"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame with its endearing friendship between Rat and Mole, Rat’s undying enthusiasm for his riverbank, and of course Toad’s personality and wild adventures, create an enchanting story worth telling and retelling. It hasn't left the public since it was published in 1908. These are the best adaptations that fit in various ways alongside the original text.
1. Unabridged audiobook read by Jim Weiss (2002)
The audiobook listed above was my first dive into the text while on a road trip, scenically appropriate with many rivers and forests. The novel is extremely British in places and Jim Weiss’s British accent grants the text something an American reader cannot. Weiss gives a distinguishable voice for every character, and even Toad disguising his voice to sound like a woman, sounds exactly like Jim Weiss’ Toad disguised as a women. This man is ridiculously talented.
2. Adaptation narrated by Paul Honeyman and illustrated by John Worsley (1969)
The still illustrations are absolutely wonderful, and work with the audio text to add an extra visual of what is happening in the novel. There’s also the lovely edition of sound effects and the lovely music of "The Watermill" by The Lansdowne Light Orchestra plays at the opening and ending of chapters.
Note however, that is abridged and adapted. It stays extremely true to the original, but a bit is lost for the sake of time. A few favorite moments were missing such as Rat and Mole's fight before finding Mr. Badger’s, and the Water Rat meeting a the Sea Rat. It’s a great version, however, just something I recommended viewing in addition to the full text.
3. Disney’s “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” (1949)
Disney's adaptation is almost as much of a classic as “The Wind in the Willows” itself. Mr. Toad's reaction to seeing a motorcar for the first time has become iconic. Having grown up with Disney I couldn’t help but let this highly eccentric version of Toad influence how I pictured him when reading the novel. However, in revising the cartoon after reading the book, I’ve realized just how much Disney changed the story. Toad doesn’t even touch a motorcar until he steals one, and what’s this nonsense about selling Toad Hall? The essence of the story and character’s personality are all there of course, but it’s so different they’re almost not worth comparing side by side. Disney, unlike the others sources I’ve listed it not trying to adapt the exact literally form however. The Disney version is wonderful of course, and but you didn't need this list to tell you that.
4. “The Wind in the Willows Collection” (1994-1996)
5. "The Wind in the Willows" directed by Dave Unwin (1995)
This version begins with a live-action English family enjoying a day on the river, but quickly switches to animation as they begin talking about the animal's adventures. The style of artwork is like a painting, and faces have an oddly hyper-realistic quality to them. This made Badger highly intimidating, and the final battle scene more intense. This is the version to turn to if you'd like a few scenes not represented anywhere else, such as Rat's sudden travel fever and the encounter with the piper at the gates of dawn.
6. “Wind in the Willows” animation by Burbank Films Australia (1988)
This is the most cartoon-ish of the animated adaptations I’ve seen. Rat is a bit more of a British stereotype than I’d like, but once again we have a great characterization of Toad. It’s interesting to see how these versions can have large differences in the characters, yet still be true to the version we’ve fallen in love with in the novel. The opening music is delightful, and greatly nostalgic even for someone like me who hasn’t grown up with this version. Like the Disney version this cartoon messed with the ending a bit, and I’m just not sure how Kenneth Grahame would feel about it.
I'm not sure how Kenneth Grahame would feel about any of these adaptation, but I'm certain he'd be glad generation after generation has fallen in love with his work and characters enough to want to recreate them.
