The Wind in the Willows

1983 1h 18m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 45

FantasyAnimationFamilyAdventureTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

One spring, Mole decides that he can ignore the spring cleaning for a little longer, and begins a series of adventures with his new friend Rat. They go for a picnic on the riverbank, on a caravan expedition with Toad, until Toad switches allegiance to his new car and his reckless driving makes Mole and Rat search out Badger for help in curbing Toad's profligate habits. But Toad gets away from them and gets a 20-year sentence from the magistrate for theft, reckless driving, and Gross Impertinence. While Toad works his wiles on the jailer's daughter and escapes jail dressed as a washer woman, Badger tries to guard Toad Hall from the machinations of the Weasels and is badly beaten. And it requires a plan of attack and all four comrades to regain Toad Hall.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Richard Pearson
Mole
Michael Hordern
Badger
Ian Carmichael
Rat
David Jason
Toad
Beryl Reid
The Magistrate
Una Stubbs
Jailer's Daughter / Various
Jonathan Cecil
Reggie (voice)
Brian Trueman
Weasel Henchman (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris Taylor
Writers: Rosemary Anne Sisson
Languages: Danish, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Keith Hopwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Pearson and Michael Hordern and Ian Carmichael carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086590 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris Taylor directs. Keith Hopwood scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in Danish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Danish, English.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Original score by Keith Hopwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Richard Pearson and Michael Hordern and Ian Carmichael carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0086590 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 45 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Original score: Keith Hopwood
Costume design: Nigel Cornford
Runtime: 78 min · 1h 18m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Wind in the Willows (1983)

Also by

Chris Taylor

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-20
★ 7/10
Cosgrove Hall were very much at the forefront of stop-motion animation in Britain at the start of the 1980s with their award-winning “Danger Mouse” and with this, probably their finest long-form adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s charming story. It’s “Mole” who gets fed up repainting his burrow and so sets off for a stroll to see his friend “Rat” and thence deep into the wintry woods to find “Badger”. These three are agitated by the erratic behaviour of “Toad” who has discovered the joys of the motor car, but not really of sensible driving. Indeed, he’s wrecked so many of the things that he is becoming a menace to himself and just about everyone else. “Badger” decides that a form of house-arrest is the only solution and so they lock “Toad” in his bedroom. Unfortunately he escapes, pinches a passing car and ends up on the wrong end of a twenty year jail sentence. Luckily, some of his fellow inmates befriend him and facilitate his escape - but when he gets home, he finds things not what he had expected and he has to rely on his old - and rather fed up - friends to reclaim his home from the marauding rats now in residence. The audio mixing here is effectively complementary to the high quality of the animation which is gorgeous, detailed and characterful: the snowy scenes with their snug little homes amidst dark forests; the fun with the old jalopies turned into dangerous weapons by the selfish “Toad” and, of course, the whole story is underpinned by loyalty, friendship and a bit of mischief too. Time and effort has gone into this and those skills have held their value well over time. Well worth a watch.

Production companies