Trolley Troubles

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.

I've never been into Disney cartoons (I far prefer the Looney Tunes), but "Trolley Troubles" isn't bad. Starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (remember, this is before Mickey Mouse debuted) as a trolley conductor who has to deal with every crazy thing happening, it gives one a sense of the 1920s. Some of the gags are a little hokey, but I can't help but wonder what it must have been like to sit in a theater back then and watch this stuff happen for the first time.

If there's any downside here, it's that the characters look like minstrel performers. Of course, maybe I'm the only one who notices that. OK in a pinch. Anyway, a far cooler wascally wabbit came to cartoons in later years.

Available on YouTube.

'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.

It took almost 80 years but at last Oswald The Lucky Rabbit is back where he belongs...at Disney. This new 2 DVD set is valuable on many levels. It's not only a missing piece of animation history but a look into the history of animation. Disc 2 contains the 1999 documentary THE HAND BEHIND THE MOUSE: THE UB IWERKS STORY which traces the beginnings of Walt Disney and his top animator/innovater from their early days in Kansas City through Walt's death in 1966 and Ub's in 1971. If you've ever wondered why Disney became so overprotective of its properties, it all started with Oswald while Walt was at Universal. Disney didn't own the rights to the character which was created in 1927 and in 1928 when he asked for a raise he was ordered to take a paycut. Walt and Ub quit in disgust and came up with a new character named Mickey Mouse and the rest as they say...is history. Never again would Walt not own any of his characters (or the rights to purchased ones like Winnie The Pooh).

There are 13 Oswald cartoons in this set (about half of those made) and they are an absolute delight to watch. Although the drawing style is crude, they are so chock full of crazy ideas and visuals that sometimes it takes your breath away. Unlike the early Mickey Mouse cartoons which suffer in comparison to what he later became, Oswald seems fresher than ever. In fact he's so old that he's new! Since these are silent cartoons (Oswald was originally based on Douglas Fairbanks Sr.), they require musical accompaniment and silent film specialist Robert Israel has come up with some rousing and colorful background scores that add to the fun. Attractively packaged and reasonably priced for what you get, OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT deserves a place in any animation fan's library and now is the time with the Holidays upon us...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

POSTSCRIPT: If you want to see what happened to Oswald in the Sound Era, check out Universal's WOODY WOODPECKER AND FRIENDS DVD set. You see the animator who took over after Disney quit was a young fellow named Walter Lantz and he made Oswald cartoons until the early 1940s when another character supplanted him. "Guess who? Ha Ha Ha HA ha!"