Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (partially lost series of Walt Disney animated short films; 1927-1928): Difference between revisions

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(UPDATE ON THE ARTICLE)
(Neck 'n' Neck has been rediscovered)
(37 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:OzzieEnd 3174.jpg|thumb|300px|''Oswald'' ending card from the Disney era.]]
{{InfoboxLost
Long before Disney was animating a wacky mouse, he was experimenting with various types of animation, as the medium was still new at the time. With his failed ''Laugh-O-Grams'', [[Lafflets (lost series of Walt Disney shorts; 1920s)|''Lafflets'']], and the slightly popular ''Alice'' Shorts, Disney needed something that would really catapult him into getting his career started. He decided to focus on competing with strong cartoon characters such as Felix The Cat and Koko The Clown. He came up with a character named '''Oswald The Lucky Rabbit'''. Impressed with the idea, Winkler Pictures (Disney did not have his own animation studio at the time) gave the project a green light and gave Walt a budget and a talented animation staff.
|title=<center>Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (shorts)</center>
|image=OzzieEnd 3174.jpg
|imagecaption=''Oswald'' ending card from the Disney era.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>
}}
'''''Oswald the Lucky Rabbit''''' is a series of short cartoons made from 1927 to 1928 by Walt Disney and from 1928 to 1943 by a variety of animators under Universal Studios. After the failure of his ''Laugh-O-Grams'' and [[Lafflets (lost series of Walt Disney animated shorts; 1920s)|''Lafflets'']], and the minor success of the [[Alice Comedies (partially lost series of Walt Disney shorts; 1920s)|''Alice Comedies'']], Walt Disney wanted to compete with stronger cartoon characters of the era like ''Felix the Cat''. After successfully pitching ''Oswald'', Winkler Pictures gave him a talented animation staff and a budget.


Walt began production on the shorts in 1927. The rabbit enjoyed a modest success and became the first Disney character to have his own tie-in merchandise. What Oswald held above his competition was more ambition and raunchy, sometimes sexual, humor. Walt grew more and more creative with each short he made. Around 26 shorts in, he decided to try to talk his producer, Charles Mintz, into a budget increase and a higher staff count. Despite the rabbit's success, Mintz not only declined the budget increase, but cut the budget by more than half and threw nearly half of Walt's animation team into other projects.
==Background==
Walt began production on the shorts in 1927. Oswald was well received and became the first Disney character to have his own tie-in merchandise.<ref>[http://www.thisdayindisneyhistory.com/OswaldRabbit.html A brief history on the Lucky Rabbit]</ref> ''Oswald'''s success over the competition was due to the more ambitious, innovative, and raunchy animation and humor compared to the others, which tended to be more conservative and safe. Despite the success of the series, after 27 shorts,<ref>[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Oswald_the_Lucky_Rabbit_(series) ''Oswald'' series overview on the Disney Wikia.] Retrieved 25 Mar '16.</ref> the budget was cut by more than half and nearly half of Walt's animation team was moved to other projects. Disney soon quit working at Winkler and starting his own animation studio with some of his most talented ''Oswald'' staff. Having lost the rights to ''Oswald'', Disney proceeded to create a new character named Mickey Mouse.


Disney responded to this by quitting his deal with Winkler, stealing some of his most talented Oswald staff, and starting his own animation studio. He lost the rights to Oswald, but created an Oswald rip-off character named Mickey Mouse. He never again allowed someone else to own the rights of any of his characters or works.
After Disney left Winkler, Oswald's shorts were animated by many rising animation legends, such as a young Tex Avery<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwdFy1mZnRE One of the later Oswald cartoons]</ref>. ''Oswald'' cartoons eventually featured color and sound but was ultimately discontinued in 1943 due to a fall in popularity. Those shorts are still owned by Universal.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ92eqrkRS8 The last regular Oswald cartoon by Universal, ''The Egg Cracker Case'']</ref> In addition, a few ''Oswald'' cartoons were remade into Mickey Mouse cartoons by Disney.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_0I_PK0IE Mickey Mouse cartoon, ''Building a Building'']</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B2ET6irhF0 Oswald cartoon, ''Sky Scrappers'']</ref>


Oswald floundered onward, progressively fading into obscurity. His future shorts were animated by many then up-and-coming animation legends, such as a young Tex Avery. Oswald evolved into the color and sound eras, gaining a voice and different color scheme. The character was discontinued in 1943 due to his fall in popularity.
==Rediscovery==
In 2005, when Oswald's copyright expired, Universal (which had distributed the Winkler shorts) gave the Walt Disney company the rights to Disney's original ''Oswald'' shorts. A DVD collection was released in 2006 containing 13 of the original 27 shorts.<ref>[http://movies.disney.com/the-adventures-of-oswald-the-lucky-rabbit Disney site promoting the Oswald DVD]</ref> Several more shorts appeared in some form over the next few years.


