What recommendations do you have for a future Dark Toons? Watch more Dark Toons here - bit.ly/DarkToons Watch more Nostalgia Critic here - bit.ly/NCPlaylist13 Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Thomas the train Stepney gets lost: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TPGQtz1lvZU.html Edit: Great video.
I remember this short.. The headless horseman part always scared me as a kid. Especially these shots 12:39 14:19 15:06 My top recommendations: *Courage The Cowardly Dog - Windmill Vandals *Looney Tunes - Satan's Waitin Other suggestions *Ed Edd n Eddy - Boo Haw Haw *Hey Arnold - Ghost Bride *Good Will to Men 1955 *MGM Cartoon - Who Killed Who? *TMNT 2003 - Same as it Never Was Love the videos as always.
"If he's so thin and lanky, how can he eat that much?" As a thin, lanky woman who has a large appetite. The answer is high metabolism. We burn off sugars so fast, that we HAVE to eat a lot of food.
@@adiahaalexander9359 Hit an miss. Yeah we never gain, but we're always hungry. Like I just can't get through a work shift without getting hunger pains with a couple hours still left to go.
@@adiahaalexander9359 @Jarius Alexander is right, plus if you have a vegetarian diet or something, a usual veggie sub won't fill you at all cuz it's all lettuce. Also, most of us have body issues because we have no fight. ANYWHERE. Including the parts boys wanna look at.
I’m the same as well. My whole family are quite big, but I’m the skinniest thing there is, yet I can eat just as much as they can and not gain anything. Also, did he forget about Shaggy?
We need a new Sleepy Hollow movie. An R rated one that actually follows the book. Admittedly it'd be a romantic comedy for 90% of the runtime, but just like this I think if they did it right they could use that ti create a slow and tense buildup to the scary part at the end.
True. Although the costume is much harder to make and would be expensive to buy at a shop so I guess they want to push the monsters that are easier to dress up as?
@@LuckyVine Puritans don’t believe in formal canonization. Apart from the gospel writers, who the true Saints really are are known only to God, in their eschatology.
Despite making a small appearance, the Headless Horseman is considered one of the darkest and most disturbing Disney villains. He is also considered one of the scariest villains in any Disney canon and Disney still receives complaints from parents about him frightening children.
I think the darkest thing about this movie is the fact that The Headless Horseman's the _only_ Disney Villain I can think of who's _won._ All the other ones were either killed or captured, but this guy succeeded in killing and will most likely keep hunting.
@@rogue7723 Some of Pinocchio's villains won I think, Honest John and Gideon get away with their crimes and The Coachman continues sending little boys as donkeys to the mines with zero repercussions. We don't see what happens with Stromboli but he probably got extremely irate offscreen after finding out he lost his "little wooden goldmine" and Monstro may have received the worst migraine after crashing into the rocks.
I always love that last line from Crosby when he says 'I'm getting out of here.' It's just the most perfect way to end the segment by suggesting that the narrator himself has been spooked by the very story he picked out. It's brilliant.
And honestly that's what I wanted to do during the 5-minute build-up to the Headless Horseman's reveal, it's so damn creepy I'm surprised I'm able to endure it.
I dont know that I want a full length version. I think the time that it currently is is great. Maybe they could have pulled it off, but I'm happy with what we got.
@@novaquartz5049 I agree. It’s already a short story, clocking in at just over 20 pages. To stretch it to a full-length movie, you’d need to add a lot of filler, or really alter the story (which is what Tim Burton did with his version). At around 30 minutes, I’d say it’s at perfect length.
Know what's odd? Looking back, the headless horseman was always one of my favorite (Halloween) monsters/entities, but I never really thought about him as having a physical body. Like when someone would look into that opening they'd see nothing as opposed to a body/blood pool. I guess back then I thought of him as more of a spirit/ghost type than an undead/zombie type.
@@Kamina.D.Fierce I always thought what Ichabod saw were the hundreds of screaming, agonizing headless souls of the people the horseman killed. Yeah, my imagination's weird like that.
@@guidofedeli851 Fair. I wouldn't be surprised if someone went that route in an interpretation. That's the beauty of the headless horseman as a character. There are SO many ways to interpret his existance, but it leaves it up to our imaginations. WE don't see what's in there, but it sure made Ichabod crap his pants.
@@Kamina.D.Fierce that was my point. That's the scene where Ichabod is THE most scared. There had to be something nasty there. It's indeed incredible that the mystery surrounding this villain is still creating conversations. I really love this short.
The short plump woman is named Tilde, she is a delight. She is kind, genuine, sweet, cheerful, excited, and DOES NOT DESERVE to be shunned the way she does. Guys, marry a Tilde and stay away from the two time Katrinas!
