the audience applauded

just watch it!

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is a TV movie of the children's novel, "The Wind and the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932). From that book, another British author wrote a play that made Toad Hall well known in England. Alan A. Mile's (1882-1956) "Toad of Toad Hall" was first staged in London in 1929. From then on, the characters of "Willows" became household names in the U.K. Milne, of course, wrote his own children's' books and created Winnie the Pooh. Grahame's fairy tale about four animals who became friends was soon a favorite of school children in the U.K. Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad entertain adults as well. Their animal lives are similar to those of humans. They talk and do just about everything that humans do. A cup of tea is as natural to them as it is to the citizenry of EnglandToad's fascinations, first with a horse and wagon to explore the world, and then with racy automobiles, that lead to trouble. His friends have to keep him under lock and key to "dry" him out - that is, until he goes through withdrawal and gets over his craze. Anyone with alcohol or drug addiction experiences will recognize this aspect of the film right away. Toad and his friends never became as popular in America (where other cartoon characters did, i.e. Winnie the Pooh, the "Peanuts" characters of Charles Schulz and other cartoon characters). Still, the fable is a classic that may amuse and delight young and old for generations. This film is made with stop-action animation.

As someone who loved Kenneth Grahame's book "The Wind In The Willows" - my father used to read it to me a lot when I was little - I have seen many TV/film/theatre adaptations of the story. But it was this 1983 feature length film by Rosemary Sisson (produced by the great animation team of Brian Cosgrove & Mark Hall) that, for me, ranks as perhaps the best of the lot. This was perhaps the most faithful adaptation to Grahame's book, and in my opinion, it was this adaptation that got it absolutely spot on! Everything about this version is excellent - this was exactly the characters and scenes as I imagined them from when my father read me the story and from when I was old enough to read them myself. The Edwardian scenery was just perfect. The often poignant and sometimes hilarious incidental music was awe-inspiring. And the theme tune was so beautiful, so relaxing, and so heart-wrenching all at once!As for the characters and voice actors... They simply couldn't have made a better choice for Mr. Toad than the fantastic David Jason, who takes to his part with passion and vigour. The great Ian Carmichael's warm, friendly and dry manner was totally perfect Ratty (what a pity they couldn't keep him for series that followed on from this film), and Sir Michael Hordern's gruff, husky and stern yet kind voice made a fabulous Badger. Richard Pearson as the shy and sensitive but lovable Moley was very good too, while Brian Trueman and Una Stubbs were great in their supporting roles. The Weasels are great villains, and some of the scenes, while rather dark and scary, evoke exactly the view and words of Kenneth Grahame.And then there's the songs. David Jason's "The Open Road" still makes my head turn to the screen even now, and Ian Carmichael singing the Ducks' Dance followed by the amazing sequence of the clay puppet ducks performing a well-timed dance routine... Well, you have to see it to believe what an incredible experience it is.Whether a child or an adult, this film is an experience to be treasured!

This stop-motion animation was the first adaptation of a British children's novel to make me realise why Britain produces all of the world's best children's novellists. Its ethereal, sunlit world was the product of a mature and dark yet utterly English imagination inspired by a 2000-year legacy of faeries-in-the-fields mythology.

There is only one word for this movie: legendary! The entire cast plays their parts to perfection, especially David Jason as Toad, but overall, the whole cast of talented actors who have ideally lent their voices to this production deserve praise. They've done themselves well.