In 2005, Oswald's copyright finally expired and Universal (the umbrella company that Winkler was under) gave Disney all the shorts back, with exception of the non-Disney produced ones. A DVD collection was released in 2006 containing 13 of the original 26 shorts. Two more emerged in 2007, but 11 of the shorts are still missing. Also missing are some of the later-era shorts, including a couple that were animated by Avery. With Oswald's role in the video game, ''Epic Mickey'' and its two sequels, new interest has sparked in the character.
In 2007 the current existing ''Oswald'' shorts (only the ones Walt Disney produced) at the time were released in the "Walt Disney Treasures" line of DVDs. The shorts "Poor Papa" and "Africa Before Dark" were included as bonus features on The Walt Disney Signature Collection Blu-Rays of ''Pinocchio'' and ''Bambi''.<ref>[https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pinocchio-The-Walt-Disney-Signature-Collection-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-HD/55179941#read-more The ''Pinocchio'' Signature Collection Blu-ray]</ref><ref>[https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2017/06/02/blu-ray-review-bambi-walt-disney-signature-collection/ The ''Bambi'' Signature Collection Blu-ray]</ref> Two minutes of a further short, ''Neck 'n Neck'', was discovered in Japan in 2018.<ref>[http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201811140057.html Article on the discovery of ''Neck 'n Neck in Japan]</ref>


UPDATE: 11-5-15: One of the missing shorts have been found! The 1928 short 'Sleigh Bells' was found yesterday by a member of the British Film Institute. Reportedly, the short will be screened on December 12th, in London.  
Six of the original Oswald shorts made by Disney are currently missing. Four others are incomplete.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_the_Lucky_Rabbit_filmography Oswald's filmography, including the Disney shorts]</ref>
 
==Theatrical Shorts==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color:lightblue" | #
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Short Title
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Year Produced
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Status
|-
|1||Poor Papa||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG_V3aDj-3k <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|2||Trolley Troubles||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LCFvz6-LCU <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|3||Oh Teacher||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuxMnesjYFY <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>]
|-
|4||The Mechanical Cow||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqdRxbAzZ_s <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|5||Great Guns!||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ymBbtJBaU <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|6||All Wet||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTvjBJLM4uQ <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|7||The Ocean Hop||1927||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fItn2ljVKY <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>]
|-
|8||The Banker's Daughter||1927||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|9||Empty Socks*||1927||<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|-
|10||Rickety Gin||1927||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|11||Harem Scarem||1928||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|12||Neck 'n' Neck*||1928||<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>
|-
|13||The Ol' Swimmin' Hole*||1928||<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|-
|14||Africa Before Dark||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEdoe7puAqs<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|15||Rival Romeos||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaenczorzGk <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|16||Bright Lights||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfEVxfu56EI <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|17||Sagebrush Sadie||1928||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|18||Ride 'Em Plowboy||1928||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|19||Ozzie of the Mounted||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SPvI9wA6Cc <span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>]
|-
|20||Hungry Hoboes||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkKG1ed87WY <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|21||Oh, What a Knight||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21l6sIASiU <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|22||Sky Scrappers||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B2ET6irhF0 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|23||The Fox Chase||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Aqoboww00 <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|24||Tall Timber||1928||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vSsWaaz3sI <span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>]
|-
|25||Sleigh Bells*||1928||<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|-
|26||Hot Dog||1928||<span style="color:red;">''Lost''</span>
|-
|27||High Up*||1928||<span style="color:green;">'''Found''' </span>
|}
(*) While reels of these films are known to exist, they are not currently available for public viewing.
 
==See Also==
*[[Poor Papa (found "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" animated short; 1927)|''Poor Papa'']], the first ''Oswald'' short.
 
==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Partially lost media]]
[[Category:Historic]]

Revision as of 22:18, 15 November 2018

File:OzzieEnd 3174.jpg

Oswald ending card from the Disney era.