I actually knew a girl named Katrina. We used to be good friends, until she told me to fuck off, and that she never wanted to see me again, all because she thought I was in love with her. Also, Tilde is such a kind girl.
@@SonicStantz As a chubby chaser myself, Tilde is definitely the kind of woman I'd go for; kind, sweet, genuine, cheerful and excited plus she's got the exact type of body that I find attractive. For sure she's my kind of wife material.
I like how both in the novel and the animated movie, Ichabod disappears and nobody knows what happened to him. Some say he ran away, others say he was carried away by the headless horseman. It's a perfect horror Novel that will never be forgotten.
Its a horror novel completely by implication too, which is a very rare thing. There's nothing explicitly bad happening that couldn't just be a prank that scared a cowardly man away, but boy its so much more memorable than that.
I recall that in the story Ichabod apparently ended up in New York City where he became both a lawyer and a judge. In the story there is also some details about the Dutch settlers who lived in the region and Irving was highlighting them and their feelings about outsiders of which Ichabod happened to be.
People like to speculate that the headless horseman was Brom dressed up to scare Ichabod out of town, but I don't think so. Ichabod looked right down the horseman's neck. If it had been Brom, he would have been staring him right in the face, and I don't think his reaction fits that. The look on his face was more "OH MY GOD I CAN SEE HIS RIBCAGE" and less "Oh crap, Brom's gonna murder me."
I thought that too, but my mom told me that there are certain costumes where you can actually obscure your face, even if someone looks right at you, and you can still see. Not saying you're wrong or anything, just bringing it up. :-)
@@pundertalefan4391 honestly yeah that is a good point but i dont think they woulda had those. He might have made a special suit with a special pouch to hold guts to make it look like a bloody stump, but it would have been short notice
That is a decent theory. On the flipside it is a full moon when Ichabod was staring down the neckhole yes, but it's otherwise still fairly dark and the victim is in a life-or-death panic already so a face could still pretty easily be obscured or overlooked if it is Brom under the cloak and he foresaw that happening. Who knows? I always got the impression it was largely left up to the audience to decide what happened, watching it growing up.
It's possible that it was too dark for Ichabod to see anything at all inside the cloak and was reacting to the laughter coming from what he thought was a neck stump. Remember, he was very superstitious and not likely to question anything if he thought it was supernatural.
I am one of those, even if I also like the idea that we can't actually know, like what happened at the ending. My explaination is: *Crane'* s fear already transformed a normal background into a nightmare scenario, so why not a big dude in disguise as a real ghost. And yes, when he looked in his neck hole he could just have see nothing and reacted to the evil laugh.
As a kid, I did believe that Ichabod really was spirited away by the Horseman but as an adult now, I've pretty much completely swung the other direction and fully believe it was Brom Bones in disguise. If you read the book, there are a lot of clues throughout the text that imply The Horseman is not really real. Like early on in the story, Ichabod constantly confuses the natural with the supernatural and is literally afraid of his own footsteps. At some point he even confuses a bush covered with snow with a ghost! During his ride home from the Van Tassel party, he approaches Major Andre's tree and whistles, and he thinks his whistle has been answered but it's really the wind blowing through the branches. He thinks he sees a body being hung from the tree, but it's really a branch struck by lightning. He hears a groan but it's really two branches rubbing against each other. He really lets his imagination get away with him, once again confusing the natural with the supernatural. One thing that so many film versions of the story get wrong, even the best versions, is making it clear that The Horseman is holding a pumpkin from the start. The text makes it clear that from Ichabod's perspective, it's an actual head that The Horseman is carrying. it's not until the next morning, after the head has been thrown at Ichabod that we realize oh wait it's actually a pumpkin! Why would the Horseman carry a pumpkin around? Hmm, maybe it's because there is no Horseman and it was Brom pulling the ultimate, mother-of-all prank to get his rival out of the way once and for all. It would surprise no one that this is something Brom would definitely do - he's already been established as a prankster and he pulled multiple pranks on Ichabod before this night - including turning everything in the schoolhouse topsy-turvy so that Ichabod thought that supernatural events occurred. He had the motive and the means - earlier, not only is he described as owning a black horse, but his horse is the fastest, most athletic horse in Tarrytown. No wonder Ichabod couldn't outrun him during the chase, and felt his "hot breath" behind him. Ichabod's body of course, was never discovered, and Irving makes it a point to mention that Brom "bursts out laughing" whenever someone mentions the part about the pumpkin, implying that he knows more about the matter then he would admit. But of course, the good people of Tarrytown would rather cling to their ghost stories even when they're told by someone who has seen Ichabod Crane years later, who is obviously still alive and in a nutshell, doing very well for himself. P.S. I'll admit that this version leans more toward implying that the Horseman is the real deal, versus the book where it's left more ambiguous. One could argue that Ichabod is still letting his imagination run wild with the way the Horseman looks and the things we see him do, however there is the fact that at one point Ichabod is able to see the spot where the head is missing (and probably smell it too), and is incredibly horrified. There's also the fact that the Horseman is constantly trying to take Ichabod's head, something he doesn't do in the book. Although, there is still the chance it is Brom because the moment he realizes (or recalls) that Ichabod is superstitious, an idea clearly forms in his head. Throughout his song, you can tell Brom is planning something and I doubt he intended to stop at just telling Ichabod that scary story. Brom is not someone who just "hopes for the best" and doesn't take action. I suspect he was planning on following up after that story. So I think it's more likely the Horseman is real in this version, but I wouldn't completely toss out the notion that it was Brom in costume just yet.
