Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is arguably the most famous ghost story in American literature, perhaps also the most well-known Halloween story. Every year, the tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman is told and retold through plays, TV specials, and of course movies, most famously in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow or the Disney animated version.
The Disney adaptation is more than likely the first version most viewers are introduced to, and surprisingly it’s not as Disneyfied as one would believe. That doesn’t mean it isn’t without some creative liberties, but to say it doesn’t do the original work justice would be untrue.
It Got Right: The Dialogue/Narration
Right out of the gate, Disney is already making the right decisions as Bing Crosby’s mellow smoothness elates the story, while Disney’s animation does the rest. Although the crooner does add his own vernacular to the reading, on occasion, most of the script comes directly from the pages of the book.
Disney is often criticized for taking too many creative liberties when it comes to their stories that are based on books, but not so much in this adaptation. While it’s immensely shorter than the original text, what it does take seems to come right from Irving’s pen.
It Got Wrong: The Village
It might seem like a bit of a nitpick, but the setting of Sleepy Hollow itself is not as “haunted or foreboding” as the script might suggest. In fact, many Disney fans have pointed out there is very little difference between Sleepy Hollow and the village Belle lives in from Beauty and the Beast.
To put it bluntly, the Sleepy Hollow seen in Tim Burton’s iteration is more accurate than Disney’s, and even that movie took inspiration from the cartoon. That being said, the brighter spots of the village aren’t exactly seen for long.
It Got Right: Brom Isn’t A Bad Guy
When most people see Brom Bones as against Ichabod Crane, Brom isn’t really a Disney villain. Instead, he’s only the foil and rival of Ichabod in his quest to win the heart of Katrina. He might get into a scrap with the skinny schoolteacher once or twice, but he never really does anything overtly “evil.”
It even says in both the text and the narration that, “There was no malice in his mischief,” and that he’s a good-natured person always ready for a good time. He’s not a bad guy, but love does make people do some crazy things.
It Got Wrong: The Slapstick
It might be considered a solid adaptation of the original story, but if there’s one thing most original story purists take issue with, it’s probably the amount of slapstick throughout the film. Sure it’s still the same story concerning the Headless Horseman, but at the end of the day, it’s still a cartoon.
It’s easy to understand how the amount of physical comedy can take away from the storytelling, but it’s also easy to see how much it enhances the characters’ personalities. It’s darker than most Disney fare, but it still has that same quality.
It Got Right: Katrina’s Personality
It’s already been established that Brom Bones wasn’t the true antagonistic force in the story, but if anyone was worthy of that title, it might be Katrina Van Tassel. In fact, Katrina was the one that truly started the competition between Ichabod and Brom — all because she enjoys seeing men fight and drool over her.
Both the book and the film described her as a coquette and a nefarious flirt. Katrina’s “love song” even states “Katrina will kiss and run, to her, a romance is fun. There’s always another one to start.” She’s not in it for love, she’s in it for the entertainment.
Got It Wrong: The Romance Element
With the previous topic in mind, there is a bit of a romance element between the three main characters. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, it opens the door for a wide variety of comedic possibilities, but that’s not how it went down in the novel.
Both versions have Ichabod Crane trying his hardest to win the heart of fair Katrina, partially because she and her family have an immense farm and fortune, but the versions differ in the results. While the film leaves it very ambiguous as to whether or not Ichabod is successful, the book sees him fail before his faithful encounter with the Horseman.
Right: Ichabod Crane
There have been many actors and performers who have assumed the role of Ichabod Crane over the years, including the likes of Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton’s version is full of beautiful settings and costumes. But as far as accuracy goes, Disney hits the nail right on the head with their tall, gangly, bird-like interpretation of Crane.
Disney’s Ichabod has nearly all the descriptors laid out by both the narration and the original book, from his large feet to long pointed nose, and it’s clear to see where the animators got their inspiration. Today, there are so many illustrations and adaptations that take away from the original animated version.
Got It Wrong: The Halloween Motif
What might come as a shock to most people who haven’t read the original story is that there’s no real mention of any Halloween element in the original story. In fact, Irving writes that the story of Ichabod Crane is one reserved for nights around the winter fire, and yet, it’s become one of the most iconic Halloween stories.
The idea that Ichabod goes to a Halloween party and that the Headless Horseman is only seen on Halloween Night never happens in the original story. But it is still told, retold, and rewatched every year by the light of glowing jack-o-lanterns and buckets of candy.
Got It Right: The Chase
No adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow would be complete without an encounter with the infamous Headless Horseman, and Disney’s version is the standard by which all versions of this sequence are judged. The third act of the story is where things take a hard left turn into horror territory, and where Disney’s adaptation becomes the epitome of a gothic cartoon.
Even with its sprinkling of slapstick, it’s still one of the scariest moments in a Disney movie. It’s a near-perfect chase sequence that has hearts racing and eyes glued to the screen until the flaming pumpkin at the climax.
Got It Wrong: Ichabod’s Nerve
Disney does a lot of things right when it comes to Ichabod Crane, but there’s one thing they do completely wrong and make no apologies for it. Ichabod Crane is meant to be superstitious, but Disney toes the line and makes him nearly spineless as Brom Bones sings the tale of the Headless Horseman.
In the book, Ichabod Crane is easily scared and doesn’t exactly have the heart of a lion, but he loves ghost stories and he’s all about the paranormal and supernatural happenings in Sleepy Hollow. Of course they scare him, of course they keep him up at night, but he absolutely lives for it and it’s truly a defining feature of his character.
