98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FINALLY! Let the Fun begin!, February 11, 2005
This review is from: Wind in the Willows - The Complete First Series (DVD)
After years of whaling and nashing our teeth (and much begging and pleading with various companies over the years to release all the episodes), finally the great Cosgrove/Hall project of their Stop Motion Animation Wind in the Willows series is starting to get released on DVD (don't forget to pick up a copy of the first Feature Length Episode already previously released on DVD). The set you are looking at is for the first of about 5 volumes to be released by A&E Home Video (approx. 13 episodes each 2 disc set for each of the 5 seasons this series ran, remember most British TV seasons only last on an average of approximately 10 episodes). Hopefully all 5 seasons will eventually be released. The reason I mention that is because in years past all us fans have been sorely disappointed to find out no one who ever had the rights to it ever went to the bother to release ALL the episodes (being that there are a total of 65 twenty minute episodes, with also an approx. 78 minute feature length one more so based on the original book). And yes, you heard that right. There have been "65!" episodes made in the early to mid 80's (wish they could make more). We only discovered this wonderful tid bit of news a couple of years or so ago when trying to poke around the internet to see if we could make sure we had all the episodes in our tape collection. We have been denied the great pleasure of being able to own all the episodes at least once in all these years since 1983 when Cosgrove/Hall productions first started making them. Only a total of 19 episodes were ever released over the years on VHS tape (along with again of course the feature length one), leaving 46 episodes stuck in the vaults collecting dust. The last time we ever remember seeing any episodes aired on television in the US. was on PBS back in the early to mid 90's. Mostly here in the US. HBO video was the only ones to really release much of anything. The first time around many years ago they released the feature length episode, and then 9 more of the first season's episodes on 3 other tapes. Then several years later around 1996 HBO video released a 4 tape set dubbed "Four Seasons". Basically it was a reissue of 2 of the episodes they released before, plus a seemingly random selection of 10 other episodes from different seasons.
Well, at the very least the first volume is finally here, and we have enjoyed it immensely since we received it. This first volume actually contains 14 episodes, different from what the basic description has. The extra episode is on the second disc in the special features section because it is actually from the second season. It also has the 4 basic character descriptions in the special features section. Apart from that this set lacks in any other kind of extra's most DVD's have these days. But what it lacks in extra's, it more than makes up for in good family fun that we have all remembered from years past. Plus now for the very first time we've been able to view 4 episodes never before released to the general public.
Episode Guide (WARNING, some thing's in them could be considered spoilers, but not that it matters much, each episode is still loaded with lots of repeat viewing fun):
"The Further Adventures of Toad" -- "Badger makes Toad send letters of apology" (basically a flashback episode to reintroduce everyone to some of what happened in the original feature length episode, with a few tid bits of other things that happened).
"The Kidnapping of Toad" -- "Toad walks into a trap, but the weasels get more than they can handle" (Toad is invited to a literary evening by the Weasels, so no big surprise there as to what's up. But then the Weasel's realize no one is going to give in to ransom demands for him, and basically get sick and tired of Toads ramblings, so they abandon him in the woods before they go insane).
"The Ghost at Mole End" -- "Mole and his guests are perplexed by strange, spooky noises" (A naturally slightly paranoid Mole gets more and more startled by strange noises in his home, especially so after Toad tells stories of supposed ghosts haunting Toad Hall (another nice little song ensues for Toads tale). Turns out it's not as bad as all that, just a hedgehog who fell down a cavity in the tree above Moles home and got stuck, and was knocking and knocking to try and get help).
"The Great Steamer" -- "A steamboat passes and Rat and Mole must rescue a drowning mouse" (A nice little tale of rescue of a poor little mouse child who gets stuck clinging to a floating bottle in the river by Ratty's home, and nearly goes over the weir (waterfall for those of you who don't know what that is). But thanks to some extra help from the other mouse children and Mole, they save him in the nick of time).
"Buried Treasure" -- "Badger has till noon to vacate his home" (The Weasels hatch a plot to purchase a portion of the Wild Wood and basically try and evict Badger from his home using legal means. But low and behold when Badger and Mole are clearing out some of the last of Badgers thing's, Mole discovers an extremely old small chest containing an ancient scroll document from Roman times giving the Badger Family the lands around Badgers home, basically being an older land deed claim than the Weasel's more recent one).
"Mole's Cousin" -- "Mole is nervous about his visiting cousin" (Mole's cousin, whom he has never met before, sends a letter asking if he can come by for a visit. Mole's cousin (Oberon) is basically considered more of a high society individual (coming to this knowledge after they discover Oberon is mostly only coming because of Toad's invitation to a gathering at Toad Hall), and Mole's friends try and persuade Mole to clean up his place and mannerism's to what they think Oberon would be more accustom to. Eventually Mole doesn't take a liking to all this and refuses to change himself or his place. Turns out that's all Oberon would like to have, just a basic quiet simple time with simple things, and with family and getting to know them better).
