- “kind and sympathetic fellow”
- ―The Narrator describing Mole
Mole is a character from The Wind in the Willows, the first half of the 1949 Disney animated feature film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. He is a friend of Water Rat, Angus MacBadger, and J. Thaddeus Toad. He also appears alongside Ratty in the 1983 featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol.
Appearances
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
As the story begins, the narrator introduces Moles a "kind and sympathetic fellow" and he was running late for tea at Ratty's house. As soon as he and Ratty were settled in, the postman arrived with urgent message from Angus MacBadger. He and Ratty arrived to Toad Hall to see what's the matter when MacBadger told them about Toad's new mania for a gypsy cart, driven by a horse named Cyril Proudbottom. Mole and Ratty found Toad riding down the road after wrecking a greenhouse with the cart and Cyril. When Toad offered to give them a ride, Mole excitedly climbed on the cart only to be stopped by Ratty. Mole and Ratty tried to pull Toad off the cart but Toad slop off his pants and rode away. As soon as Mole and Ratty caught up with him, they found Toad acting more strange than before, making pouting noises and bouncing on the road. Mole got worried and try to deny what it means but both he and Ratty knew that it means Toad has a new mania for motorcars. Mole and Ratty guides the crazed Toad back to Toad Hall and locked him up in his bedroom to keep him out of trouble, although Mole wanted to call it quits only to be reminded by Ratty that they must be firm. Unfortunately, Toad escapes and was found on a stolen motorcar later on.
Mole, along with Ratty and MacBadger, was called to the court as witnesses of the Toad case and heard Cyril's story about how Toad got the motorcar by trading it with the weasels for Toad Hall. Mole and the others were shocked when they heard Mr. Winkie tell the court that Toad was trying to sell him the stolen motorcar, which quickly lead the court to find Toad guilty of the crime. Mole and his friends try to reopen the case with other courts but was turned each time.
On Christmas day, Mole and Ratty were saying grace for Christmas dinner and for poor Toad at Ratty's house when the door opened for what appears to be a little old lady. Mole and Ratty were helping "her" in when something heavy hit Ratty's foot, causing him to drop the person, who was then revealed to be Toad in disguise. While Mole was happy to see Toad again, he asks him if he was afraid of the police. Toad laughed at the question until someone knocked on the door and ask them to open it. Toad panicked and plead for help, but Ratty told him that he owes a debt to society and tells Mole to let them in. Mole was reluctant to do it but he did open the door. It was MacBadger, who told the boys about his discovery of weasels at Toad Hall and their leader, Mr. Winkie, has the deed to it. Realizing that Toad was innocent the whole time, he asks for Toad's forgiveness and agreed to help get the deed to prove Toad's innocence to the law.
Mole, Ratty, MacBadger, and Toad sneaked into Toad Hall through a secret passage. Mole was tied to a cloth rope and almost succeed in getting the deed from the sleeping Mr. Winkie when a night guard blow their cover and wake everyone up. This lead to a violent chase for the deed. Mole and the others managed to escape with their lives and Toad with the deed. With Toad's innocence proven, Mole happily celebrated the New Year with his friends and was thrilled that Toad was through with gypsy carts and motorcars forever. However, their celebration was cut short when they heard a bang outside. They ran to the window to find Toad and Cyril riding an airplane, much to his and the others' dismay.
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Ratty and Mole in Mickey's Christmas Carol as Alms Collectors
Ratty, along with Mole appear in the re-enacting of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, Mickey's Christmas Carol, voiced by Will Ryan.
The duo first appear at the door of Ebenezer Scrooge, asking for money for the poor (as they are Alms Collectors), however Scrooge refuses them, kicking them out of his counting office, giving them a wreath that his nephew Fred gave him, startling the duo.
They are then seen at the end of the short film, on Christmas Day as Scrooge approaches them (having reformed, now caring for the poor and Christmas), giving them first, 20 gold sovereigns, though he then gives 50 gold sovereigns and finally 100 gold pieces, the two seeming startled yet still they appreciate the donation.
Disney Parks
Mole appeared in both versions of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. At Disneyland, the cars nearly crash into him as he's eating at a table. In the now-closed Magic Kingdom version, a simple animated figure of Mole would tip his hat to the riders at the beginning of the attraction.
When the Magic Kingdom's version was replaced with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a painting with him and Pooh were placed on the floor inside Owl's house as a tribute to the previous attraction, in addition, the more well-known Toad and Owl picture.
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