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.
While not one of the best 1934 Oswald cartoons, 'Ye Happy Pilgrims' is an improvement over the previous two cartoons 'The Dizzy Dwarf' and particularly 'Chris Columbus Jnr'.
Although it does have a lovely Thanksgiving atmosphere, the story is very thin and barely existent which does at times affect the momentum, which could at times have done with more spring. For an Oswald cartoon, although not as much as other cartoons from this period of his cartoons, it's pretty restrained stuff, which will be disappointing for anybody who loves the chaotic Oswald, and at times saccharine.
However, 'Ye Happy Pilgrims' is made more than watchable by particularly the animation which is terrific. It is elaborate, beautifully and cleverly drawn and rich in detail in the backgrounds, some of it in the gags is quite imaginative too.
Love the music too, which is very characterful and beautifully orchestrated and performed. While there could perhaps have been more, the gags are very well-timed, flawless in a few cases, and raise some nice laughs. Oswald is endearing.
All in all, nice Thanksgiving Oswald cartoon. 6/10 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.
While not one of the best 1934 Oswald cartoons, 'Ye Happy Pilgrims' is an improvement over the previous two cartoons 'The Dizzy Dwarf' and particularly 'Chris Columbus Jnr'.
Although it does have a lovely Thanksgiving atmosphere, the story is very thin and barely existent which does at times affect the momentum, which could at times have done with more spring. For an Oswald cartoon, although not as much as other cartoons from this period of his cartoons, it's pretty restrained stuff, which will be disappointing for anybody who loves the chaotic Oswald, and at times saccharine.
However, 'Ye Happy Pilgrims' is made more than watchable by particularly the animation which is terrific. It is elaborate, beautifully and cleverly drawn and rich in detail in the backgrounds, some of it in the gags is quite imaginative too.
Love the music too, which is very characterful and beautifully orchestrated and performed. While there could perhaps have been more, the gags are very well-timed, flawless in a few cases, and raise some nice laughs. Oswald is endearing.
All in all, nice Thanksgiving Oswald cartoon. 6/10 Bethany Cox
