Forgotten Walter Lantz Star

Who is Oswald the Rabbit?

Author: John Allsopp

Oswald, sometimes called the Lucky Rabbit, is an animated cartoon character who starred in a series of cartoon motion pictures of 1920s and 1930s released by Universal Studios.

Oswald, as he looked at Disney.

Created and animated by Walt Disney Company, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was first introduced in 1927 after Walt Disney's series of Alice Comedies had run its course. Walt Disney wanted to go with something new and signed a new contract with Universal Studios; head Carl Laemmle, to produce a series of cartoons under Charles B. Mintz and George Winkler, which seemed like to be, just the ticket.

The first Oswald cartoon, "Poor Papa" was rejected by the Universal studio heads. After this, Disney, together with Ub Iwerks created a second cartoon called "Trolley Troubles". The short film officially launched the series, and proved to be Walt Disney's greatest success to date. However, when Walt asked Mintz for an increase in the budget, Mintz instead offered a budget cut? Walt Disney angrily refused and quit, taking Iwerks and a loyal apprentice artist, Les Clark, with him. Mintz, meanwhile, opened his own studio consisting primarily of former Disney employees.

Oswald was redesigned by Walter Lantz. Above is a cell from an Oswald cartoon.

Dissatisfied with Mintz, Laemmle selected Walter Lantz to produce new cartoons using the character, the first of which was 1929's "Race Riot"; many sources erroneously list "Ozzie of the Circus" as the first. However I am unable to confirm this? Over the next decade, Lantz would produce 140, "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons" making for a grand total of 192 films, that the character Oswald starred in over all three producers.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's last cartoon was "The Egg-Cracker Suite" in 1943. Oswald the Rabbit made occasional reappearances as a character in other cartoons as late as 1951.

Angered by the loss of Oswald, Walt Disney learned to retain full ownership of his animated characters and went on to find immense success with another animated character, Mickey Mouse, who is now one of the most widely recognized icons in the world. You can see Mickey and his partner Minnie, daily in the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Orlando Florida.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/who-is-oswald-the-rabbit-2834439.html

About the Author

John Allsopp
orlando-florida-holidays.com

Woody Woodpecker Vol. 2 Causes Disagreements

I have been dragging my feet on picking up Woody Woodpecker and Friends Vol. 2 but I am going to buy it soon. I can't wait. Here is an interesting editorial review I found of the Woody Woodpecker DVD set from Amazon.

Woody in his first appearance.

I have to say that I do not completely agree with this man's review. 

I find Walter Lantz' work entertaining and, if nothing else, his cartoons are fascinating from a historical view. His cartoons from the World War II era give a glimpse into the minds of animators at the time. It is also fascinating to see Woody evolve from a crazy bird to a very tame television cartoon character in the later years.
 
A Review from Amazon
The second installment in "The Walter Lantz Archive" includes 45 Woody Woodpecker cartoons from 1952 to 1958, and an assortment of films made between the early '30s and the mid-'60s. During the '50s, when the Warner Bros. directors were crafting some of the funniest cartoons ever made and MGM's "Tom and Jerry" series was winning Oscars, the Lantz shorts ranked as second-rate at best. Although some talented artists worked on them, the Woody films from this era feel stale and formulaic: the gags lack punch and the character never develops as a personality.

Five Oswald the Lucky Rabbit films qualify as genuine rarities. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created the character; Universal's Carl Laemmle took Oswald from Disney and ultimately gave him to Lantz. "Carnival Capers" (1932), "Five and Dime" (1933), and "Wax Works" (1934) reveal just how strongly the early Oswald resembled Mickey, down to the two-button shorts and chunky shoes. But the animation remains crude, rubbery and weightless. The most interesting of these cartoons is "Puppet Show" (1936), which juxtaposes live action footage of marionettes with drawn animation of the same characters. At this point, Oswald, who pulls the puppets' strings, had been re-designed to look like a white Easter Bunny.

"A Haunting We Will Go" (1939), starring Li'l Eight Ball, a forgotten stereotypical African American boy, exemplifies the dubious ethnic humor that was popular at the time in America. The extras include a dozen of Lantz's short explanations of the animation process from "The Woody Woodpecker Show." (Unrated, suitable for ages 10 and older: cartoon violence, alcohol and tobacco use, ethnic and racial stereotypes) --Charles Solomon