The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows was written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame. It tells the stories of a group of animal characters including Mole, Rat, and the impulsive Mr. Toad. While Rat and Mole are more down to earth living and visiting each other in their modest homes on the River. Toad lives in the beautiful Toad Hall up the road. Toad always wants the newest and greatest thing. When he comes across a lovely motorcar, he wants it for himself and proceeds to steal it because he wants it that badly. He is sent to prison, but manages to escape and make his way back to Toad Hall where he realizes what a horrible person he has been and how wonderful his friends truly are.

The Disney short that came out in 1949 and Basil Rathbone narrates the story of Mr. Toad. In this version, they do manage to get back Toad Hall, but Toad hasn’t really changed. He finds a new passion at the end of the story. One thing that was different was the emphasis on the story of Toad and the fact that Toad honestly thinks he bought the car he “stole.” It is still a fun romp. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland is based on this story.