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	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	November 30, 1931 (1931-11-30)
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 bear interrogating a small living doll about the money's location. When the doll refuses to tell, the bear turns to an old lynx who is the doll's "maternal grandfather". Oswald tries to intervene, only to be easily pushed aside. When the lynx also refuses, the bear ties the doll onto a lumber which is then placed to be sliced by a buzz saw. The lynx finally gives in, and the bear immediately finds a sack of cash hidden within that feline. The lynx then asks the bear to release the doll but the bear 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 bear has already gone. Instead, the rabbit stops the buzz saw and unties the doll.

The bear attempts to leave using a nearby aircraft. Though the plane takes off, Oswald is able to grab onto its tail. The bear, aware of his presence, tries to separate Oswald by removing the plane's tail but Oswald manages to build another plane with it. The bear then drops a sack onto Oswald's plane which is full of primates. The primates, however, teamed with Oswald to get back at the bear. Upon returning to the bear's plane, Oswald and the primates manage to dispose the bear 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

1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
2. "The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1931". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.

External links

• The Hare Mail at the Big Cartoon Database