Washington Irving Movies

Washington Irving's tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman gets a few new twists in a screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton. In this version, Ichabod (Johnny Depp) is a New York City detective whose unorthodox techniques and penchant for gadgets make him unpopular with is colleagues. He is sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, in which a number of people have been found dead in the woods, with their heads cut off. Local legend has it that a Hessian ghost rides through the woods on horseback, lopping off the heads of the unsuspecting and unbelieving. Ichabod refuses to believe in this legend, convinced that there must be a logical explanation for the murders. In time, Ichabod becomes smitten with a local lass, Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), who is the sweetheart of the burly Brom Bones (Casper Van Dien), and he becomes determined to capture the murderer to prove his bravery and win her heart. Christopher Walken, Jeffrey Jones, and Christopher Lee highlight the supporting cast; Lee's appearance is particularly apt, since Burton has cited the Hammer films of the 1960s as a major influence in making this film. Andrew Kevin Walker and Tom Stoppard contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Faerie Tale Theatre (Shelley Duvall) episode is about the man who fell asleep for twenty years, only to awaken an old man. ~ Rovi

Will Vinton's clay animation version of Rip Van Winkle stays faithful to Washington Irving's original story. Rip is a kind-hearted but talkative farmer who, after seeing the loss of his crop after trying to be helpful to another person, ends up sharing beverages with some tiny men he meets. The drinks put Rip into a deep sleep that lasts two decades. This Oscar nominated short is narrated by Will Geer. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle and Legend of Sleepy Hollow are adapted to animation for this video. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a two-part Walt Disney cartoon feature based on a pair of well known stories. The first half of the film is an adaptation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, all about gawky 17th century schoolteacher Ichabod Crane and his love for the beautiful Katrina. The girl's vengeful ex-beau Brom Bones decides to scare Ichabod out of Sleepy Hollow by filling the impressionable teacher's brain with stories about the ghostly Headless Horseman--who of course makes an appearance that very night! The second half of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is based on the "Toad of Toad Hall" stories from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind and the Willows. The aristocratic but childish Mr. Toad loves motorcars, but his affection leads him to a jail term when he is accused of stealing an automobile. It's up to Toad's faithful friends to break Toad out of jail and expose the real crooks. One of Disney's better "omnibus" cartoon features, Ichabod and Mr. Toad is enhanced by the narrative skills of Bing Crosby in the Ichabod segment and Basil Rathbone in the Mr. Toad sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi