The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
PG | 31 October 1997 (USA)
The Wind in the Willows Trailers

Jailed for his reckless driving, rambunctious Mr. Toad has to escape from prison when his beloved Toad Hall comes under threat from the wily weasels, who plan to build a dog food factory on the very meadow sold to them by Toad himself.

Reviews
AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.
Palaest recommended
Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Dale Houstman 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...
loopy_lucy14 A real life interpretation of Wind in the Willows. Wind in the Willows was originally written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908.The Story is based around the self-absorbed Mr. Toad and his friends Rat, Mole and Badger. Toad becomes obsessed with motor cars, but keeps crashing them, and in the end it selling his field to the weasels to pay for more motor cars. So His friends try to help him by keeping him locked up inside until he gets over his obsession but one day he sneaks out when Rat goes down stays to fetch the picnic basket. In the end He gets arrested for stealing a Motor Car, Crashing it and assaulting a police officer. He then gets sent to jail for 100 years. While he is in jail, the weasels plan to blow up Toad Hall, his home. So, Luckily Rat and Mole Come up with a plan to rescue him, but will they get to toad hall in time? This is a great Movie a highly under rated. It is a great movie for all of those fans of Monty Python as it has 4 of the Python's in it, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin. This Movie is rather weird and random and does have the odd funny joke. This movie at time can be rather confusing, but it all joins up in the end. The all comedian cast really brings the characters to life, as well as their over the top costumes do as well. Steve Coogan does a very good job as the timid mole, and at ties it is hard to tell it is him. Terry Jones additionally does a marvelously comical job as the insane and arrogant Mr. Toad. Plus Eric idle does a commendable job as the clever Rat. This is a great Movie for Python fans, and for all ages, but maybe more suitable for the ages 7 to 12 mainly.
jamesmagoo Fantastic family fun sees the Python team back on top form. Director Terry Jones (Who also writes and fantastically plays the part of Green - headed pink - cheeked fly - eating fantastically funny Toad in the film) sees the film to suit all ages. We've got a touching performance from Steve Coogan as heroic/overwimpy Mole, Overcooked portrayal of Rat from Eric Idle, and excellent performance from Nicol Williamson as Badger, and really cherrie performance from Michal Palin as the Sun. But by far the best performance was Antoney Sher's portrayal of the hissable Cheif Weasel. A real feast of cherrie popcorn fodder and tounges remain firmly in cheek throughout. Highly enjoyable.
Ceili-2 For those looking for a Monty Python movie, forget it. But for those who have children, or love charming, sweet, enjoyable children's films, check it out. Sure it has funny moments but the movie isn't a comedy, it is a wonderful story about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.And it IS available in the US now, I rented it at Blockbuster. It only recently came out here, I believe.