There's definitely more in the original story to suggest that the Horseman (at least the one Ichabod meets) is just Brom (or one of his pals) in disguise, but I feel like it's important to emphasise that the situation is still technically left entirely ambiguous - first as to exactly whether the Horseman is real, whether he's real but not what scared Ichabod, or whether he's entirely fictional; and then with regards to exactly what happened to Ichabod (whether he left Sleepy Hollow as a result but then eventually turned up somewhere else completely fine as the stranger says, whether he managed to get away at all and what happened to him if he didn't). Any firm conclusions one may draw one way or another are still completely speculative.
@@overlydramaticpanda This is what I love about the topic of this conversation. Another person can also come to the conclusion that the Horseman was the real deal, and can use moments in the story to back that up. And I would love for someone to come along and do exactly that. When you've written a story that has people talking and debating on how something happened or how someone ended up, you've done something right.
@@strongrex2615 I agree completely. Personally, I lean heavily towards believing that the Horseman *is* a real thing that haunts the town (legends in general tend to more often than not be based in truth and the legend of the Headless Horseman is *so* specific and ingrained in the minds of the townspeople to a degree that just doesn't occur with local legends in real life - at least in my experience living in an area with tons of local legends - that I just can't help but feel like there's something there to back it up) but I also am inclined to think that the Horseman whom Ichabod meets is either Brom or one of Brom's friends in disguise merely exploiting the legend to drive Ichabod away. In any case, it's a fantastic story and I'm glad there's at least one fairly accurate adaptation (even if this cartoon does erase the ambiguity of the situation in favour of producing scares). I just love the fact that none of the main characters are really heroic people (which is something that hugely annoys me about most other adaptations - Ichabod is explicitly not a nice person, certainly not really ethically any better than Brom and *definitely* not better for Katrina than Brom) to the point where it's perfectly reasonable to assume the situation at the end to be that one of them has terrified the other so completely that he *immediately* ups and leaves town...all because of a girl who is, to a certain degree, happily stringing both of them along and encouraging the rivalry.
4:58 As a kid, I just believed that Ichabod simply had a high metabolism. I remember as a teenager, I could eat three full plates of dinner and I would still not gain a single ounce. As I got older, I feel like Ichabod's staying skinny no matter how much he eats has a significance to his character as well - that he'll never be satisfied with what he has even if he ended up marrying Katrina and inheriting the Van Tassel farm. He beats Augustus Gloop for most literary glutton.
The whole "Ichabod is a gold- digger" scene is made a little more innocent in the original story; Rather than fantasizing over Katrina's money, the food- loving Ichabod was more shown looking at the livestock on the Van Tassel farm and fantasizing over how delicious they'd be (i.e. Passing by the pig pen, he imagined all the pigs roasted with apples in their mouths). When talking about the magnificent buildup to the Horseman's appearance, you can't forget that the animals' cries resemble warnings to Ichabod (The crickets' chirping sounds like "Ichabod," the frogs' croaking= "Headless Horseman," one bird's loud cry= "HERE HE COMES," another bird's cry = "BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE").
Really? I remember Ichabod as a huge gold digger in the original story: after he salivated over Van Tassel’s livestock, he saw the inside of Katrina’s house and “the conquest of his heart was complete” because of how big it was. Also, Irving wrote in the story that Ichabod’s “ heart yearned after the damsel who was to inherit these domains, and his imagination expanded with the idea how they might be readily turned into cash, and the money invested in immense tracts of wild land, and shingle palaces in the wilderness.” Finally, when he asked to marry her, he doesn’t act sad- he acts like a sore loser and even kicks his horse awake. Brom is the only man associated where “love” is mentioned in his affections for Katrina, as Irving says Brom “was sorely smitten with love and jealously”, and the word “love” was never implied in Ichabod’s views to her. But YES, I LOVE the spooky forest build up!
