It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Don't get me wrong, I did really like it, but like most films, there were a number of flaws that undermined what could have been a fun romp for kids. The first, and main problem, was the story. There were some times when it bared some resemblance to one of the best children's books ever written, up there with Peter Pan and the Hans Christian Anderson Fairy tales, for imagination and complexity. However, I especially disliked the dog meat factory subplot, that's where it got really clumsy and it made the climax feel really cluttered. The songs were also nothing to write home about. They were fun to listen to (especially the Weasel song), but they were definitely forgettable. The direction, by I think Terry Jones(also actor), lacked at times the director's usual silliness and fun. There were some scenes, like the train scene where the action felt a bit rushed. However, there were a number of redeeming qualities to the film. Some scenes, like the introduction to Rat, were beautifully shot, and reminded me of Three Men in a Boat. The sets and scenery are very colourful and pretty and the costumes didn't bother me all that much, admittedly though some of the special effects were so-so. The script was good, very witty at times, with some priceless lines especially with Toad, Badger and St John, while maintaining the book's gentleness and drollness which I liked. The performances were in general excellent especially Nicol Williamson as Badger, who brought a much needed gruffness to the character as well as having a gift for comedy. Steve Coogan was touching as Mole. Eric Idle and Terry Jones were very funny in their roles, Idle is wonderfully sympathetic and jovial while Jones has a ball as the juiciest character. The courtroom scene was hilarious because of Toad's increasingly silly breaking-into- song moments, and was the highlight of the film. John Cleese and Stephen Fry were good(Cleese especially), but their appearances were too brief. Anthony Sher was adequately menacing as Chief Weasel, but like everyone else involved, he has been better. All in all, a likable, colourful and funny but unfortunately at times clumsy film, with a 7/10. Bethany Cox

Hey, what's going on?I've been reading the reviews of this film, and can't understand the (over) reaction to it.This is a children's film. For children. Adults watching it who are not amused must have hearts of stone - even though it does not follow the current trend of having a subtext directed at the adult audience.And yet, other reviewers are comparing it to Monty Python, Pink Floyd, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, John Majors pre 97 UK - et al. This is ridiculous.It's a light hearted representation of the story which does not stick to the original text. I'm sure the author would have laughed in the right places. I've seen (a few) better films of the genre - I've seen many, many worse.The low points?the songsthe pet food factory plot (Why??)The high points?the fact the songs are very shortthe costumes (an eclectic mix of modern, Victorian, Edwardian, and Middles Ages which I think work really well).Toad's green face paintThe steam train.Anyway, my children, who can be deeply cynical of films like this, loved it. I laughed. End of story.

I am probably one of the six people who saw this on its first theatrical run in the US. Because of a complicated and ultimately stupid legal battle between distributors involving this and other films this film got so lost that the only promotional material available to the theater I saw it in was a picture from a newspaper, which they pasted into a much too big poster holder. To add insult to injury despite getting raves from the New York papers, all of which wondered why the distributor was dumping a wonderful "children's" film, a new distributor, Disney released it on video after changing its name to tie into their amusement park ride, there by confusing those of us who saw this as the Wind in the Willows.This film is a great film. Its simply a fantastic film comedy, never mind the stupid label of children's or family film, this is just great movie making.The only people I know who are disappointed in it are people expecting a Monty Python film. Although it pretty much reunites all of the surviving Pythons only Jones and Eric Idle are in it for any length of time, Cleese has one scene as a lawyer and Palin is fleetingly seen as the sun. The film is light years from Python, despite having just a touch of Python's madness.The humor is gentle and loving and keeping both with the period and with modern tastes. The songs are wonderful. Granted the story is changed to deal with the dangers of crass commercialism, the weasels want to turn Toad Hall into a factory, but having seen several version of the story told with people in costume, this is only one of two versions that has ever worked, and this one did it in half the time of the other.This is a film that will make everyone feel good and which despite the PG rating is great for everyone.

Although "Wind In the Willows" (released on video here in the US as "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride") is marketed as a kid's film, Monty Python fans are likely to get more out of it. The movie features Terry Jones (who wrote and directed it as well), Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and John Cleese (in a brilliant cameo as Toad's lawyer). Too bad they couldn't get Terry Gilliam on this project. The movie tells the famous children's story with the unique silliness, British humor and over-the-top delivery that we've come to expect from the Python troupe. This is a movie that can not only be enjoyed by kids, but adults as well. Especially if they're Python fans. It won't replace your prized copy of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," but it's well-worth checking out. It's a crime that the studio did little to promote this film.