Walt Disney’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoons

Today’s post is dedicated to Walt Disney’s first cartoon star: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Although Disney had created some cartoons for his Laugh-O-Grams studio as well as the Alice Comedies, Oswald was Disney’s first big cartoon star, headlining his own cartoon series as well as generating lots of merchandise for Universal Pictures. Oh, and also, the cartoons were silent, giving us an opportunity to see how Disney and his staff were able to work without sound, the very thing that made Disney a household name in the first place (the first two Mickey Mouse cartoons, made as silent cartoons, failed to find a distributor until sound was added later). For anyone who wants more information on Oswald and his cartoons that were made under Disney’s supervision, I highly recommend David A. Bossert’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons, a very well-researched book which tells the history of Oswald at Disney, as well as presenting plenty of information about the cartoons, even giving information as to what the missing cartoons were like.

Disney produced a total of 26 Oswald cartoons, 27 if you count High Up, which, according to Bossert’s book, may have begun production at Disney’s studio and was completed at George Winkler’s studio. Of these 27 cartoons, 20 still exist, although some are still missing sequences and not all of them are available on DVD. 13 were made available on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD set, The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit; Hungry Hobos is available as a bonus on the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Signature Edition digital release; Poor Papa is available as a bonus on the Pinocchio Signature Edition Blu-Ray/digital release; and Africa Before Dark is available as a bonus on the Bambi Signature Edition Blu-Ray/digital release. We’re going to be looking at all of the cartoons that are currently available on home media. Some of these cartoons are public domain, so for the ones that I know are public domain, I will be including a video of them in this post as well. Also, I’ll be covering these shorts in order of their general release dates. With that out of the way, let’s get started.

Trolley Troubles (1927)

This was the second cartoon produced after Poor Papa, although due to Poor Papa’s poor (no pun intended) reception from Disney’s bosses at Universal, Trolley Troubles was the first cartoon in the series to be released. One of the complaints Disney received was about Oswald’s design; as a result, Oswald looks different in some scenes, sometimes resembling his Poor Papa design while at others resembling Disney’s modified version. His sash also disappears only to reappear again later on.

Aside from these animation errors, the cartoon is a lot of fun to watch. Although gags take precedence over personality here (Oswald squirts oil into a kid’s face!), they’re still funny gags. Highlights include Oswald’s method for getting up the hill as well as the trolley going crazy towards the end. The cartoon also makes good use of different points of view; while for the most part we only see the characters from a side point of view, there’s a sequence where Oswald and the trolley face the audience and the trolley has to adapt to the changing tracks; the point of view gives us suspense as to what the next piece of track will look like. We also see him and the trolley from the back as they continue to approach tunnels, in a way that makes it feel as though the audience is in the trolley with him. Definitely an exciting cartoon in addition to providing laughs.

9 out of 10

Oh Teacher (1927)

Despite what the title may imply, the school setting really does not have that big of a function here; the school and the teacher don’t even appear until more than halfway in. This cartoon makes good use of visual symbols and words for gags. Title cards are very rarely used in these cartoons; the few times you see words in these cartoons, the characters usually are going to adapt them for their own purpose. Rather than interrupt the action like in title cards, words literally help the action here. Oswald also makes use of his detachable body for some gags, although they do reuse the “rabbit’s foot” gag from Trolley Troubles.

There’s a bit more focus on background characters this time around; there are entire sequences where you don’t even see Oswald at all and it is a bit distracting. I’m not too fond of the cat character either; he’s kind of boring design-wise (there have been a ton of cats in cartoons) and they could have used just about any of those school characters for this role. In general, I think the idea of making them all school age was a mistake, since we’re essentially watching children beat up each other. Thankfully, they didn’t make this mistake again to my knowledge and Pete, who was a much more intimidating-looking character, would soon take the role of Oswald’s regular adversary. A bit of a downgrade from the previous short, but it’s still pretty good for the most part.

8 out of 10

The Mechanical Cow (1927)

This cartoon combines two of Ub Iwerks’ favorite subjects: barnyard humor and mechanical humor. Indeed, the cartoon shines the most when it takes advantage of the title concept, like when Oswald uses its neck to deflect bullets or when he switches the head and tail. These take up a good amount of the cartoon, though there are some moments where it drags, particularly the opening where the cow is just flat out being lazy and refusing to get ready for work. Once again, the designs of the villains are really bland, though I do like the fact that their car is alive, as well as Oswald’s alarm clock. Overall, this one’s fine enough, though it does feel like it could have used a little more work.

