''Trolley Troubles'' is a 1927

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

film, produced by Charles B. Mintz and George Winkler and directed by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

. The cartoon is the first appearance of

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit, Oswald Rabbit, and Ozzie) is an animated series, animated cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He starred in several animated short film ...

, a character that Disney and

Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert "Ub" Iwerks ( ; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, Invention, inventor, and special effects technician, known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios in general, and f ...

created for

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

and Mintz.

History

In the early summer of 1927, Walt Disney finished the first Oswald cartoon, entitled '' Poor Papa'', but Universal was not very satisfied. They had expected a more

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

-like character and thought Oswald was too elderly and too fat. Disney agreed to make some changes and the cartoon was not released in theatres at the time. It is possible that the film was inspired by ''The Toonerville Trolley'' (1920) short film based on the Toonerville Folks newspaper cartoon. Instead, Oswald's second-produced cartoon was submitted for release: ''Trolley Troubles''. Universal was pleased and the short was released by Universal on September 5, 1927. The press loved the new cartoon series Walt made and Oswald became a popular character. From then on, a new cartoon was released every two weeks. As for ''Poor Papa'', it was released eventually in theatres, although Universal held it back until 1928. In total, nine Oswald cartoons were released in 1927. The cartoon was reissued on November 23, 1931, after Walter Lantz Productions took over the Oswald series. This re-release was completed with music and sound effects. The copyright for ''Trolley Troubles'' expired in 1955.

Plot

Oswald is preparing a trolley to transport his bunny kids and other animal characters, but there are some obstacles. The first is Bessie the cow who walks onto the tracks and refuses to move until Oswald drives the trolley underneath her. Oswald thinks that all is well until the hill gets steep. Oswald uses a

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

to get the trolley up the hill, then down the hill. The trolley unexpectedly goes onto a bumpy road, tossing the kids out of the trolley. Oswald prays that he will live, takes off his foot, kisses it and rubs it on his head (as per the saying that a rabbit's foot gives a good luck). Eventually, the trolley crashes into a river and becomes a raft. Oswald uses a big stick to row it downstream.

Home media

The short was released on December 11, 2007, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit''. A restored version of the short was released on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

on September 7, 2023, as part of Disney's 100th Anniversary.

References

External links

* * {{Clarabelle Cow in animation 1920s Disney animated short films Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons 1927 animated short films Films directed by Walt Disney Universal Pictures short films Universal Pictures animated short films Animated films about animals Animated films without speech Rail transport films 1920s American films Silent American comedy short films Surviving American silent films American animated black-and-white films