Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927)

Disappointed in quality of video

I don't know what happened here. The brightness of the videos goes from light to dark to light to dark...etc. Not just on one DVD but on both of them. Really distracts from the films. Perhaps it is just so many of these DVDs were made? Quality control doesn't seem to be present here. Oh...it is not just on the films, but also on the present day interviews. I've never had this situation on my DVD player before. I returned the 1st set I got, & tried again. Same problem with the 2nd set. August 12, 2008

PRE-MICKEY DISNEY ICON

The history of Oswald the Rabbit is as eccentric as the character itself. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created the character in 1927 but they were created specifically for Universal Studios. With some 26 shorts created, Disney sought an increase in their budget for the series. He was not only turned down but instead had his budget cut by 20%. When Disney scoffed he was basically told too bad because Universal owned the character and had actually already hired away most of the animators who worked on the series.

The one animator who didn't leave was the great Ub Iwerks. With Oswald gone, he and Walt set about creating a new character. That character would become the symbol of Disney, Mickey Mouse. Mickey was, at first, pretty much a pure copy of Oswald. Universal would continue to produce Oswald shorts for another ten years, picking Walter Lantz, best known as the creator of Woody Woodpecker, to produce them. Ironically, during his later years, Oswald would be softened a bit and end up resembling Mickey Mouse.

Now here is where it gets interesting...In 2006, ABC, which is owned by Disney, lost the rights to NFL football. Monday Night Football broadcaster, Al Michaels, asked to be released from his contact at ABC so he could join his partner, John Madden at NBC. Disney agreed but only if the rights to Oswald Rabbit were returned to them. Thus, I'm pretty sure this was the only time in history a broadcaster was traded for a cartoon character...I think Disney got the better of the deal.

Naturally Disney set about putting together a Treasures collection for Oswald. The only trouble is that only 13 of the original 26 shorts could be found and their quality differs quite a bit. This set features all 13 of the Oswald shorts and is filled out with several "Alice" shorts (Disney's first animated star) and also some early Mickey Mouse shorts including "Plane Crazy" the first Mickey Short, and "Steamboat Willie" the first Mickey short featuring sound.

While the animation on the Oswald cartoons is somewhat crude it's also very inventive with unique perspectives and shadowing effects. This is best exemplified in "Oh what a Knight" as Oswald tries to rescue his sweetheart from a castle, engaging in a sword battle with her father. Oswald periodically hands his sword to his shadow to continue the fight while he goes and smooches his girl. It's quite well done and one of the best looking shorts in the collection.

I also enjoyed "All Wet" in which Oswald is selling hot dogs at a beach (and the hot dogs keep trying to escape). When the cute girl rabbit pays him no attention he pays off the lifeguard to do his job and the girl fakes drowning in order to get Oswald to rescue her.

"Bright Lights" is another frantic bit of hilarity as Oswald sneaks backstage at a show and hides in a box that turns out to be a tiger's cage. Soon the Tiger is chasing Oswald throughout the theater.

The complete list of shorts includes:

Trolley Troubles

Oh, Teacher (with commentary by Mark Kausler)

The Mechanical Cow

Great Guns!

All Wet

The Ocean Hop (with commentary by Mark Kausler)

Rival Romeos

Bright Lights (with commentary by Leonard Maltin and Jerry Beck)

Ozzie of the Mounted (with commentary by Jerry Beck)

Oh What A Knight (with commentary by Leonard Maltin and Mark Kausler)

Sky Scrapers

The Fox Chase (with commentary by Jerry Beck)

Tall Timber

Featurettes include "Oswald Comes Home" a history of the character and "The Works of Ub Iwerks".

Oswald isn't the "Holy Grail" of animation finds that some may claim but it's certainly nice to have them back at Disney where they can be seen for the first time in decades.
April 14, 2008

Must have

If you are a Disney enthusiast or a student of animation, this is a must have. Its also very funny. My kids (2 and 4 years old) love these cartoons even though they are "silent." Many of the gags used in these shorts show up in later Mickey Mouse and other Disney cartoons. See if you can find them... April 13, 2008

Love it..

finally home Oswald is home.. and I found theis old cartoons so funny.. just love it.. February 17, 2008

Thank you, Mr. Maltin

The best thing about any Walt Disney Treasures set is the introduction by Leonard Maltin. I'll confess, I own several of these sets, but have watched nary a one all the way through. One thing is certain, though, and that is that I've seen Maltin's introductions a few times. He has such an enthusiasm for all things Disney, and his introductions do a spectacular job of preparing the viewer for the following footage, as well as provide insights into the wonderful world of Walt Disney that give the viewer a sense of being "in the know."

Of course, the Oswald cartoons are truly treasures. I think it's a fairly well-known fact that Oswald was Disney's first featured cartoon character, but that the rights to those cartoons were held by the company that published them, and therefor lost to the Disney company. The reason this collection is now available is that Buena Vista has finally recovered these cartoons. Because they were not managed by Disney, the quality of many of the original prints have been compromised. The damage to the film is visible all throughout the set, but it's still exciting just to see these pieces of the Disney legacy, knowing how long it has been since anyone saw them.

This is definitely a good buy. February 8, 2008

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