The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows is a very faithful animated adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame classic, and that faithfulness is both a strength and a weakness. Certainly fans of the book will be delighted that the filmmakers have not allowed the character of Toad to totally dominate the proceedings, as he so frequently does in other adaptations. They will also applaud the creators' decision to keep the tone of the film as elegiac and quiet as the novel's. But both of these points also mean that this Willows is not as lively as one might wish and is in some places decidedly on the dull side; the right mixture of faithfulness to the original and acknowledgement of the needs of the cinema has not been found. That said, Willows features beautiful animation, detailed and very lovely. The live action framing sequence works well, and the cast is simply superb. Director Dave Unwin captures the period setting and flavor quite well, and the lovely palette chosen makes for some gently stunning visual moments. While one wishes that there was a bit more "oomph" at times, the small pleasures of Willows shouldn't be denied. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide