The Hare Mail
The Hare Mail is a 1931 short animated film by Walter Lantz Productions, and among the many featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.[1] The film is also one of the few where Mickey Rooney voiced the title character.[2]
| The Hare Mail | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Walter Lantz Bill Nolan |
| Produced by | Walter Lantz |
| Starring | Mickey Rooney |
| Music by | James Dietrich |
| Animation by | Manuel Moreno Ray Abrams Fred Avery Lester Kline Vet Anderson |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | November 30, 1931 |
Running time | 6:17 |
| Language | English |
Plot
Oswald is on the streets selling newspapers. Suddenly he hears a distress call coming from a nearby house.
Oswald comes to the house, and peeps through a window. Inside he sees a large turbulent dog interrogating a small living doll about the money's location. When the doll refuses to tell, the dog turns to an old lynx who is the doll's "grandfather." Oswald tries to intervene, only to be easily pushed aside. And when the lynx also refuses, the dog ties the doll onto a lumber which is then placed to be sliced by a buzz saw. The lynx finally gives in, and the dog immediately finds a sack of cash hidden within that feline. The lynx then asks the dog to release the doll but the dog just thinks it would be pleasant to have her halved as the canine flees. Oswald returns to the house with a group of cops but the dog has already gone. Instead, the rabbit stops the buzz saw and unties the doll.
The dog attempts to leave using a nearby aircraft. Though the plane takes off, Oswald is able to grab onto its tail. The dog, who aware of his presence, tries to separate Oswald by removing the plane's tail but Oswald manages to build another plane with it. The dog then drops a sack onto Oswald's plane which is full of primates. The primates, however, teamed with Oswald to get back at the dog. Upon returning to the dog's plane, Oswald and the primates manage to dispose the dog and recover the loot. When Oswald jumps to return to the ground, troubles are not over for him as his parachute refuses to deploy.
The doll and the lynx spot Oswald in the sky. They then use the lynx's long beard to cushion his fall. Oswald and the doll give each other a smooch.
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
- "The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1931". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.