Rival Romeos

This is one of the early Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons that was directed by Walt Disney. Soon, the studio would fire Disney and his favorite animator, Ub Iwerks, and replace them with cheaper help.

In this installment, Oswald and another animal (what he is, I am not sure) are vying for the affections of a cat. Both race to her house but Oswald arrives first and attempts to serenade her. But, his guitar is eaten--and he has to improvise. Soon, his rival arrives and they begin duking it out--and the cat decides on a much less troublesome suitor.

While this is not among the very best Oswald cartoons, it's quite agreeable, breezy and fun. Worth seeing.

Oswald's rival is a wolf who has designs on the same young lady cat that he has. The cartoon is, first, a series of efforts to get to her house. Then Oswald tries to serenade her but is repelled by an uncooperative goat. Soon the other guy gets there, and the results are unfortunate for both of them.

Oswald was something of a forerunner to Disney's Mickey Mouse, and the similarities are plain to see in this amusing little comedy. In fact, Oswald seems a lot more likable than Mickey in some ways.

Oswald and his rival, the bear take their automobiles to goo a-wooing the cat, who is the ingénue in this series of silent cartoons -- I know that in cartoons, species are not hard-and-fast, but this is getting a little silly. The two of them race there in the cars, and Oswald serenades his inamorata. It's a good basic story and Disney would use in several times over the years.

Disney, although not particularly distinguished a cartoon producer at this stage, was ambitious, and this is a decent little effort. The story is good, the gags are well ordered and if the artwork is not of very high quality, there is, as usual in the Oswald cartoons, one interesting POV shot: look for it while Oswald is serenading the cat.

Rival Romeos is not one of my favourites, and most likely never will be, but I did enjoy it. It is sweet, funny and engaging, but I don't think I could ever go as far to say that it's a milestone. The story is a classic set-up, and its sweetness and charm makes up for some of lack of originality of the material. The gags are well-timed and amusing, but never anything hilarious and were used even better since(especially Steamboat Willie). The characters are still engaging, Oswald is likable and not irritating and Pete is a good foil. The animation quality has some interesting touches like the looking down on Oswald technique, to give a change in perspective, and turning effects words into action seen with the word Honk in the air settling over Oswald's car, and is mostly smooth. The music is also not bad, but could've been even better incorporated with real sound and music, which I think would have elevated the gags. But overall, a decent cartoon, a milestone it is not, but I do recommend it. 7/10 Bethany Cox