "silly" than "funny" from where I was coming from. Gatiss is a solid "Oxford-type" as Ratty and he is OK without being distinguished; likewise Ingleby's mole – good but not really memorable. Hoskins was a good piece of casting and he gives good badger with his constant grump. The weasels are poor characters and not that well delivered by a group cast for their tumbling ability rather than anything else but small turns from Staunton and a few others are amusing.

Overall then a warm and basic bit of family entertainment that more or less did the job over the Christmas holidays by being pitched at a sedated family audience on their last day off work together and recovering from a New Year's Eve hangover. However it is not good enough to offer much if you are approaching it without this reduced set of requirements, not being funny, imaginative or engaging enough to stick in the mind even an hour after watching it. Of course it isn't helped by me having the memory of the 1996 version which, to be blunt, sh1ts on this version. OK it was floated down the river by Disney but it is better in almost every way and should be sought out by anything considering watching this because this 2006 version isn't a patch on it.

The Wind in the Willows is a live action adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's famous book. A nervous Mole (Lee Ingleby) emerges from his hole and ventures out to the river where he encounters Ratty (Mark Gatiss) who takes him on a boat trip. They get taken on a caravan ride by Toad of Toad Hall (Matt Lucas) who then goes dashing about recklessly in a motorcar.

Mole and Ratty join up with Badger (Bob Hoskins) to save Mr Toad from his reckless need for speed but he ends up in jail and then the weasles take over his manor.

This is a fun family drama directed with some style by Rachel Talalay. Hoskins is suitably grumpy as Badger, Lucas is manic as Toad. There are some nice cameos from actors such as Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton. However the weasels were a letdown.

In this PBS presentation they have edited 20 plus minutes from the original version. I understand the need for this when broadcast on TV but I don't get why it was left this way for the DVD release. It is still one of the finest productions made with a wonderful cast. Locations are beautiful.

The story is all here, but none of the magic.

To take one particular example, I watched the entire thing to see how they would handle _The Piper at the Gates of Dawn_ only to see that they handled it in the saddest way possible -- omitting the entire episode! That's what I mean -- all the magic drained.

There's something about children's books that means they should not be adapted by people who did not feel their power as children. I see something similar with Narnia adaptations -- if your heart does not thrill to the term _The Wood Between the Worlds_, if you don't consider that the most arresting image in the entire Narnia canon, then you have no business being any part of a Narnia movie/TV series/Broadway musical!

A friend of mine was kind enough to burn me a DVD from the BBC-TV presentation, and send it to me in America. I was delighted, as I had been looking forward to it for some time and took for granted it would not come to the US.

I was not disappointed. This film is completely wonderful, from the saturated colors of the landscapes to the marvelously witty and creative camera work, to the absolute perfection of the actors in their roles -- each one entirely believable as the creature he was meant to be. Mark Gatiss' Rat was a bit underplayed--it was only on second viewing that I became aware of the subtleties of his performance: the little ratlike twitches of the nose and the occasional baring of the teeth. Bob Hoskins gave a solid, workmanlike performance as Badger, and of course Matt Lucas' Toad fairly stole the show.

But the absolute revelation of the film was Lee Ingleby as Mole. Somehow in watching him I was able to see two presences on screen at the same time: the full-scale human and a tiny shadowy creature of delicacy, timidity and great vulnerability. The humble little Mole, so earnest and willing to please, is of course the center and the heart of the story, and Ingleby brought him to life with extraordinary grace, sensitivity and humor. His parting line, "Perhaps there's room in the world for all sorts of creatures" (paraphrased) is a lesson to be lived by even today.

This is not the "Wind in the Willows" you grew up with. This is live actors in limited make-up, breathing life into the characters through their own talent, rather than through special effects. (Though there are a few of those too, and quite clever ones at that.) As soon as a commercial release of the DVD became available (March 26), I bought it. My first copy was well-worn long before then.

This is not the best version of Kenneth Grahame's wonderful book, but it is a very enjoyable one. It is amusing and charming with memorable, quirky performance and great costume and set design.

The adaptation does look visually pleasing, with colourful costumes and sets and the scenery is beautiful. The camera work was also creative, with interesting angles. The story is still well-constructed, well-paced, fairly true in essence and has many charming interludes particularly the Piper at the Gates of Dawn sequence which was a delight to see.

The writing is also playful and witty, particularly with Toad, and the characters are still their likable selves. The acting is in general very good. Matt Lucas occasionally overdoes it, but he also seems to be enjoying himself. Bob Hoskins is a wonderful badger, while Lee Ingleby is a touching Mole and Mak Gatiss a suitably subdued and subtle Ratty. Mary Walsh is lovely too, Imelda Staunton is very amusing and while the weasels are a slight disappointment they aren't in a lot of it to distract too much.

Overall, a very enjoyable TV adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Who doesn't love the storybook Wind in the Willows? Chances are, I still have the book collecting dust somewhere. It was one of my favourites's as a child, and I was excited to see a live action movie version.

Matt Lucas (as Toad) does a fantastic job. It's a heartwarming, delightful film that you will completely enjoy with your family, especially children because of the life lessons taught. Set creation was fantastically done and they stayed as true to the book as possible.

I'm grateful that they didn't use much special effects, and I understand that hard-core book fans might note appreciate the artistic interpretations taken in some instances of this film.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of the book, or if you have children, then I recommend this movie to you.

A highly enjoyable made-for-TV version of the story. The subtle costumes and understated acting are perfectly suited to the subject. Toad's frivolous and irresponsible behavior are well-captured, though I found him more childish than anything else.

There are undertones of class separation and hints of the poverty of some of the characters that I found touching, and will go over the heads of many children, which to me is a plus.

Bob Hoskins' Badger is a delight, and I have a soft spot for Mary Walsh, no matter how large or small the part she's in. The British and Canadian actors all bring their considerable talent to the table, despite the fact that most of them are relatively unknown (at least to the best of my knowledge).

All-in-all, well worth renting or downloading, if you want a simple family movie for the holidays, or just a family movie night.

Wind in the willows in one of my all time favorite stories. I loved this story when I was a child, and this movie reminded me of how much I loved this story.

This movie appeared on Australian television just before Christmas Eve. This movie has a great cast including Matt Lucas as Toad, Mark Gatiss as Ratty, Lee Ingleby as Mole, and Bob Hoskins as Badger.

But this isn't the first live-action of Wind in the Willows. You may recall that there was a previous live-action film version of The Wind In The Willows that was released in cinemas. This film was released back in 1997 and it starred Steve Coogan as Mole, Eric Idle as Ratty, Terry Jones as Toad, Nicol Williamson as Badger, and Anthony Sher as the Chief Weasel. But this previous live-action film was a parody of Wind in the Willows. While this TV movie is very loyal to Kenneth Graham's original story. It has many of the same scenes and the same quotes that were in the book and it even has Toad's conceited songs. So I certainly enjoyed this movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the book.

Matt Lucas as a marvellous Toad, Mark Gatiss as a spiky rat, Lee Ingleby as a nervous Mole, and Bob Hoskins as a grumpy old Badger make a classy cast within yet another version of Kenneth Grahame's classic book.

Comparing well with the Python-heavy 1996 version, which got lost in music and a mincemeat factory plot, this has many pluses in its favour - the best of all being the famous 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' chapter covered in full, with all its ethereal magic. Plenty, then, to enthrall children and interest adults who happen to be watching with or without them.