I'm gonna be honest the scariest part was the build up to the headless horseman. I love how it shows dread, paranoia, fear and panic. Something horror movies are missing nowadays. With that being said, I had nightmares of that forest scene
Couldn’t agree more. It’s the buildup. Kinda goes along with how the host is talking about our imaginations so often being way more terrifying than what a story could come up with. My imagination runs wild in scenarios just like the one Ichabod found himself in that night. It’s another thing that is so great about that whole scene - who hasn’t found themselves in that scenario before? Alone in the dark, walking home, and being like a lightning rod for all the creepiness of the night.
Not to ruin anyone's fun and speculation, but I thought I'd point out that the Headless Horseman is technically a Dullahan. The reason that's important to know is because Dullahan cannot cross rivers, so even if he did hit Ichabod with the flaming pumpkin he still wouldn't have been able to "spirit the school master away" due to Ichabod having already crossed the river. Since Ichabod's hat was all that was found it was either Brom in disguise and Ichabod did die that night (with Brom hiding his body in the woods somewhere) or it was the real Horseman and Ichabod escaped away from the village.
Funny thing is what most people don't realize, is that in the story, Ichabod actually gets turned down by Katrina right before he leaves her home that night and has his run in with the Headless Horseman. In the Disney version, it actually does look like he has a chance with her before the Horseman shows up and Brom ends up getting her in the end.
When it comes to imagery Nasty Patty and surprisingly SB-129 are quite good. All three are definitely kind of dark-ish and fit really good into this series.
I absolutely love the buildup to the Horseman. The dark shadows, the creepy trees, the frogs croaking Ichabod's name. Then Ichabod freaks out when he thinks he hears horse hooves coming up behind him, only to find out it was just reeds against a log. He laughs it off, his horse laughs with him,everything seems to be okay. And then we hear that absolutely terrifying laugh, and Ichabod slowly turns around to see the huge figure of the Horseman laughing maniacally with a sword and flaming pumpkin. It's just an awesome scene
I honestly think Sleepy Hollow ranks high enough to have a place among Disney's heaviest hitters. The animation, especially the chase scene, is flawless. Ichabod traveling home through the woods and having his worst fears suddenly realized is masterful. The slow but deliberate mounting of suspense has rarely been done better.
My favorite Halloween special. But it does leave out a crucial plot point from the story: it's implied that Brom Bones is the Headless Horseman. And in the original story, it's said that the Headless Horseman had his head blown off by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. A fun fact: that's said to be based on a real-life incident during the Civil War, where, during the Battle Of Chickamauga, an aide to a Union General had his head blown off by a cannonball.
@Juni Post And he was fighting for the British as a Hessian mercenary (the Hessians were Prussian soldiers hired by the British during the Revolutionary War). And as Doug points out, it's better off not knowing what happened to Ichabod. The people of Sleepy Hollow believe that he died that night. But it's revealed, only to the reader, that he survived. He moved back to Connecticut and became a lawyer, and was later appointed a judge.
The cannon ball blowing someone's head off cannot be based on an incident from the Civil War. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was published in 1820, the Civil War happened 41 years later.
It could still be viewed that Brom Bones is the Headless Horseman in this version from the way Brom notices that Ichabad is deeply superstitious and easily frightened so he gleefully goes into his tale of the Headless Horseman. Not to mention, he does end up marrying Katrina in the end.
@@oneearrabbit That's true in that it was published over 40 years before the Civil War. But in popular culture these days, many people erroneously believe that, given how similar they are.
@crazy silly Well, the one portion that was called East Prussia is by now divided between Poland and Russia (around Kaliningrad), while the area called West Prussia consists mostly of Pomorskie (German: Pommern) *within* Poland. Besides those two there are a lot more of areas which are called Prussian, but without a prefix - eg the land Brandenburg which is surrounding Berlin, Capital of Germany - which are situated *west* and partly south of the East and West Prussias; and of those latter ones, the western ones in their majority belong to modern Germany.
"Ever wonder where Gaston came from?" I was gonna say! Come on, we all know Gaston sowed some wild oats and Brom Bones is probably descended from one of them.
@@farlong4948 Of course Brom Bones was _created_ decades before Gaston. But I think, chronologically, Sleepy Hollow takes place a little later. According to the book, Sleepy Hollow takes place in 1790, whereas Beauty and the Beast must take place before 1789 because there's still nobility and royalty in France. But there's only one or two generations between them, so Brom can easily be Gaston's son.
