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"!
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"!