This is your creepy Disney cartoon classic, retelling the legendary tale of the Headless Horseman, where Ichabod is in a romantic rivalry with a tough local, trying to woo a beautiful but shallow school-teacher. Soon, Ichabod ends up in a horrific chase scene with the diabolical horseman - sure to send chills down kids' spines.It's made with much suspense and chills, with great animation, some goofy scenes, and a spooky atmosphere. A pretty good movie short for Halloween time.Grade B

I know that this animated short was initially one of the shorts from "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (the 11th animated Disney classic). However, I don't remember much about Mr. Toad, perhaps because I only saw it when I was a kid. So I decided to write this review only for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" because I'm familiar with this one.It is a simple but okay cartoon. It is one of those simple, underrated and forgotten Disney shorts from the 40's (in this case, 1949). Despite not being something extraordinary, this cartoon remains entertaining and watchable.The designs are simple but good. The picture quality is okay. The characters are interesting.Ichabod Crane is probably the most original character ever created by Disney. He speaks and sings very little, but that's not what makes the difference. His bizarre figure, the fact of being extremely thin and also his simplicity, charm and pacific personality are what really makes the difference.Brom Bones is a good example of pure strength. But even his though guy posture doesn't stop him from getting into trouble with Ichabod Crane. I mean, Ichabod has some "battles" with Brom Bones, but he doesn't even notice that! Just hilarious!Brom Bones is the loser. But he's not a man to give up easily. Even when Ichabod is dancing with Katrina, Brom Bones still has plans in his mind. That's when another hilarious sequence comes: a very short and fat woman dances with Brom Bones in a very energetic way, something which embarrasses him a lot. But he doesn't get rid of her easily.After all these comic gags, the dark side of this short begins. On that Halloween night, after the party, Brom Bones tells terrifying stories about ghosts and the Headless Horseman. He knows that Ichabod believes in those stories. Needless to say that those stories scare Ichabod very much. He even has sweat running all over his face!But the darkest part is yet to come. When Ichabod and his horse leave, tension and suspense are present. In the meantime, we have some very funny moments. But when the Headless Horseman appears... well, all I have to say is that it becomes quite scary! For children it can be terrifying.The ending is somehow confusing. It makes me wonder what really happened to Ichabod Crane. Did he run away? Did he survive? Did we go to another city, village or country?Just to finish, let me say that Bing Crosby does a nice job as the voice of the narrator, Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane.

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.

Disney made a wondefull masterpiece that is pitch-perfect to complete your Halloween season. The story stays faithful to the Washington Irving short story and also adds a beautiful touch by having Bing Crosby's soothing voice-over to serenade this classic animated film which show lush touches of autumn colors in the cool, quiet mountain areas of Sleepy Hollow county, New York, in the 1700's. The film uses some voices in it, but is used rarely. It proves even without many voices of characters how colorful they still can be.