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(More customer reviews)They may be too primitive to enjoy for their entertainment value alone, but these 13 silent, black-and-white cartoons from the 1920s have a ton of historic value. They're what remains of the 26 shorts Walt Disney did just before Mickey Mouse, during 1927 and 1928. The animation team included a trio of future stars -- Ub Iwerks, who would go on to draw Mickey, Friz Freleng, who later drew many Bugs Bunny cartoons, and Rudy Ising, who went on to run Warner Brothers' Merrie Melodies unit.
Though he got off to a rocky start, Oswald was plenty popular. With the same engaging, spunky personality as his rodent successor, the Lucky Rabbit even had his own merchandise -- a chocolate-covered marshmallow Oswald candy bar, a stencil set and a pin-backed button. In 1928 Disney lost the rights to the rabbit to the shady distributor for Universal, replacing him with the very similar looking mouse we know and love today. Disney regained them in 2006, in exchange for allowing then-ABC television sportscaster Al Michaels to go to work for Universal's network, NBC.
The cartoons have new, orchestral soundtracks by Robert Israel, who earlier created the scores for The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3.
What makes the set terrific, however, are two unexpected additions. First, most of the shorts come with audio commentary, which really makes them interesting. Second, Disc 2 is a Academy Award quality (really!) documentary about Iwerks, called "The Hand Behind the Mouse," that was produced by his granddaughter, Leslie. Since it wasn't created by the Disney company, it's an honest, balanced, warts-and-all portrayal. In fact, it's the best inside look at the history of company ever. Kelsey Grammar narrates.
Collectors will note that this Treasures set comes in a gold tin, not silver. Also included is a little lithograph that's a sampling of some Oswald sketches, and a cute little Oswald button.
By the way, some of the post-Disney Oswalds are also now available on DVD. After Disney lost the rights to the character, Universal assigned the Lucky Rabbit to animator Walter Lantz, of Woody Woodpecker fame. The new Woody compilation, The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection, includes a handful of Lantz's Oswald shorts.
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ADVENTURES OF OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT - DVD Movie
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