That was an excellent one.

Beautiful, moving film.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

As many reviewers have mentioned, this film suffered the terrible fate of getting lost in distribution, and consequently never even got to take off from the airport. What a shame for such a charming and wonderful adaptation of the children's classic "Wind in the Willows". (Don't be confused by Disney's name change to "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". . .It is, in fact, "The Wind in the Willows".) The misadventures of Toad (Terry Jones), Rat (Eric Idle), Mole (Steve Coogan), and Badger (Nicol Williamson) remains quite faithful to the novel, particularly in conversations, embellishing parts only to help round out what is essentially a fairly loose plot (if the novel can be said to have much of a plot at all).A real delight of the film rests in the zany antics combined with the images of idyllic turn-of-the-20th-Century England, as well as the wonderfully clever costuming and makeup. Director/Writer Terry Jones goes for an intentionally minimal approach, casting actors who naturally resemble their animal (Idle with his naturally mousey face, Williamson with his badger-like jaw, etc.) and putting only slight touches on them- a tail, a pointy mustache/whiskers, cut-off gloves for Mole's hands. So simple, and yet each character is instantly recognizable. This is a definite British touch that is seldom seen in more obvious American movies where things are less artistic.Yes, Python member Jones recruited his three other comedy mates (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle) to be a part. Although this is not a Monty Python film by any means, there are a few Python-esque touches for die-hard fans- the nonsensical courtroom, for example (where Cleese plays an amusing cameo as Toad's very unhelpful lawyer), and the sudden musical number that breaks out in the middle of the Weasel fight.This is a charming, funny, zany family film that is perfectly suitable for the entire family, with lots of whimsical fun that leaves you feeling good.

I sought out this seldom-seen film because of the director and cast. I am a Monty Python fan and wanted to see many of the show's cast in a film--though it is NOT a Python film nor do they in any way pretend it is. In addition, Terry Jones didn't just act in it but also wrote and directed this film. So my curiosity was definitely piqued. But apparently few were impressed by the film or its unusual pedigree, as it barely received a release and was a huge money hole for the studio...and is a film few realize was ever made or released by Disney on DVD.When this film began, I was very, very surprised by the look of the characters. While the sets were absolutely lovely, the actors simply looked like people with very minor changes to make them look, a bit, like the characters from the book. For example, Rat just looks like Eric Idle with some tiny whiskers and a tale and Terry Jones' face was painted a very, very, very light shade of green to play Mr. Toad! I had expected characters who were animals--but I guess to economize they did it this way. Oddly, also, some did not appear to be animals at all--just people! While I didn't like this look at all, I must say the acting was top-notch--something they might not have been able to get out of CGI characters or actors in clumsy animal costumes.As for the story, the animals are worried. Toad is spending his fortune with reckless abandon--buy and destroying car after car. The weasels are thrilled, as they want to buy this property in order to do SOMETHING dastardly, so it's up to the nice animals (Mole, Rat and Badger) to try to stop Toad from destroying himself. But, with so many determined weasels AND Toad's total lack of control, it's a huge battle to say the least! Overall, I really liked this version despite it's odd costumes--a few more dollars spent on giving EVERYONE more animal-like features would have improved it a lot--and I would have given it an even higher score. But on the plus side, the songs are bright and fun, the writing quite clever and funny, the acting uniformly wonderful, the wonderful little touches (such as the accelerator on the train saying 'even faster' and the mile marker saying 'many miles to go'), the music and sound excellent and the sets and colors are lovely. But I also think it's a story without much of an audience. I am not sure kids (particularly younger ones) would be interested in the film--particularly with the very adult vocabulary (with words like 'immure' and 'incarcerated' strewn throughout the film). And, I am not sure that most adults would even consider watching this film--after all, it's traditionally a kids' book. It's a shame, really, as it is lovely and fun. I particularly loved the courtroom scene--one of the few scenes that actually did look like it came right from "Monty Python's Flying Circus"!

I saw this film directly after reading it to my wife. I loved the book, and - really - I was more than happy to see the film, which has many good points, and some very nice performances. But...Although I am aware that it is not necessarily a useful process to compare a book and its film adaptation, I did feel somewhat let down by the rather frenetic pacing of the film, with its emphasis on "gadabout" and a degree of mugging. I expected plot variations from the book, but I think several were egregious (the dog food factory was - I feel - a bad addition), and I most regretted the loss of the intimate coziness one finds so often in British children's books, the lingering over a home's warmth, and fireside chats, and a delight in tea and food. Much the same loss is felt in the "Lord of the Rings" adaptation, which my wife and I enjoyed immensely, but - again - whose largest letdown was the loss of the many simply sit down talks that abound in the book. Now, I am aware that film cannot take its good old time on such things; they are called "movies" for a good reason; but there are ways to capture this atmosphere of lazy friendship which informs every page of the book, and creates a pleasing nostalgia for time and culture vanished. The film was far too rambunctious, as if Mr. Toad himself had directed it...which 9in effect) he did! So although I appreciated the attempt, the film lacked a certain "heart" for this viewer, and far too much frantic movement. I was disappointed, but still recommend a look see...

The quiet charm and whimsy of the Wind in the Willows is overtaken by violent scenes of Nazi-like weasels attempting to exterminate the riverbank denizens by grinding them up in a dog food factory. The queasy mixture of songs, gunplay, chase scenes, and Monty-Pythonish humor leaves a sour taste.