Tales of Washington Irving

I'm glad I finally tracked down the title of this animated special - I watched when it came out in the fall of 1970, I was 11 years old and you know what? IT SPOOKED ME GOOD! I was transfixed by the whole atmosphere the animators put into both tales, first Rip van Winkle, but especially Sleepy Hollow!

It gave me nightmares, it wasn't just some goofy Disney ghost story; these cartoons dug a little deeper down, right into the impressionable mind of a juvenile. Something about this production struck a chord in my soul, and it's stayed with me my whole life.

I still remember those disconcerting images, like those of ghostly, spectral, whispery leaves falling against a dark patch of backdrop: the inky blackness of the woods beyond...what New England forests must have really looked like, back in Ichabod's time (move over Blair Witch!) - and the chilly music used throughout, but above all: it was the distinct pace of these stories that made it so uncanny; the person in charge of storyline and direction must have been a real talent.

Though not big-budget animation, I give this one a full rating, because of the lasting impression it made; it was unique.