Just watched this Walter Lantz Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon on YouTube. In this one, Oswald is wooing a heavyset hippo lady with his guitar. Then comes a rival senorita cat to make the rabbit weak in the knees. Which one to pick since they're both attractive to him. (Oswald really likes the ladies, huh?) Looks like the Lucky Rabbit has competition himself in the form of a matador ready to fight the bull as both the hippo and the cat leave Oswald cold. The bull, however, manages to butt the matador back out of the stadium so it's up to Oswald to go in the ring...This one was quite an improvement over a couple of other early Lantz-Oswald cartoons as the music and sound effects-for the most part-were in sync. And the gags were better animated, not to mention the print was much better. So on that note, I'm recommending Chilly Con Carmen.
2 Reviews
Oswald in the bullring
TheLittleSongbird29 May 2017
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.
'Chilly Con Carmen' is one of the better Walter Lantz Oswald cartoons, a few of which were decent but there were a fair share of disappointments. It is a decent representation of Lantz and Oswald is closer to his personality in the Disney and Winkler era cartoons due to having a premise that allows for that to happen.
Admittedly the story is paper thin and over-familiar (not unexpected, the story has never been a strength in the Oswald cartoons even in the best ones) and while the gags hit more than they miss thankfully a couple could have had sharper timing and are a little on the unimaginative side.
On the other hand, the animation is good, at a time when the animation quality generally had taken a significant and very much noticeable nosedive. Transitions are smoother and there are some very nice details and fluidity. Synchronisation is much better, not sloppy, and the sound is more resonant. The music is energetic.
The gags are mostly inventively done and actually fun, while Oswald is endearing. The bull is also an entertaining character.
In conclusion, decent Lantz Oswald cartoon and one of his better ones. 7/10 Bethany Cox
'Chilly Con Carmen' is one of the better Walter Lantz Oswald cartoons, a few of which were decent but there were a fair share of disappointments. It is a decent representation of Lantz and Oswald is closer to his personality in the Disney and Winkler era cartoons due to having a premise that allows for that to happen.
Admittedly the story is paper thin and over-familiar (not unexpected, the story has never been a strength in the Oswald cartoons even in the best ones) and while the gags hit more than they miss thankfully a couple could have had sharper timing and are a little on the unimaginative side.
On the other hand, the animation is good, at a time when the animation quality generally had taken a significant and very much noticeable nosedive. Transitions are smoother and there are some very nice details and fluidity. Synchronisation is much better, not sloppy, and the sound is more resonant. The music is energetic.
The gags are mostly inventively done and actually fun, while Oswald is endearing. The bull is also an entertaining character.
In conclusion, decent Lantz Oswald cartoon and one of his better ones. 7/10 Bethany Cox
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