The entire Over the Garden Wall mini series would be perfect for Dark Toons, but if you want one episode in particular, my vote would go towards The Ringing of the Bell.
the thought of all the things that they did in this cartoon: the backgrounds, the colors, the shading, the camera, the timing. it just makes you really appreciate all the work that was put in this cartoon.
@@nine_tails137 Damn. Since this IS a double feature, the first half with 'Wind In The Willows,' narrated by Basil Rathbone, is something you Should Not skip over.
@@QJ89 Yeah, basically their mindset was: "Anything that's a cartoon sucks". Which is complete BS BTW. The only thing that didn't suck in their eyes, was South Park!(no joke!)
I remember watching this as a kid and the thing that has always stuck with me, was how confused I was when I watched it. because I was so used to the concept that the main character is a good guy and the person that’s trying to stop you is the bully/villain, but there were those scenes where he’s thinking about all the money he’s going to get when he marries her how her father “won’t be around forever“ and I remember specifically being confused and a little mad at the idea that the girlfriend gets with the bully. Because at the time I didn’t realize just how much of an asshole Ichabod was.
yeah some complain about how Brom gets the girl because Ichabod, being kinda ugly, should just get some homely woman (which the short implies he does), but yeah they're kinda both bad people. better ending: brom and Ichabod both lose and Katrina marries shortstack girl instead. Because I want her to be happy dammit.
@@sarafontanini7051 Well remember when it came to Ichabod beauty was a factor but it was not his driving force. It was always feeding his bottomless hunger for food and money. At least Brom’s actions we’re only intended to scare him away and they weren’t malicious.
I think when it comes to the story itself Washington Irving was writing a story with characters. I don't he wanted people to completely sympathize with any of them because they all had motives that weren't necessarily nice, but this only makes the story better.
This characters where morally grey, they where flawed and acted, well, like people. None of them where innocent and each one had its own agenda. Both Ichabod and Brom wanted to marry Katrina for her beauty and wealth, and she even keeps the men of the village under her thumb.
Recommendations? "Filet Of Soul" Dexter's Lab "Ghost Bride" Hey Arnold "Wheezin Ed" Hey Arnold "Abracadaver" PPG These were all pretty dark and creepy!
Excellent call on 'Ghost Bride.' Dang, that was dark! I'd also add 'Haunted Train,' from the same series. It had some pretty dark moments (A ghostly train that lures people inside and ships them to Hell, after all), and that magnificently spooky song in the end!
You gotta visit the real Sleepy Hollow in NY. Disney did a great job at portraying the town. All the locations mentioned in the story (even the bridge) are legit. They do a big jack o’lantern blaze there every year on Halloween. Very nice with all the foliage during the Fall
The Jack o lantern blaze is One the things I miss about living in Sleepy hollow(or North Tarrytown to some of the locals.) I'll tell ya though,if I ever go back for a visit I'm staying as far away as possible from the old Dutch cemetery. I saw things creeping around the tombstones that turned me white as a sheet.
@Elijah Neil all my life I've lived in Yonkers only went to sleepy hollow for dentist appointments and Lacrosse matches, this year I wanted to attend the blaze, so three days ago my family tries to acquire tickets, literally none are available the event is booked solid until it's conclusion.
When I was a kid I wasn't so much afraid of the Horseman himself, but I was freaked out by the fact that in the end he really GETS Ichabod. You know, especially in kids' movies, you always kinda know that the protagonist won't really die at the end, but.. here you go! He gets beheaded and drugged to hell or something!
I was also creeped out by the fact that Ichabod had to go home completely by himself. It always scared me that his night seemingly unraveled by how paranoid he’d become. Had he somehow missed the fact that people were on their ways out? Had people chosen to leave him on his own?
Honestly, this will always be my favorite version of the Sleepy Hollow story. I wish it was longer but it does so much right. Has the right ratio of comedy and horror and knows how to make things pop out at you. I wish the Horseman got more screen time because the chase scene is honestly one of the best.
When I was a kid I, I snuck up on my sister and grabbed her when that shrieking tree appeared. It scared her so bad that still to this day she will make sure to know where I'm at when those 5 mins of build up start. Great movie still a tradition in our family.
Regarding the whole "Ichabod is after Katrina's father's money" that was the main motivation for men to get married in the 17/1800's. Marriage until very recently was mostly a business deal and very rarely about romance/love. Also I would (possibly) argue the ghost tree is a bit of a jump scare. And the Headless Horseman has THE best villain laugh ever.
The financial side seems to the more prominent factor. It is ok in a "well it was like that back in the day" way but it was clearly ment to make him flawed.