"The Grand Annual Show" -- "The Weasels win the silver cup for their enormous pumpkin" (A yearly harvest festival for the area encourages everyone to put together some of their best things to show everyone. The Weasel's hatch a plot to basically use some kind of balloon that looks like an extremely large pumpkin. Toad fails while trying his hand at trying to create the perfect wine (which blows up in his face), and winds up scheming to try and cover up labels of other wine from his cellar. In the end some mouse children arrive in the nick of time with their prize winning watermelon to get the silver cup and put an end to all that nonsense of cheating to win prizes).
"The Open Road Again" -- "Toad, Rat, and Mole help field mice who have lost their home" (New fangled technology strikes again in the community, putting the farmer's horse out of work for the harvesting season. Toad's latest fad is hiking, but can't make it a mile down the road before complaining about tiring out. They soon discover that the Caravan (from the feature length episode) is still resting broken on the side of the road, and make plans to fix it up and hit the open road again for adventure's and give the farmer's horse something to do with all his free time. Not soon after the mouse children come along crying that their homes in the farmer's field were destroyed as the farmer's new harvester machine came along. As caring as Ratty and Mole are (along with them putting pressure on Toad), they offer the Caravan to the mouse children to stay in for several days till they can get a new home. Several days later Ratty and Mole come along with their gear to make for the open road on the caravan again, only to discover the mouse children still haven't found a new home. Ratty and Mole make excuses telling them that they only came along to tell them that their plans were off, the farmer's horse can't go either because the farmer's harvester machine breaks down and needs the horse to help him finish, and basically tell the mouse children that they can stay in it as long as they want).
"Wayfarers All" -- "Will Rat leave the comforts of home for a life of adventure and mystery?" (Late summer is approaching the area, and Ratty seems to notice all kinds of activity going on with all the other animals. Everytime Ratty tries to make plans to do something with someone, everyone else is so busy preparing for the coming months of fall and winter. While Ratty rests by himself near his home a strange rat traveler comes along. The traveler tells tales of his adventures on the sea and all the various lands he goes to, and in turn brings adventurous spirits buried deep in Ratty's conscience to the surface. Ratty gets into a trance and is persuaded to follow the traveler to go traveling the world and leave his home (possibly forever). Mole and Toad discover this, and in one of Toad's automobile's go chasing down the road to the docks after Ratty before he gets away. In the nick of time they catch up with Ratty and pull him away from the ship, telling him that they would miss him so much and that it's probably not a life for him and he would miss his home too).
"The Weasels' Trap" -- "The weasels set a trap for Badger, but it catches someone else" (The Weasel's are up to their usual nasty habits and are trying to steal money from a poor rabbit child on his way to school, and Badger intervenes. The Weasel Captain really starts to get irritated, and when one of his lackeys stumbles upon a nasty old animal leg trap, he hatches a plan to hurt Badger to get him out of the way. After setting the trap Badger comes along, but just before he gets caught in it, a rabbit child comes along for Badgers help with a dispute between the rabbits and hedgehog's. They...
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delight not to be missed, April 5, 2005
This review is from: Wind in the Willows - The Complete First Series (DVD)
The first volume of this series (on two DVDs) comes as a pleasant surprise. All but three of the episodes have been available in the past on VHS, but with four more volumes to go, there appear to be many as yet unexplored delights ahead for fans of this excellent series. Due to the age of the original, there is a slight murkiness to some of the scenes, but the sound is quite clear.
This series was extremely well done. The original adaptation of the book adhered to the original fairly well - omitting a few parts, which were then taken up in some later episodes in the series. The artistry of the Cosgrove Hall team was first-rate throughout, with detailed scenes, subtle gestures, and great care taken to evoke the atmosphere found in this classic tale. The incidental music is one of the highlights; much of it sounds as if they dug up previously unknown works by the great Edwardian master Sir Edward Elgar. The songs composed for this series were very charming and memorable. I find myself humming them often! The vocal characterizations for each of the characters fit admirably (I don't think Badger or Toad could have been better chosen).
For the most part, the various episodes that followed the adaptation of the book were very much in the spirit of Kenneth Graham's original. There is much good humor, and a number of well-taken, gentle lessons about life and how to live it well.
All-in-all, this is one of the finest series available on DVD for families. Our family has adopted many of the phrases found in it for our shared life; indeed, it has become something of a staple. It won't appeal to those who live on caffeine and constant noise: it is for those who enjoy or desire quiet, compassion, and the simple things of life.
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