What scares
Andrew Goodridge?
He’s giving us a month to find out.
Follow along with Andrew as he plans to get into the spirit of his favorite holiday by watching a different horror movie every day in the month of October.
October 5
Disney hates neither the player nor the game
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1949)
Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney
Screenplay by: Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, and Joe Rinaldi; based on the story by Washington Irving
There’s something about animation that makes horrible characters seems less offensive.
Ichabod Crane, the protagonist of the Disney’s short “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1949) is easily the most unlikable Disney hero I can think of. Early on, Crane, a teacher, contemplates thumping an obnoxious student upside the head, but he stops when he sees the kid has a basket full of food: rather than beat my student, he realizes, I should visit his mother for a “conference” that will surely involve a free meal.
As soon as he rolls into town, Ichabod is labeled a “ladies man,” which is thinly veiled Disney language for “player.” His calendar is maxed out with social engagements, and the local women soon identify him as the most eligible bachelor in town, though Ichabod has nothing more than a shallow interest in any of them. It’s hard to believe that Disney wanted anything to do with this character. Imagine “Snow White” with a Prince who was only interested in a casual relationship, or a “Beauty and the Beast” where the Beast never returns Belle’s phone calls.
Eventually, Ichabod falls in love. Not with a woman, but with her inheritance. Pimpin’ ain’t easy, but it’s necessary.
Somehow, I still wasn’t rooting for the Headless Horseman to decapitate Ichabod. In the end, he’s not vile enough for the audience to hate him. Maybe it’s the silly, classic character design and animation that makes him palatable. Maybe it’s the Disney charm that’s steeped in enough innocence to make Ichabod seem less like a gold-digging pimp and more like a lovable, bird-faced goofball.
No matter what the reason, this short film, nearly 60 years old, wouldn’t make it through the system today. And that may or may not be a good thing. Kid-focused media today (particularly TV shows) are put through the sterilizing wringer so many times that it’s counterproductive: by trying so hard to keep from offending anyone, they end up appealing to no one.
Maybe I shouldn’t be looking for reasons why Ichabod is an okay guy. He’s not. But perhaps that’s the point: kids need to see him (possibly) get the fate that he deserves. It’s like a flu-shot. Your body can’t figure out what to protect itself against unless it’s exposed to it early.
Tonight, Lindsay and I will (finally) be watching “Motel Hell,” and something tells me that the main character in this movie – a farmer who kidnaps, murders, and cooks his victims – is even more appalling than Ichabod Crane.
If only there was an animated version …
Andrew Goodridge likes movies so much that he married one. He teaches Audio/Video production, Filmmaking, and Film & Television History in Fort Worth, Texas. He would one day like to have a Pug, or maybe a Bulldog.
Andrew Goodridge can be reached at goodridge@everythingnac.com
“Pimpin’ ain’t easy, but it’s necessary.”
Great read!