I remember only snippets of the short (which I never fully watched) scaring the shit out of me as a kid, ESPECIAALLY that final shot that implies ichabod died.
Honestly, I think my repeated viewings of this as a kid influenced my views on creepy things and Halloween as an adult. No joke in possibly sounding emo, but I remember watching this, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and other Halloween specials all the time on VHS and DVD *because my sense of seasons didn’t exist as a kid*. This short and also the Tim Burton version inspired me to take a trip with my family to the real Sleepy Hallow during Halloween when I was 10. Also, if I’m being real, this didn’t scare me as much as it should’ve when I was little *that goes to Nightmare and Corpse Bride*. Love whenever anyone talks about this short; brings back lots of good memories and makes me want to listen to that boppy Headless Horseman song.
Now I never read the book, but I always thought that Brom was the headless horseman the whole time, just to drive Ichabod out of town. Especially since he was the one who caught on to Ichabod's superstitious habits and could see how much the story scared Ichabod.
Over the Garden Wall, it's a miniseries but it's only like an hour(edit 2 hours of gold) long in total. That's a show I've been forgetting that definitely fits this NC series. The time of year and the imagery of this classic made me think of it now. I had already planned a rewatch for this month too, it's become a seasonal thing and even any time of year thing. I didn't anticipate it being so good cause I missed it's original airing and didn't get on my radar at all until it was.
That short is called Donald And The Gorilla. I would also recommend it! It was pretty suspenseful, and a bit scary in places, but I thought the ending was a bit of a downer. I just don’t like watching people crying for now reason.
The sight of that flaming pumpkin flying towards the screen was my first nightmare as a kid. Also, for the next Dark Toon, the Night on Bald Mountain short from Fantasia would be an awesome candidate.
I like to think that the Headless Horseman tried Ichabod's head and didn't like it, so he left it behind. He then fed the body to his horse. My logic as a kid was that since the monster's name had the word "horse" in it, he must love his horse.
I don't know, as a child I always liked the idea that the *Headless Horseman* could have been *Brom* in disguise. It was never shown, but as the ending it wasn't clear and open to interpretation. Now you can say that's stupid and / or impossible, but I still like the idea that it may be just a Scooby Doo's alike Brom's plan and I like even more the fact that we can't know for sure if that really happened as we see it, or if that's how *Crane* saw it. In fact, his fear already transformed the background, so why not even a big dude in disguise for a real g-g-g-ghost?
Indeed. I think a clue to this is the fact that when we first see the Horseman, he's holding what appears to be a flaming skull. Yet later, it turns out to be just a pumpkin. So I do believe that Ichabod's imagination was getting the better of him.
In the original story, there are more clues hinting that the Horseman (at least the one Ichabod encounters) is just Brom or else one of his friends in disguise - the big one is that it's mentioned that not only is he explicitly happy that Ichabod's gone but he also apparently can't help laughing whenever someone mentions the pumpkin (which hints that he knew about it all along), but there's also his established reputation as a prankster and the fact that he owns the fastest horse in the town (which would explain why Ichabod could never outrun the Horseman in the woods) - but it's still left pretty ambiguous either way.
I want to say thank you to Doug for doing this series. Before watching these videos I can't say I ever really payed much attention to the finer details of animation, backgrounds, colour usage and so on. It's given me a whole new appreciation for the art.
Omg, Ichabod and Mr. Toad is probably the best of the package films Disney made, what I love about both these shorts is that back then it never felt like Disney was half-assing it like they do nowadays, despite they’re shorts, they have the elegance of Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, or even The Fox and the Hound.
If we’re doing the featurettes, I would suggest Mickey’s Christmas Carol! The scene where Goofy is a ghostly shadow following Scrooge up the stairs really creeped me out as a child! Also, let’s not forget the ending, where Scrooge is in his own grave, dangling over what looks like the gates of hell!
Also, I’d give a modest recommendation for the Chuck Jones/Richard Williams Christmas Carol. The Jacob Marley scene in that one was particularly creepy! 😬
@@glowworm2 that's... That's implied in the "not drastic changes" part. The only things they removed are the impliance that Brom was disguised as the HH and the fact that Crane ran away in order to not pay the owner of the saddle he lost in the chase, a motive that still I can't understand. You're not rich, ok, but... You seriously don't have enough money to pay it and you are more scared of that then a "ghost" that was chasing you to take your head?
When I was a little girl and seeing this for the first time, it really scared me and I had some nightmares from it. I had saw this as an adult and really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed your commentary and I agreed with everything you said.