7 out of 10

Great Guns! (1927)

Oswald joins a war in this cartoon, allowing for funny and intense visuals on the animators’ part and the results are excellent. Once again, this cartoon makes a good use of points of view to include the audience more in a certain gag; in this case, it’s when the cannon shoots directly at the screen. As expected from something war-based, the cartoon can get pretty dark in spots, though still manages to find humor out of it. For example, Oswald uses a fellow elephant soldier as a cannon, only for the rival general to shoot a cannon ball at the elephant and make him explode! It’s kind of creepy seeing the elephant’s bodyless legs but also weirdly funny in a way just seeing how Oswald uses the elephant, and I’m able to accept this because, judging by the ending, apparently animals can be brought back to life in these cartoons.

The villain sort of resembles Pete and therefore makes a great adversary for Oswald and prior to their meeting there are also a lot of funny gags involving Oswald and an enemy mouse, like when they’re fighting in midair only to realize they’re no longer in their planes. The cartoon always has something of interest going on and moves at a great pace. Definitely one of my favorite Oswald cartoons.

10 out of 10

All Wet (1927)

The opening makes great use of gags involving Oswald and his living hot dogs. In particular, there’s a great gag involving a customer who buys a hot dog only for him to tearfully say goodbye to it when he realizes that it’s alive. The climax is also pretty good, using waves as a barrier between Oswald and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the middle is kind of tedious and even relies on bathroom humor at one point, resulting in another effort that probably could have used a little more work. Still, what’s good is really good and those scenes on their own are worth checking out.

7 out of 10

The Ocean Hop (1927)

A fun underdog-type story that moves at a good pace and has plenty of funny gags. Pete makes his first appearance in the Oswald series here and is as sneaky as usual, trying to cheat his way to victory by moving signs and slowing competitors down. This is a rare Oswald cartoon that uses title cards, though they’re all used to lead to some type of joke. For example, one title card reads “...Then night fell,” only for the night to suddenly rain down on Oswald, and then the next title card reads “When day broke-“ only for the darkness suddenly break apart to reveal daylight.

Other good gags include Oswald and the mice turning a dog into a balloon as well as an early use of Oswald defying gravity, narrowly escaping falling down a cliff. The one problem I have is with the ending. Pete shoots down Oswald’s balloon only for it to land at their destination. Did Pete suddenly forget where his destination was? Also, in the surviving print, we never see what happens to the dog. According to Bossert’s book, in the original version the dog is killed and turned into sausages! Otherwise, this is a pretty solid cartoon.

9 out of 10

Africa Before Dark (1928)

Interesting to note is that the next available cartoon reuses the question mark gag from The Ocean Hop. Outside of this one reuse, the rest of the cartoon is pretty fun. Like Trolley Troubles, this is a cartoon where gags take precedence over personality and like Oh Teacher this one features a slightly larger focus on background characters, though this time the setting helps out a lot, allowing for gags involving a variety of jungle animals, like with a sleeping lion whose tail is used as a jump rope by fellow animals. Another great gag involves Oswald removing his face to trick a tiger cub who has been alternating between two holes underground. Add in an intense chase involving lions and you end up with a very solid entry in the Oswald series.

10 out of 10

Rival Romeos (1928)

This is a pretty forgettable entry in the Oswald series. One major problem is that the cartoon makes heavy use of gags involving music and words, making this feel like it would have played a lot better as a sound film; as a matter of fact, the “musical goat” gag was reused in the first synchronized Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie. There is one standout gag here, and that’s when Pete and his car attempt to cross a mud puddle. Other gags are either dull or reused from other cartoons, making this an overall uninteresting effort.

5 out of 10

Bright Lights (1928)

This is my personal least favorite of the available Disney Oswald cartoons, mainly due to a dance routine that goes on for way too long, a sequence with Oswald hanging from a ceiling that also goes on for too long, and an overall unpleasant atmosphere. Although I kind of like the gag where Oswald hides under someone’s shadow, for the most part the gags are not all that interesting this time around. It feels like they’re trying to meet a nice blend between comedy and the dismal atmosphere, though it doesn’t work in such a short running time and just comes across as depressing to watch, which it isn’t supposed to be, at least not for all of it. If there’s one Oswald cartoon you’d have to skip, this is the one, especially considering that surviving prints are not of particularly good quality.

4 out of 10

Ozzie of the Mounted (1928)

This is my personal favorite of the available Disney Oswald cartoons. Interestingly enough, much like Bright Lights, this has a slightly darker tone than usual, though this one is done a lot better since it’s limited to the opening snowstorm. The rest is gags and adventure all throughout.

