<P> In 1938, shortly after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, James Bodrero and Campbell Grant pitched to Walt Disney the idea of making a feature film of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows . Bodrero and Grant felt that Wind in the Willows, with its anthropomorphised animals, could only be produced using animation . Disney was skeptical, however, and felt it would be "corny" but acquired the rights in June that year . The film was intended to be a single narrative feature film with the title of the same name . </P> <P> By early 1941, a basic script was complete, along with a song written by Frank Churchill called "We're Merrily on Our Way". Although it was intended to be a low - budget film (much like Dumbo), Disney hired many animators from the prestigious Bambi (which was nearly complete) and production began in May that year . Within six months, 33 minutes of the film had been animated . However, the studio's ability to produce full - length feature films had been drastically diminished, because World War II had drafted many of their animators into the military and had cut off their foreign release market . Thus, in October 1941, Disney put the production of Wind in the Willows on hold . </P> <P> Then in December 1941, the United States became embroiled in the war after Pearl Harbor was attacked . The US government then asked the Disney studio to produce several propaganda films to help rally support for the war effort . During this time, much of Disney's feature output was made up of so - called "package films". Beginning with Saludos Amigos in 1942, Disney ceased making feature films with a single narrative due to the higher costs of such films, as well as the drain on the studio's resources caused by the war . </P> <P> Walt Disney and his artists felt that the animation of the cartoony anthropomorphized animals in Wind in the Willows was far below the standards of a Disney animated feature . They then decided that Wind in the Willows would be better off being part of a package film . </P>

The adventures of mr toad and ichabod crane