Status: Partially Lost

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is a series of short cartoons made from 1927 to 1928 by Walt Disney and from 1928 to 1943 by a variety of animators under Universal Studios. After the failure of his Laugh-O-Grams and Lafflets, and the minor success of the Alice Comedies, Walt Disney wanted to compete with stronger cartoon characters of the era like Felix the Cat. After successfully pitching Oswald, Winkler Pictures gave him a talented animation staff and a budget.

Background

Walt began production on the shorts in 1927. Oswald was well received and became the first Disney character to have his own tie-in merchandise.[1] Oswald's success over the competition was due to the more ambitious, innovative, and raunchy animation and humor compared to the others, which tended to be more conservative and safe. Despite the success of the series, after 27 shorts,[2] the budget was cut by more than half and nearly half of Walt's animation team was moved to other projects. Disney soon quit working at Winkler and starting his own animation studio with some of his most talented Oswald staff. Having lost the rights to Oswald, Disney proceeded to create a new character named Mickey Mouse.

After Disney left Winkler, Oswald's shorts were animated by many rising animation legends, such as a young Tex Avery[3]. Oswald cartoons eventually featured color and sound but was ultimately discontinued in 1943 due to a fall in popularity. Those shorts are still owned by Universal.[4] In addition, a few Oswald cartoons were remade into Mickey Mouse cartoons by Disney.[5][6]

Rediscovery

In 2005, when Oswald's copyright expired, Universal (which had distributed the Winkler shorts) gave the Walt Disney company the rights to Disney's original Oswald shorts. A DVD collection was released in 2006 containing 13 of the original 27 shorts.[7] Several more shorts appeared in some form over the next few years.

In 2007 the current existing Oswald shorts (only the ones Walt Disney produced) at the time were released in the "Walt Disney Treasures" line of DVDs. The shorts "Poor Papa" and "Africa Before Dark" were included as bonus features on The Walt Disney Signature Collection Blu-Rays of Pinocchio and Bambi.[8][9] Two minutes of a further short, Neck 'n Neck, was discovered in Japan in 2018.[10]

Six of the original Oswald shorts made by Disney are currently missing. Four others are incomplete.[11]

Theatrical Shorts

# Short Title Year Produced Status
1 Poor Papa 1927 Found
2 Trolley Troubles 1927 Found
3 Oh Teacher 1927 Partially Lost
4 The Mechanical Cow 1927 Found
5 Great Guns! 1927 Found
6 All Wet 1927 Found
7 The Ocean Hop 1927 Partially Lost
8 The Banker's Daughter 1927 Lost
9 Empty Socks* 1927 Found
10 Rickety Gin 1927 Lost
11 Harem Scarem 1928 Lost
12 Neck 'n' Neck* 1928 Partially Lost
13 The Ol' Swimmin' Hole* 1928 Found
14 Africa Before Dark 1928 Found
15 Rival Romeos 1928 Found
16 Bright Lights 1928 Found
17 Sagebrush Sadie 1928 Lost
18 Ride 'Em Plowboy 1928 Lost
19 Ozzie of the Mounted 1928 Partially Lost
20 Hungry Hoboes 1928 Found
21 Oh, What a Knight 1928 Found
22 Sky Scrappers 1928 Found
23 The Fox Chase 1928 Found
24 Tall Timber 1928 Found
25 Sleigh Bells* 1928 Found
26 Hot Dog 1928 Lost
27 High Up* 1928 Found

(*) While reels of these films are known to exist, they are not currently available for public viewing.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ A brief history on the Lucky Rabbit
  2. ↑ Oswald series overview on the Disney Wikia. Retrieved 25 Mar '16.
  3. ↑ One of the later Oswald cartoons
  4. ↑ The last regular Oswald cartoon by Universal, The Egg Cracker Case
  5. ↑ Mickey Mouse cartoon, Building a Building
  6. ↑ Oswald cartoon, Sky Scrappers
  7. ↑ Disney site promoting the Oswald DVD
  8. ↑ The Pinocchio Signature Collection Blu-ray
  9. ↑ The Bambi Signature Collection Blu-ray
  10. ↑ Article on the discovery of Neck 'n Neck in Japan
  11. ↑ Oswald's filmography, including the Disney shorts
Retrieved from "https://lostmediawiki.com/w/index.php?title=Oswald_the_Lucky_Rabbit_(partially_lost_series_of_Walt_Disney_animated_short_films;_1927-1928)&oldid=89566"