Doctor Oswald: When bullets are the best medicine

Is this worth a watch?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s animation that feels like a fever dream, yes. This is for the cartoon history nerds and anyone who likes their slapstick served with a side of questionable medical advice. If you need a plot that makes sense, or if the idea of a dog swallowing live ammunition makes you flinch, maybe skip this one.

It’s honestly impressive how quickly Doctor Oswald jumps into the deep end. Elmer the dog is sneezing, and within two minutes, we are dealing with a pharmacy's worth of chaotic prop comedy. The whole thing moves at that frantic, jerky pace that makes you wonder if the animators were fueled entirely by black coffee.

There is this one moment where Elmer starts rattling like a maraca after swallowing the bullets. It’s dark, it’s weird, and it’s arguably the funniest part of the whole short. Why does a rabbit have a box of rifle bullets just sitting around the house? We don't ask that here. We just accept it.

I couldn't help but think about how much animation has changed since this. If you watch something like Frozen Thrills, you see a completely different rhythm. Here, everything is about the immediate reaction shot, the exaggerated wince, the physical weight of an object that shouldn't be there.

The sound design is also... something. Every time the dog moves, you hear this tinny, metallic clinking. It gets old after the third time, but the animators clearly loved the gag, so they hit it into the ground. It reminded me a bit of the mechanical persistence in Roof Tops of Manhattan, where the background elements almost feel like they have their own personality.

Is it good? That feels like the wrong question. It’s a relic. It’s a seven-minute burst of cartoon violence that doesn't care if you're comfortable or not. Sometimes that's exactly what I want on a Saturday morning.

• The sneezing animation is surprisingly detailed.
• Oswald’s reaction faces are 90% of the charm.
• The physics of a dog turning into a walking firearm? Hilarious.
• The ending is abrupt, just like most of these old shorts.

I’m not saying it belongs in a museum, but it’s a heck of a lot more interesting than the polished, soulless stuff getting pumped out today. 🐇💊