Customer Reviews

The Wind in the Willows/The Willows in Winter

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have seen both of these movies on VHS, but I haven't seen the DVD version. These are two full-length (over 70 minutes each) animated features.

I like this version of Wind in the Willows better than the Disney version. It's more like the book.

The Willows in Winter is a sequel and it is very good too.

I like these because the characters are funny and the animation is good. My parents liked them too.

Our children already owned & loved these films on VHS, so I was suprised to see both full-length movies available on a single DVD for a bargain price. True, there are no DVD "extras" in addition to the two movies, but the important part -- the animated film -- looks better than ever on DVD. It's a crisp transfer of the charming Beatrix Potter-style animation (not surprising, given that these were done by the folks resposible for the fine "World of Peter Rabbit & Friends" video series).

These wonderful children's films deserve a much wider viewing than I think they've received. They are faithful adaptations of the books, and the animation is, as I mentioned before, charming. But perhaps the best parts are the delightfully engaging voice characterizations -- Rat (voiced by Michael Palin of Monty Python fame), Mole, Badger, and the irrepressible Toad are all done spot-on. Toad's wild antics usually give our young daughters the giggles, and the motorcars and battle heroics are bound to capture the interest of young boys.

A worthwhile purchase, or a great gift for children 2-7 who haven't yet seen these films.

It's hard to believe, but I never heard of Wind in the Willows until I was about 16 years old, when it was first read aloud to me, around a glowing campfire. It was an instant love affair.

Years later, I shared the classic with my children. So when we found an animated version of the book for sale in a neighbor's tag sale, we snapped it up. We've loved the film ever since.

The animal characters--Badger, Mole, Toad, Weasel and all the others--congregate often at Toad Hall and elsewhere, and the story takes many delightful turns.

This animated version, directed by Dave Unwin, is every bit as classic as the book. Your children will surely love it as much as we did--including the child in this particular mom.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

And I thought the video's were fantastic! I compared the sound and picture to the video versions. The dvd is in awesome stereo sound and the picture is crystal clear. Two of the best animated movies I have seen. Kids and Adults will love it.

a longtime fan of the willows, i was pleased to see the producers of this dvd made few changes to the story. rik mayall's voice characterization of toad is perfect. mike palin's ratty is also excellent. and the lovely voice of dame redgrave as the narrator adds to the pleasure.

This is the third version of The Wind in the Willows that we watched.

The first was ok and may likely appeal more to adults who grew up with the story. It was the live action 2006 Masterpiece Theatre take on the story. Fun, but not great for repeat viewing.

The second was the Claymation version which was made in 1983 with Richard Pearson and Ian Carmichael (re-released 2004). We definitely enjoyed it but still made the effort to obtain the scarcer version (our third, below) with Vanessa Redgrave as narrator.

This one, the third, was charming. It obviously followed the book storyline, used the British turn of phrase, and made the creatures absolutely delightful. The production style reminded me of the Beatrix Potter videos we had so loved. Those were quite superior productions as well. This Wind in the Willows is by far the best one we viewed and needs to be re-released.

If this story is to be viewed by a youngster with no experience of British accents and phraseology, it is possible that my #2 pick with the Claymation characters might be slightly preferable. The verbage and accents are more mainstream. However, when my own children were young they loved the Beatrix Potter videos and the Britishness was never an issue. It did not seem to be for the families to whom I gifted Beatrix Potter either. They all loved them.

PLEASE RE-RELEASE THIS PRODUCTION. Used DVD's are currently over $45. It is a shame this is not in print.

I am very happy to have this. I had the VCR tapes, and wanted to upgrade to DVD. These movies were very hard to find for a reasonable price, but this seller provided exactly what I needed.

I have been a fan of Wind in the Willows since I read the stories as a small child in England.They are great classics. I also have read the stories and watched the DVD's with my grandsons, who call me Pop Pop. Last year I took the liberty of writing fantasy stories about their imaginary adventures as junior Jedi Knights. It's called "The Book Of Funtastic Adventures" and is available on amazon.com In two of the adventures the boys fall down a rabbit hole, go back in time and meet Mole, Ratty, and Toad. This time Toad is into flying machines and is driving across his lawn at Toad hall much to the concern of Badger. The boys arrive and Toad wants them to experience the flying machine so he persuades them to climb in, promising the boys and Badger that he is just taxing across the lawn and will not fly, as he has no insurance and hasn't had any training. Unfortunately Toad gets carried away and takes off with the boys on a hilarious, crazy, adventure. The Book of Funtastic Adventures:Silly Bedtime Stories to Make Children Laugh

This has to be my all time favorite DVD far better than other productions of this I have viewed. Absolutely delightful to watch for people of all ages - it's a keeper that you can watch over and again!

Since no one has revied this DVD and since I've never seen the DVD I don't know if this is the right movie. But if it is, it is classic.
I remember watching this during the holidays at my aunt's and uncles. Wild Mr. Toad and his crazy adventures and Ratty Mole and Badger. And the final battle between the heroes and the weasels to get them out of Mr. Toad's mansion.
The four stars are for the movie I saw as a kid, I don't know if this is that movie, but I hope it is.