MovieChat Forums > The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949) Discussion > Truly the greatest Halloween movie ever ...

Truly the greatest Halloween movie ever made.

posted 21 years ago by WhitePhantom
19 replies | jump to latest

If there's one Disney cartoon I can actually love as one of my favourites, this is it. Quite possibly the most correct and accurate film adaptation of the classic Washington Irving tale, it is (in my opinion) also the greatest. The mood, spirit and essence of Halloween are captured in this one short animated feature. The animation, narration (by Bing Crosby of course), the music and everything else make this the perfect incarnation of everything All Hallows Eve. The character design is truly like seeing a perfect embodiment of Irving's classic characters: the comical, flimsy movements of Ichabod Crane, the massive stature of Brom Bones, the beauty of Katrina Van Tassel, and most of all, the large, dark, menacing and truly frightening figure of The Headless Horseman. To this day, a sound as powerfully scary as the Horseman’s mighty laugh has never been equalled. Anyone who loves the Washington Irving tale and has not seen this short animated film, I urge you to see it now. For me, it will never be Halloween with out it.

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[–] ldvrn1 19 years ago

I was born in 1976..I'm hoping this is the version that aired on television every Halloween when I was young. Then they cancelled it (much to my chagrin). Is it the same one?

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[–] ldvrn1 19 years ago

I think so..can't remember too much about it, but I'd remember it if I saw the characters. Ichabod was really skinny, had a very long neck, a prominant adam's apple..

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[–] Shippojak44 18 years ago

Oh I LOVE this movie! me and my sisters would watch this even when it wasn't Halloween. My favorite scene is the end sequence when Ichabod is being chased by the headless horseman that has to be the funnist scenes in the whole movie (next to him eating) loved it when he got turned over by the tree branch and landed behind the headless horseman. Ichabod makes the best facial expressions. This movie is WAY better than Tim Burton's film because for one Ichabod was a teacher not a doctor.

THIS IS THE FUNNIST ANIMATED FILM EVER MADE ^_~

[–] trisp 18 years ago

I like this film as well especially the chase scene. It's interesting someone brought up the Tim Burton film. Interestingly, this cartoon inspired a few moments in that version, such as the frog croaking, Ichabod falling onto the horseman's horse, the flaming pumpkin, and the look of some of the locations. I also read in an updated Tim Burton book that the author has compared this version as well Tim's version to other movies Tim did such as Corpse Bride. But you're right that this cartoon is more faithful to the original source material than that version.

"HOPSCOTCH!"

[–] pink_summers 18 years ago

This movie is FREAKING AWESOME. hands down. Tee hee

[–] cconley-1 18 years ago

I just Ordered the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" today. I haven't seen the animated version since I was a kid, I hope it is as good as i remember it being. I can't wait for Holloween. I'm a 39 year old kid.

[–] pink_summers 18 years ago

Me too, you're lucky you ordered it. I have the video...grrr. :(

It's such a short halloween movie! lol

[–] DarkSideOfTheMoonriseKingdom 18 years ago

Love it. One of my favorites.

#1 GREMLINS FAN

THE BEATLES FREAK

TIM BURTON FAN

[–] mpurvismattp 9 years ago

You can find in it's full glorious entirety on YouTube (I know because I Love to watch it every now and again, even when it's not Halloween-LOL). Even though it was created so long ago it will always remind me of my childhood, carving pumpkins with my family in the kitchen, going trick r' treating and loading up on candy and creating my costumes with the help of my parents while using our creativity in the process. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and Bing Crosby's narration will always whisk me back to those wonderful days of spooky tales, cold misty October nights and legends of ghouls, goblins and of course the Headless Horseman.

[–] YankeeDood 18 years ago

This movie is a true classic but, for me, the greatest Halloween movie is John Carpenter's "Halloween"!
However, if you are referring only to family movies, I'd likely agree.

-L31

[–] DarkSideOfTheMoonriseKingdom 18 years ago

True. Watching Part II Now.

#1 GREMLINS FAN

THE BEATLES FREAK

TIM BURTON FAN

[–] tinkndink 18 years ago

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and starring Jeff Bloomberg is without a doubt my all time favorite halloween movie. I watched it everytime it was avaiable which, unfortunately, has not been too much in recent years. Can anyone please tell me where I can get the original movie either on DVD, CD or even VHS if necessary? I want to purchase the ORIGINAL version. Please contact me at [email protected] with the information. Thank you very much. I appreciate any help I can get.

[–] Flight_of_Fantasy 12 years ago

Yes, this movie is awesome (much better than the style-over-substance Tim Burton movie), but Hocus Pocus is still my favorite Halloween movie.

"He's already attracted to her. Time and monotony will do the rest."

[–] cheedo 10 years ago

One of my favorites too. I love scary stories that don't need to rely on gore, nude scenes and the like. I love a good creepy ghost story and this one is perfect with a classic hero (well, protagonist- Ichabod is classic in that it's so rare to see such a jerky hero). Katrina is an underrated heroine and the Horseman, real or not, is an underrated villain.

I bet you say that to all the Nordic ice goddesses.-Tora Olafsdotter