Here, personality feels just as important as gags; Oswald is clearly the hero throughout the entire cartoon and therefore comes across as likable throughout the entire cartoon, rather than just part of it like in most of the cartoons. Highlights include Oswald’s struggles with a mechanical horse, Pete’s poor choice in dogs for his sled, and a great chase with a non-anthropomorphic bear to finish things off. Though it is missing a few seconds towards the end, it’s still pretty easy to follow and is overall a very entertaining cartoon.

10 out of 10

Hungry Hobos (1928)

Probably most notable for being a rare cartoon where Pete is friends with the protagonist. This one’s alright; nothing special, though it has a few good gags. Also, I like the design of the police officer. There isn’t really a whole lot I can say about this one; it’s kind of just a run-of-the-mill effort. Not bad, though not particularly memorable either.

6 out of 10

Oh What a Knight (1928)

Probably the most famous Oswald cartoon, and one can easily see why. Like Ozzie of the Mounted, this one combines gags, adventure, and personality, with Oswald taking on a Douglas Fairbanks-type personality here. Standout gags include Oswald handing his sword to his shadow in addition to countless interruptions on his part so he can go kiss his girlfriend. Another really funny moment is when Oswald uses a ball-and-chain as a bowling ball to take down Pete’s army. Although it’s not my personal favorite Oswald cartoon, I can definitely see why it’s held in high regard and I really enjoy it as well.

10 out of 10

Poor Papa (1928)

This was the first cartoon produced, though it was withheld from release until 1928. As is the case with most pilots, it’s not a classic example of the style of the series, though it’s still funny enough in spots. Most of the gags are based around Oswald’s bunny children, though the best moments are towards the end when Oswald is shooting at the storks and the storks have to find another method to deliver his babies. Mainly of historical interest, though it should provide at least a few laughs.

7 out of 10

The Fox Chase (1928)

Another mostly gag-based cartoon and again one that features a heavier focus on background characters. This one is pretty good for the most part. I like the methods Oswald uses to tame his horse, like when the word “whoah” literally goes up to the horse’s head and forces him to stop. Another funny gag involves a chubby dog whose friend accidentally chokes him to the point that he’s thin; his friend’s solution to fix this is funny too. Not a classic per se, but still one that is worth the time spent watching.

8 out of 10

Tall Timber (1928)

It intrigues me that even the later cartoons that were made as production was wrapping up at the Disney studio still hold up so well. One of the most interesting scenes in Tall Timber is after Oswald has been crushed by a rock; the close-up of him seems very advanced for the time and kind of looks like an early example of the 3D animation we see in most animated films now. Speaking of the boulder, Oswald being chased by it seems to have been inspired by Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances. Keaton is believed to have been a big influence on the Disney animators.

The setting is very nice to look at too. The flowing water in the river is so precise that I feel it must have taken forever for the animators to animate that one scene of Oswald going down the waterfall. A very visually impressive cartoon that features a pretty good variety of gags.

10 out of 10

The Sky Scrapper (1928)

Although this cartoon is generally referred to as Sky Scrappers, Bossert’s book reveals an original title card that had the title as The Sky Scrapper, so I am referring to it by that name.

This is a great cartoon to finish off with. This one relies quite a bit on mechanical humor while featuring a cute love story between Oswald and Ortensia the cat. Pete once again is the villain and makes for a great foe against Oswald. He would be retained in the Mickey cartoons, though as a cat instead of as a bear, probably out of fear by Disney over possible rights issues.

The cartoon takes great advantage of its setting, with lots of the action taking place on steel girders. Oswald and Pete fighting on the constantly flipping platform makes for a thrilling final fight and results in a very satisfying reunion between Oswald and Ortensia.

10 out of 10

That covers all the Oswald cartoons currently available for viewing by the general public. Disney’s distributor, Charles Mintz, signed away most of Disney’s staff after the initial cartoons were completed and the Oswald’s cartoons continued to be produced for Universal until 1943, first by Mintz and then by Woody Woodpecker creator Walter Lantz. As for Disney...well, we know what happened. The early Mickey Mouse cartoons, interestingly enough, are very similar to the Oswald cartoons, often reusing gags that were initially made for silent cartoons. In addition, at least one Mickey cartoon, Building a Building, seems to be a remake of Oswald’s The Sky Scrapper.

Oswald is currently under Disney ownership right now, the result of a 2006 trade involving sportscaster Al Michaels. Oswald has since appeared in the Epic Mickey video games as well as having merchandise made for him. Hopefully, one day we can see a new Oswald series, as it represents a unique period of Disney’s past, one in which they were strictly visual cartoons. One day, I would like to see Oswald have his moment back in the spotlight.