Trolley Troubles

'Trolley Troubles (1927)' is a short film starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit that has been remastered and re-released on Disney+. To say this thing is nearly 100 years old, it looks fantastic, with crisp linework and a distinctly rubber hose aesthetic. The animation is satisfying and energetic. It's particularly impressive when conveying things coming towards the frame, as it creates a palpable sense of perspective that enhances the believability of its absurdist action. It's an enjoyable outing that isn't particularly complex but doesn't need to be. Some of its gags are quite clever, and it's generally fairly inventive overall. It also features one of those iconic 1920s animated cows with massive hip bones and hooves that look like feet. It's a solid effort and it's great to see it looking so good.

One of the first Oswald the Rabbit cartoons, written and directed by Walt Disney, has four minutes of gags involving Oswald trying to get his trolley going on the tracks only to his some obstacles - he has to give a cow a stern paying-his-mind to that won't get off the tracks - and then the last two minutes are sheer mayhem in the most enjoyable way from the era of 1920's cartoons.

There's little moments that stick out as being especially funny and cool, like when the train is going on its manic spring through its tunnels and then when Oswald takes off one of his legs to kiss himself goodbye, literally. The general pace of this is what keeps it entertaining, that there's something about to come every mother second. The gags are so fast that you may need to watch it a second time to catch the few good ones that you might have missed. It's mostly those final two minutes though that seals the deal for this being a fun sit as opposed to just an important but slight one. Already here Disney is primed for when he has to go forward with his own Mickey Mouse shorts.

Young animator and entrepreneur Walt Disney was beginning to learn the brutal world of competitive business when he introduced his new cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After four years of creating the live action animated series "Alice Comedies," the 25-year-old film studio owner made the decision to create just cartoons. He and his primary animator, Ub Iwerks, developed a revolutionary character who, for the first time in animation land, had personality traits of a human, a rabbit who was "peppy, alert, saucy and venturesome, keeping him also neat and trim," described Disney.

His team of cartoonists drew up Disney's first Oswald pilot. His New York City producers, George Walker and Charles Mintz, whom Walt had a somewhat strained working relationship, presented the short film to Universal Studios. Once Universal reviewed the Oswald short, 'Poor Papa,' it dismissed the rabbit completely ('Poor Papa' was released by Universal the following year). Citing poor production values and the lack of detail on Oswald, the studio felt the main character was too old and fat. Oswald's contemporary competitors, Felix the Cat, Koko the Clown and Krazy Kat, were all cardboard figures who reacted to situations they found themselves in. Oswald was different. He was responsible for his own actions, and suffered his own consequences when he was wrong.

Disney and his team researched the live-action comedies of Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton as a basis to build storylines reflective of Oswald's personality. Walt introduced to animation the language of cinema, using cross-cutting editing to heighten suspense. Disney also included multiple characters, and extensive detailing of his cartoons' personalities to launch a new era in cartoons. When Universal reviewed Disney's second effort on Oswald, "Trolly Troubles," released in September 1927, the studio loved it and ordered several installments of the series. The lucrative contract, $500 per cartoon, allowed Disney to increase his staff of animators to 20.

"Trolley Troubles" immediately shows the entrepreneurial spirit of Oswald as he organizes his trolly to transport a bunch of bunnies and other animals. Through quick thinking and ingenuity, Oswald navigates his way through a number of obstacles, including tracks that drastically widen and narrow, a cow sitting on the tracks, and a high hill his trolley has trouble climbing.

As the series became successful, with Disney's company creating 26 fully animated cartoons, Iwerks smelled a rat in George Winkler. Whenever the producer dropped by the small Disney studio to pick up the latest Oswald film, Winkler spread the word to Walt's animators Mintz was hiring at a higher salary than Disney. When Walt visited Mintz's office in New York City in the spring of 1928 to sign a renewal contract for the Oswald series, he was handed a proposal from Universal. The studio wanted to continue to buy his rabbit cartoons, but with a 20% pay reduction. Surprised by the lesser amount, and with most of his animators working for Mintz and his company (later known as Screen Gems), Walt was confronted by Mintz's take-it or leave-it offer. In the same meeting Disney discovered Universal owned all the intellectual property rights to the Lucky Rabbit.

With a sickening feeling in his gut, Disney knew the gig was up with Oswald. Instead of being despondent over the course of events, he draw up a new character while traveling the long hours on the train back to California. He recalled a friendly mouse during his Kansas City days at the Laugh-O-Gram Studio whom he occasionally fed. He drew a rough sketch of the mouse and called him 'Mortimer Mouse." The rodent became the character that eventually built the Disney entertainment company we know so well today.

In a footnote concerning Oswald the Lucky Rabbit 80 years after the cartoon character was taken from Disney: NBC, whose parent company is Universal Studios, won the rights to televise the NFL Sunday night broadcasts over ABC and ESPN. Sportscaster Al Michaels had been contracted by Disney's ABC for many years. But he made it known he wanted to join John Madden at NBC for the night games. Disney's CEO Bob Iger made a deal that among some minor assets NBC possessed in its inventory, he wanted to get all the Oswald The Lucky Rabbit cartoons Walt produced as well as the entire Oswald property rights in return for Michaels. Universal Studios heartedly agreed, returning Oswald to his origins. Disney to this day continues to market Oswald as a trademark marketing tool. Said Michaels on the trade: "Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice. I'm going to be a trivia answer someday."

This is the very first of many Oswald films and like those of the first year of production, they were made by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. Later, Universal showed their appreciation for the two for making Oswald a star by threatening to cut their salaries! As a result, the two walked...and soon created Mickey Mouse and the rest is history. Considering you probably have not heard about Oswald, you can see who won out in this battle!

The form I saw this cartoon in is not the original silent version. This one had a soundtrack and sound effects added later--after STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928) revolutionized the cartoon industry by being the first with a soundtrack and synchronized sound effects. Considering that the addition was done well, it served to improve the film considerably.

While I enjoyed this film, I have scored it much lower than Disney's first independent cartoons, PLANE CRAZY and STEAMBOAT WILLIE. That's because the animation quality of TROLLEY TROUBLES is much more rough (it's amazing what a year more practice would produce) and these later films just were funnier. As for Oswald, he was okay as a character but not exactly the equal to the mouse.

Disney was still pretty far back in the pack of cartoon producers at this stage of the game, when Felix the Cat and Koko the Clown were still way ahead in the lead. Nor was Disney backwards about borrowing gags: this cartoon opens with Oswald polishing his trolley, which he then places on his rump as a fluffy bunny's tail: a typical Felix trick.

Despite this and some cheating in production -- the last sequence is a repeating series as the trolley goes into a number of black tunnels -- to hold down costs, there are also clear signs that Disney is still ambitious, particularly a well-composed shot from a low Point of View.

The basic situation and many of the gags are borrowed from Fontaine Fox' popular TOONERVILLE TROLLEY strip. It's not an awful variation, it's not a great one.