A Tale Of Two Toads
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''A Tale of Two Toads'' is a 1989 hour-long feature from the 1980s
stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
animation series ''
The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...
'', which itself was based on the 1908 novel by
Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as ''The Reluctant Dragon (short story), T ...
. The film was animated by
Cosgrove Hall Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of children ...
and broadcast on
Children's ITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...
. A further season of 13 episodes was shown under the title, ''
Oh, Mr. Toad ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a British stop motion animated television series that was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1987, based on characters from Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel ''The Wind in the Willows'' and following the 1983 fea ...
'' in some countries, whilst retaining the title ''The Wind in the Willows'' in others.


Plot

Good friends Badger, Rat, and Mole enjoy a quiet and beautiful day by the river near Toad Hall in the English countryside. Their eccentric friend Toad himself, following his latest fad, arrives in his new steam-powered punt, but crashes and has to be fished from the river. Unknown to the friends, the Chief Weasel, Toad's arch-enemy, and his new partner, who is the spitting image of Toad himself, observe from nearby. Back at the weasel's den, the Chief introduces his partner as Isambard Beerbohm Toad: a stage actor, impersonator, and confidence trickster. Using his talents, they plan to kidnap Toad and assume his identity, with the goal of acquiring Toad Hall and its wealth. Having observed Toad, Isambard can imitate his voice and mannerisms perfectly, and they ambush Toad, tying him up in the Hall's wine cellar. The next morning, Isambard, assuming Toad's identity, evicts young Billy Rabbit and the field mice out of Toad's old caravan and visits Mole, Rat, and Badger to spread vicious lies to sabotage their friendships and prevent them from interfering with affairs at the Hall. This fails when the rumors fall apart, and when they confront "Toad" he orders them off the property, which he cohabits with the weasels. However, the three observe some oddities in "Toad's" behavior: he mistakenly refers to the female local magistrate as a man and was unfamiliar with Mole End, Mole's residence which he has visited often, and they realize that this Toad is a false one. While having to wash dishes, the real Toad discovers his old maid's uniform and uses it as a disguise to escape, just like how he escaped from prison as a washerwoman. But is given away by his suit which he is accidentally wearing underneath and is caught. Forced to wait on the weasels while dressed in the uniform, the three friends realize his plight and sneak into the Hall via a tunnel with a distraction by Billy and the mice. Capturing Isambard when he visits the wine cellar, instead of getting Toad to safety Badger has Toad assume Isambard's identity to spy on the Weasels. The next morning, Toad pretends to visit London as Isambard and reports back to his friends. The plot unwinds: the Weasels plan to dynamite Mole End, Rat's river house, and Badger's burrow, forcing them to leave the area while keeping the real Toad as a permanent prisoner. To avoid suspicion, Toad is convinced to return to the Hall, just in time to prevent the real Isambard from exposing Toad. The weasels sent to blow up the homes are captured by the three friends and their other friend Otter. The explosives are detonated harmlessly to trick the weasels out into the open. The riverbankers all arrive at the Hall and capture the remaining weasels, but Isambard, escaping his bonds, has disguised himself as Toad again. The two hectically chase each other around the dining room, ending with Isambard being knocked out. Before fainting, Toad proves himself to be the true Toad by crying "Semper Bufo": Latin for the family motto "always a Toad." The imposter and Chief Weasel are arrested and sent to jail while the friends enjoy another peaceful day by the river, and Toad takes up yet another craze: stage acting.


Cast

*
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector J ...
as Toad/Chief Weasel/Billy Rabbit/Isambard's Toad voice * Richard Pearson as Mole *
Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
as Ratty *
Sir Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, May 2009, accessed 22 July 2015 was a ...
as Badger *Brian Southwood as Otter *
Brian Trueman Brian Trueman (born 16 May 1932) is an English broadcaster, writer and voice actor. He is known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall. He wrote and/or narrated children's cartoon series, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. ...
as Henchman Weasel/Various characters *
Jimmy Hibbert James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films. Early life James Christian Hibbert was born as the eldest of three children of author Christopher Hibbe ...
as Isambard/Ernest/Various characters


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Two Toads 1989 television films 1989 animated films 1989 films Cosgrove Hall Films films Films based on The Wind in the Willows Animated films about frogs Films about badgers Films about otters Films about mice and rats British animated films Television shows based on The Wind in the Willows 1980s British films Films about weasels