Ozzie of the Mounted is the latest short, and continues the fine quality I’ve come to expect from the Oswalds. However, as I mentioned yesterday, some rather awkward cuts that cause missing scenes towards the end make this version much less than it could be.
This is one of the shorter cartoons in the series, clocking in at just over five minutes long, but it packs a simple story in that time frame with some easy storytelling. The story is short, sweet and to the point. It definitely is not as gag filled as some of the previous efforts, instead focusing on clear storytelling over humor here.
That’s not to say that there are not some great gags present in this short. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story is easy – in the midst of a snowstorm, Oswald is part of the Mounties, and is tasked with bringing in “Putrid Pete” the infamous villain portrayed in a wanted poster.
Oswald is noticeably terrified, quaking in his boots, but his commanding officer sends him out into the snow regardless. Oswald manages to hop on a mechanical horse, cranking him up for the pursuit. It’s another appearance of a mechanical animal, after the mechanical cow in the short of the same name. This is a theme that reappears in many of the shorts, even back to Julius.
Oswald’s mechanical horse barrels down one corner as Pete comes down the other, and they collide at the end. Oswald attempts to confront Pete, bringing out a giant gun, but the bullet/cannonball merely bounces off of Pete and knocks Oswald out. Pete chokes him, squeezing him until his tongue is splattered out of his mouth on the snow. Thinking he’s accidentally killed the rabbit (insert your What’s Opera, Doc joke here), Pete runs away.
Oswald comes to and attempts to put his horse back together. Cramming a spring in the horse’s body backfires, though, and the horse falls to pieces. Frustrated, Oswald kicks the pieces and the horse jumps back together and takes off. Meanwhile, Pete is mushing his dog sled through the snow, eventually running into an accidental turn, where the dogs go one way and he goes another. The dogs collide at the bottom of a hill and end up merged, in a funny bit.
Oswald finally catches up just as Pete hits a bear that begins chasing him. In a clever turn of events, the bear is chasing both Oswald and Pete when Oswald has a plan. Seeing the nearby jail, he opens the door and ushers Pete in, motioning that he will be safe in there. Inevitably, though, both Pete and the bear end up inside, leaving Oswald victorious as the short ends.
As I said, this is one of the simpler shorts. The story is fairly straightforward, and there is less reliance on gags in this than in the other Oswalds. What’s interesting is that there are not as many different perspectives and camera tricks here as there were in Rival Romeos. I’m not sure which unit (Iwerks or Ising) worked on this one, perhaps my commenters can say, but I think there is a difference in styles between the two. Overall, though, the consistency in the Oswald shorts is much greater than the Alice Comedies, showing development among both Walt and the animators in their craft.
This is one of the shorter cartoons in the series, clocking in at just over five minutes long, but it packs a simple story in that time frame with some easy storytelling. The story is short, sweet and to the point. It definitely is not as gag filled as some of the previous efforts, instead focusing on clear storytelling over humor here.
That’s not to say that there are not some great gags present in this short. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story is easy – in the midst of a snowstorm, Oswald is part of the Mounties, and is tasked with bringing in “Putrid Pete” the infamous villain portrayed in a wanted poster.
Oswald is noticeably terrified, quaking in his boots, but his commanding officer sends him out into the snow regardless. Oswald manages to hop on a mechanical horse, cranking him up for the pursuit. It’s another appearance of a mechanical animal, after the mechanical cow in the short of the same name. This is a theme that reappears in many of the shorts, even back to Julius.
Oswald’s mechanical horse barrels down one corner as Pete comes down the other, and they collide at the end. Oswald attempts to confront Pete, bringing out a giant gun, but the bullet/cannonball merely bounces off of Pete and knocks Oswald out. Pete chokes him, squeezing him until his tongue is splattered out of his mouth on the snow. Thinking he’s accidentally killed the rabbit (insert your What’s Opera, Doc joke here), Pete runs away.
Oswald comes to and attempts to put his horse back together. Cramming a spring in the horse’s body backfires, though, and the horse falls to pieces. Frustrated, Oswald kicks the pieces and the horse jumps back together and takes off. Meanwhile, Pete is mushing his dog sled through the snow, eventually running into an accidental turn, where the dogs go one way and he goes another. The dogs collide at the bottom of a hill and end up merged, in a funny bit.
Oswald finally catches up just as Pete hits a bear that begins chasing him. In a clever turn of events, the bear is chasing both Oswald and Pete when Oswald has a plan. Seeing the nearby jail, he opens the door and ushers Pete in, motioning that he will be safe in there. Inevitably, though, both Pete and the bear end up inside, leaving Oswald victorious as the short ends.
As I said, this is one of the simpler shorts. The story is fairly straightforward, and there is less reliance on gags in this than in the other Oswalds. What’s interesting is that there are not as many different perspectives and camera tricks here as there were in Rival Romeos. I’m not sure which unit (Iwerks or Ising) worked on this one, perhaps my commenters can say, but I think there is a difference in styles between the two. Overall, though, the consistency in the Oswald shorts is much greater than the Alice Comedies, showing development among both Walt and the animators in their craft.
All images copyright Disney. All rights reserved.
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