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 animation characters. It is a shame as, while not cartoon masterpieces, they are fascinating for anybody wanting to see what very old animation looked like.
Oswald in the Disney years saw mostly good to very good cartoons, and while the Winkler years had some duds there were also cartoons as good as the best of the Disney years. The 1929-1930 batches of Walter Lantz-directed Oswald cartoons were a mixed bag, with some good, some forgettable and not much special and a few mediocre. The 1931 batch was mostly underwhelming, with only 6 out of 18 cartoons being above average or more. The 1932 batch had a few not so good, though the cartoons in question were nothing compared to the worst of the previous 3 years, cartoons, but most were decent to good and some even very good. The 1933 batch is one of the most consistent, with the weakest 'Beau Best' still being decent. The 1934 batch were mostly nice and decent if unexceptional, with a few average ones and 'Sky Larks' and 'Toyland Premiere'.
'Elmer the Great Dane' is not the first 1935 Oswald cartoon but it seems to be the first one available to watch. Luckily, it's a good one. Yes, the story is flimsy, then again that's hardly new in an Oswald cartoon. There maybe could have been more gags, what there is are still amusing but there are sharper timed and funnier ones.
However, where 'Elmer the Great Dane' excels is in the animation and the music. Once again the animation is terrific, it is elaborate, beautifully and cleverly drawn and rich in detail and colour in the backgrounds, some of it in the gags is quite imaginative too.
Love the music too, which is very characterful, bouncy and beautifully and lushly orchestrated and performed.
As said, the gags are not exceptional and there are not quite enough but they are amusing. Oswald is endearing and you do feel sorry for his dog.
On the whole, good. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Oswald in the Disney years saw mostly good to very good cartoons, and while the Winkler years had some duds there were also cartoons as good as the best of the Disney years. The 1929-1930 batches of Walter Lantz-directed Oswald cartoons were a mixed bag, with some good, some forgettable and not much special and a few mediocre. The 1931 batch was mostly underwhelming, with only 6 out of 18 cartoons being above average or more. The 1932 batch had a few not so good, though the cartoons in question were nothing compared to the worst of the previous 3 years, cartoons, but most were decent to good and some even very good. The 1933 batch is one of the most consistent, with the weakest 'Beau Best' still being decent. The 1934 batch were mostly nice and decent if unexceptional, with a few average ones and 'Sky Larks' and 'Toyland Premiere'.
'Elmer the Great Dane' is not the first 1935 Oswald cartoon but it seems to be the first one available to watch. Luckily, it's a good one. Yes, the story is flimsy, then again that's hardly new in an Oswald cartoon. There maybe could have been more gags, what there is are still amusing but there are sharper timed and funnier ones.
However, where 'Elmer the Great Dane' excels is in the animation and the music. Once again the animation is terrific, it is elaborate, beautifully and cleverly drawn and rich in detail and colour in the backgrounds, some of it in the gags is quite imaginative too.
Love the music too, which is very characterful, bouncy and beautifully and lushly orchestrated and performed.
As said, the gags are not exceptional and there are not quite enough but they are amusing. Oswald is endearing and you do feel sorry for his dog.
On the whole, good. 7/10 Bethany Cox
