October 27, 2013

Sleepy Hollow details by guest writer Brent Dodge

There's no doubt about it. One of the best things Disney does is pay attention to the details throughout the parks. One of the most amazing details that most guests never notice is the structure that Sleepy Hollow resides in.

In 1949 Disney released a film entitled The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. While Mr. Toad would later gain fame for taking guests through mayhem on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the story of Ichabod Crane in the quaint town of Sleepy Hollow remained mainly unknown to park goers. While Sleepy Hollow is based off of this portion of the film, there is very little reference to the film itself found at the stand.

While Imagineers could have simply added a small detail to the film for people to get the connection, they took the idea one step further with the entire building. The story of Ichabod Crane traces back to 1820 when Washington Irving first published his book, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. While Mr. Irving became well known for his story, his home, Sunnyside in New York, was famous among locals as well.

Due to the colonial architecture of Sunnyside, Imagineers decided to recreate his home at the entrance to Liberty Square in the form of Sleepy Hollow! So next time you are ordering a funnel cake, take a look around. You are looking at a complete recreation of Washinton Irving's home!