The Work[]
The Scarecrow is a 2000 direct-to-video animated musical film produced by Warner Bros. made back when every animated movie from the '90s and early '00s was a musical film trying to cash in on the Disney Renaissance.
Loosely based on the 1852 short story Feathertop by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the titular scarecrow is brought to life by a kind old witch to look after a girl named Polly, who hides her silver coins underneath his post. Scarecrow soon falls in love with Polly, so the witch grants him a magic feather that turns him human, as long as he's holding it. Taking the name Feathertop, the scarecrow becomes determined to help Polly and make her fall in love with him. However, one of those obstacles is that of the town's greedy ruler, Count Grisham.
Who is Count Grisham[]
Grisham was once the student of his dance teacher Ms. Bee Bee, with the latter forced to evacuate town and live in the outskirts when Grisham discovered her identity a witch. Additionally, he discovered a book that contained magical dance rituals, particularly one that will make someone fall in love with them.
Becoming the count of Grisham Heights, Grisham lives in luxury while the others live in poverty. Exploiting those who can't pay taxes, Grisham enslaves them to his mill where they must work to pay off their debt of thirteen silver coins, which takes approximately six years of labor. However, Grisham has his minions steal their money so as to keep them in his mill indefinitely. In one scene, his servant Wooden tells the count that one of those in debt was an old man who was too weak to work in the mill, concerned that the rough labor would kill him. Showing zero concern, Grisham signs the contract anyway, "Then let him die!"
Enter Polly, a young woman who has lived in the mill almost her entire life. Now Polly does have enough silver to pay her freedom, but she's become something of a motherly figure to three orphans and wants to pay off their debts as well. Aware that Polly is likely carrying a boat-load of silver, Grisham attempts to marry her just so he can inherit her wealth. Even when offering to free her and the orphans, Polly rejects him, aware of his greedy intentions. She hides her coins underneath Scarecrow, however on the same day of obtaining her last silver coin needed to pay her freedom, Grisham comes aware and has the mill overseer Cheswick steal the 52 coins. Polly can only weep in despair upon discovering her money stollen.
The next day, Grisham establishes a dance competition with the 52 coins as a prize, where he intends to have Polly join the competition so he can conduct the magical dance on her and make her fall in love with him. This is where Scarecrow comes into play, using the magic feather which can disguise him as human. Venturing into town with his mouse friend Max and Ms. Bee Bee's sentient broomstick Bristles, he introduces himself as Feathertop, a talented dancer. He offers to teach Polly and she chooses him as her dance partner. Grisham intercepts and has his minions capture Feathertop so he wouldn't be able to attend the contest and have Polly dance with him. Feathertop manages to flee and make it to the contest before Grisham can complete the magical dance, where he and Polly win the contest. Now with her and the orphans debt free, Polly and Feathertop fall in love and plan to be married in the morning.
Seeking to learn more about his so-called rival, Grisham takes Feathertop to his castle to rant his frustrations for being humiliated, only to see his scarecrow reflection through the mirror. He snatches the feather and ties up Scarecrow, discovering that having the feather in his hat turns him into Feathertop. He tells Scarecrow that once he tricks Polly into marrying him, he will take her and her adopted children back to the mill. To ensure Scarecrow cannot interfere this time, Grisham sets the field on fire.
Max and Bristles manage to save Scarecrow before he can be burned alive and rush after Grisham before he can enter the church as Feathertop. They manage to snatch the feather after outrunning the count's falcon Razor, leaving Grisham exposed to Polly who once again refuses to marry him. Meanwhile, Scarecrow decides to leave Polly as there's no way she'll love a scarecrow.
Fed up with Polly's countless rejections, this unhinged manchild decides if he can't win Polly's love, then nobody will and sentences her to death. Horrified, Wooden turns against Grisham and instructs Polly to use the carriage to let her and the children escape town. But the count intercepts by ordering his goons to sabotage the bridge leading out of town, intending to have it collapse the moment the carriage tries to cross. Hearing this from Max and Bristles, Scarecrow reclaims his feather and scares off the goons before getting in a fight with Grisham, only for the latter to lose his grip when the bridge starts to fall apart. Feathertop manages to support the bridge long enough for the carriage to cross before it collapses into the gorge below. While Grisham dies, Feathertop is revived as a permanent human to be with Polly.
With the count gone, the two become the new leaders of the town and rename it Swingtown.
Mitigating Factors[]
Nothing redeeming, his love for Polly is solely driven for her wealth, instantly turning homicidal when he can't get her to love him back.
While he does come off as mostly comical given his hammy and over the top performance, the scenes having him attempt to kill Feathertop, Polly, and the orphans are taken seriously in-universe with nothing played for laughs.
Work's Standards[]
The tone for the most part is light-hearted with comedy and songs, but things take a sudden turn once Grisham gets serious. At first, he starts off as your typical kids movie villain you're meant to hate as he's a greedy scumbag who wants to profit out of everyone, before trying to kill the heroes for going against him. However, what makes him stand out is the fact that he's perfectly fine in additionally killing three innocent children caught in the crossfire, not to mention that old man who will certainly be worked to death in his mill.
Cheswick, Wooden, and Razor are all just minions following his orders with the worst they do being theft.
Verdict[]
Weak yes.