Funny thing is that there WAS a Headless Horseman "hayride"/wagon ride at Fort Wilderness Resort I think? Several years ago. If you look on RU-vid you can find it by user blondeheroine. Low quality but a REALLY cool concept! They made a path you would ride down at night, meet Ichabod Crane along the way, and eventually spot the Horseman on the other side of the river with his aim set on YOU. MAN, I wish they still had that...
Your summery is spot on why old school disney was a golden age of animation, 'family friendly' used to mean both kids and adults could enjoy it without devolving to the lowest denominator; and this short is a prime example of how to handle it with class, the exaggerated motions are bound to make kids laugh, while the conflicting subtly dishonest motives are going to give older folk a smile. A treat of a review once again, thank you.
This "The Sandman" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2Hz3QB31K_c.html ? Might not be in the right age range but definitely a great piece of truly disturbing animation with the horror coming entirely from atmosphere and suggestion.
My friend actually played Brom Bones/ the headless horseman in a public theatre version of sleepy hollow. My friend's portrayal of Brom Bones was good but because he didn't have a horse costume for 2 people to be in (or a fake one) he had to were a horse mask on his face so he was the horseless headless horseman. And his theatre group said that he wears the head of his horse so that when he finds a new one, he can revive his horse.
One thing I love with the headless horsemen is that he isn’t just scary, he’s threatening. You don’t see what he’s done and not entirely what he does. Very every, very creepy. Gotta love it.
pluswhile most ghost cartoons just have the monster chasing but not do anything to the protagonist, here the Horseman is ACTIVELY swinging his sword and trying to cut off Ichabod's head
Watched this so much as a kid, had it on both VHS at home, and our art teacher showed it to us in elementary school as an example of 'true art in animation' during October. Definitely scared me as a child, especially the end piece where he throws the flaming pumpkin.
"He's so thin and lanky. How can he eat this much?" There are people who hit the genetic lottery. We're in our 50's and have a friend we've known since middle school who can eat or drink ANYTHING and he never gains weight. He was this thin and lanky back in school and even now, he has no beer or food gut. Lucky bast@rd. LOL!
What’s really annoying is having a low metabolism and people constantly telling you you need to eat less or eat healthier and work out more. The only time I’ve ever lost weight was when I was really sick and in hospital - and I was a competitive swimmer for 15 years. It didn’t make any difference. I was on Atkins for a month and lost 10 pounds. That’s it. I’m getting tired of being made to feel like my weight is a sign of “bad character” or a lack of “self-control.” If I ate anything at all my dad would mock me and go, “stop shovelling food into your mouth!” Or make constant comments about my weight. Even when I was competing at Olympic Trials. So I have an instant dislike for skinny people, especially if I see them eating.
5:00: "If he's so thin and lanky, how can he eat that much?" It's generally referred to as a "hollow leg." It's a very common trait for ectomorphs (people with a naturally thin and lanky body type); they have a high metabolism and burn through food as fast as they can pack it away... until they reach their 30s and suddenly reality starts catching up. (You're right that it's very weird for someone Ichabod's age.)
This is why I love traditional animation. It uses the art to bring out emotion that entertains kids, but as an adult I can appreciate the detail that brings out those emotions and enjoy it from a new perspective.
Katrina had the bossom that every guy wanted, and the riches helped to add the value to marriage! And my favorite part is the part when the Horseman jumps off the cliff and has the moon behind his flowing cape! Such the shot!!!! (Chefs kiss!!!)
My Mother and I watch this every single year since I was 3. man the nostalgia I have for sleepy hollow is amazing and this brings wonderful memories in my childhood. so thank you for that Doug.
I wasn't expecting this one Doug. Glad you finally got to it. Loved Sleepy Hollow as a kid. Especially the headless horseman. I used to be scared senseless whenever I watched it
This is one of my all time favorite cartoon shorts from my childhood. I love to see...that so many people enjoyed it as well. Us 80s babies, were fortunate enough to live through the invention of VHS and got to enjoy this classic from 1949.
@@troopcaptain The episode is about a zombie magician--back from the dead for revenge--and his backstory is actually quite dark honestly. It's a really good, classic PPG episode.
Oh, and if anyone is interested in a more gory version of this story that is not the Tim Burton movie, check out Night of the Headless Horseman. The animation is terrible, but it's pretty faithful to the original story and the chase scene is really awesome. Also, it's GORY. William H. Macy voices Ichabod Crane and it came out in 1999 just like Tim Burton's version and the Canadian version starring Brent Carver - wow, three versions of this story came out in the same year!
This is one of my favorite Disney cartoons of all time! I watch it every year for Halloween and will surely continue that tradition for the rest of my life. Eveything about it is just amazing and I think that the art is beautiful as well. I'm couning down the days until I can watch again here soon.
