The Mechanical Cow

For years, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was an unseen legend known only to cartoon geeks who devoured animation history books (the fact that my father saw them as a child and regaled me with stories about them also helped). The rediscovery of these films prove that the acclaim about them is not merely the stuff of film folklore.

This episode tells the story of a robotic cow that serves as the heroic hare's "Cow Friday" (perhaps inspired by the sci-fi silent classic "Metropolis?"). The title character is quite sympathetic and the toon as a whole displays far greater character development and situation comedy than was typical of cartoons of that era. But this does not get in the way of the gags, which are quite plentiful and well done within six or seven minutes. Strongly recommended.

Oswald Rabbit gets waken up by his loud alarm clock. Now, he has to wake up his Mechanical Cow. They roam the streets selling milk. Oswald meets a girl who gets kidnapped out of nowhere.

This is Walt Disney and his Oswald the Rabbit cartoon. The Mechanical Cow idea is a bit weird, but it grows on me. I can take the surreal. It's just weird to have to wake up the Mechanical Cow. I also want Oswald showing how he makes the milk. It could be something imaginative like milking the Milky Way. The kidnappers are another weird idea. I like the design, but I don't know where they come from. I like the weirdness, but they need more work.

Despite Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his cartoons being popular and well received at the time, they have been vastly overshadowed over time by succeeding Disney characters (like Mickey, Donald and Goofy) and those from Looney Tunes. It is a shame as, while not cartoon masterpieces, they are fascinating for anybody wanting to see what very old animation looked like and what Disney animation was like before Mickey arrived on the scene.

Following on from two good previous cartoons 'Trolley Troubles' and 'Oh Teacher', 'The Mechanical Cow' doesn't disappoint and in a way even better. Despite its very familiar and slight story, it has the craziness, wit and imagination of 'Oh Teacher' and amps it up even more.

Once again, the animation is not bad at all for a cartoon so old and techniques still in early days, it's crisp and fluid enough with some nice detail, sure there are some rough spots understandably especially with Disney animation becoming much more refined later. The added soundtrack and sound effects (the 1927-1928 Oswald cartoons being silent) add a lot rather than distract, actually improving the cartoon's impact and making things easier to understand.

The gags work very well, always ranging between very amusing and at times hilarious, the weirdness not being a turn off at all. Oswald is once more endearing and the title character is also fun.

All in all, another good Oswald cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox

No doubt, some people believe Walt Disney started with a certain mouse and, in one sense, they'd be right-Disney started working more or less as an independent in 1928 and Plane Crazy, the first Mickey, was his first effort. But Disney actually did shorts for a number of years under contract, until Charles Mintz basically offered Disney a deal he had to refuse, that Mintz probably intended he refuse from the beginning. The character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the principal character and series Disney was doing for his contract with Mintz, but Disney didn't hold the rights to Oswald and lost him when the deal didn't renew. Had the deal renewed, while Mickey would likely have developed anyway, the attention would have continued to be with Waldo and Disney would have taken a different road. Of such things is history made. Exit rabbit enter mouse.

As for this cartoon, it's a very good early Disney silent. Fairly good sight gags and good imagination from the animators to make the short funny even with no sound and the inherent limitations (and advantages) that lack caused. Good fun and you could see glimpses of the Disney touch. Well worth seeing. Recommended for animation fans.