The Horseman was animated by Wolfgang Reitherman, one of the Nine Old Men and later director of Disney films such as The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and The Rescuers. He had left Disney at the outbreak of WWII to join the US Army Air Forces (which then became the modern day Air Force) and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, mainly fighting in the Pacific Theater. After he was discharged, he didn't immediately return to Disney. His passion was flying so, (like many retired military pilots) he became an airline pilot, which is how he met his wife (a stewardess). Reitherman was eventually persuaded to return to animation after visiting his friends at the studio. As soon as he was back, Walt Disney gave him the job of animating the Headless Horseman. Reitherman was inspired by his time in the service to do a lot of action packed sequences and while most of his earlier works showcase some of it, the Headless Horseman sequence was the first time he really got to flex his muscles as someone who was focused on action and movement...a skill that would prove useful later on when he was named one of the Sequence Directors of Sleeping Beauty (mainly the climatic scene where Prince Philip fights Maleficent).
This version always terrified me as a kid - but I loved being terrified by it! The thing that got me the most (aside from the near-demonic tinge to the Horseman and his horse) was actually something I'm not sure if the animators meant to do or not - but it certainly came across that way for me! It's whenever Ichabod tries to start a new spurt of running away from the Horseman. The animators might have been trying for 'cartoony' with Ichabod in the chase, but things like he's trying to ride an invisible horse behind his actual horse, trying to climb back on from the reins stretched back, hanging under the horse's neck - *ALL* of that is *exactly* like those dreams - nay, nightmares - you have where you're trying so hard to run away, but you never run normally. Like your shoes are on backwards, or a hill just slides you right back. For me the extra scary was because I do horseride, and I've had had *exactly* those kinds of dreams where you're trying to ride your horse, but it's all wrong lol Like I said, I'm not sure if it's something the animators were specifically aiming for, but they made it feel much more nightmare-surreal by the fact that Ichabod could never outrun the Horseman, that he'd always end up riding weird. If it was intentional, well done indeed! They nailed it! lol
In the original Washington Irving story, Ichabod represents outside change coming to disrupt the comfortable untouched existence of the town. He's an educated man. Doesn't have a "manly" profession and is there to "steal" Katrina from the tough he-man Brom. And we get to see even more insight into Ichabod's motives. He's not only after the fortune he will inherit once Katrina's father passes, he plans to immediately convert it to money and move out West. Ichabod is portrayed as a pillager with a bottomless appetite while Brom is portrayed as a faithful steward of tradition. We also get more insight into Katrina's motives. It's revealed she never really had an interest in Ichabod beyond making Brom jealous and pushing him to commit to marrying her. The night of the Halloween party, she spurns Ichabod. He was lamenting his loss of love and wealth he thought were his for certain as he was travelling home that night.
Love, love, LOVE this short!!! Something I've also noticed about Ichabod is that they DO animate him to kind of move like a crane. You can especially see it at the beginning of his dance with Katrina - his movements are very bird-like. Me personally, it's become a tradition on Halloween night for me to make spiced apple cider and watch this together with the family. This year we'll have it in total HD thanks to Disney+! 8D WHOO!!
I loved this as a kid! I remember it in flashes from time to time, especially around Halloween of course but---god it was so good to go back to this. It's one of my favourite Spooky Stories! Props to W. Irving, the story is brilliant!
I love this one too. Great analysis/review. Very solid animation, music, story, etc. One of the great Disney short films. Surprised though that you didn't talk about the common theory that the Horseman was Brom scaring Ichabod out of town.
Being the Headless Horseman has been my schtick on Halloween for years because I love how terrified it made people at my dorm. I guess most people weren't aware of the old Sleepy Hollow tale and probably grew up with slasher monsters; because whenever we did the haunted house and I was selected to be the opening terror/greeter, people freaked out. I'm 6'2 and the padding I wear for the shoulders added to my height. The outfit I wore was dark (of course) like something they wore back in Ichabod's time, but the cape was the thing I was most proud of. It was dark as well and looked heavy, but I was able to make it light enough so that if there was wind or air conditioning blowing, it would move around my body similar to the Horseman's cape here. People actually wanted to take pictures with me because while most students there were dressed in slasher or slutty costumes, I was dressed in a classic that actually terrified a lot of people at the haunted house.
This cartoon, always gives me the chills: in the introduction,Brom's tale of the Horseman, the forest, the chase and that ending. The fact that he could be dead or alive and maybe the idea that Brom could be the Horseman,oh my God!. It's amazing that its all left to your imagination. Really its a classic.