Oswald gets a raw deal in Rival Romeos (1928)

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, yeah, but only because it’s about six minutes long and moves like a fever dream. If you like seeing the early, slightly weirder version of what became the Disney empire, you’ll dig it. People who need a hero to actually *win* at the end will probably find it a bit annoying.

It starts with Oswald driving this car that looks like it’s made of rubber. The physics in these old shorts always make me laugh because the car doesn't just drive; it *bounces* and stretches like it’s alive. Oswald is just trying to get to his girl, but then this rival shows up in a much fancier car.

The rival looks a bit like a prototype for Pete, and he’s a total jerk. He speeds past Oswald and kicks up a bunch of dust, which is the classic 'silent movie' way of saying *this guy is the villain*.

Then they hit the mud puddle. This is actually my favorite part because it’s so simple. The rival stops because he doesn’t want to get his shiny car dirty, but Oswald just blasts through it. He ends up covered in black ink—I mean mud—and just keeps going.

There’s a weirdly personal energy to how Oswald handles it. He’s not even mad about being dirty; he’s just focused on the goal. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Running Wild, where everything feels like it’s vibrating.

Once he gets to the house, the movie shifts into this strange musical bit. Oswald starts serenading the girl, but the local animals are not having it. A goat shows up and just starts eating the music. Like, literally eating the physical notes as they come out of the instrument.

I wonder if the animators were just bored or if they really thought goats eating music was the height of comedy. Either way, it’s a great visual gag. The way the goat’s neck stretches as it gulps down a 'G-clef' is just... classic.

The rival eventually catches up, and he’s cleaned his car, I guess. He and Oswald start a big fight over who gets the girl. It’s one of those cartoon brawls where it’s just a cloud of dust with arms and legs sticking out.

While they are beating the literal stuffing out of each other, this third guy just rolls up. He’s in this tiny, pathetic-looking car that looks like it came out of The Cannon Ball Express but smaller. He doesn't say anything, he just picks up the girl and they drive off.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Rival Romeos (1928) through its definitive frames.

The girl doesn’t even hesitate. She just leaves both of them. The look on Oswald’s face at the end is genuinely sad for a second before the iris fades out. It’s kind of a bummer!

The animation quality is a bit hit or miss, which is expected for 1928. Some of the background trees look like they were drawn in about five seconds. But the character movement is so fluid it almost feels like it’s too fast for the screen to handle.

I noticed one weird thing: in the middle of the race, Oswald’s car loses a wheel, and it just sort of *grows back*? Or maybe I missed a frame where he fixed it. These old prints are sometimes missing bits, so it's hard to tell.

It’s definitely not as polished as something like The Man in the Iron Mask, obviously, but for a gag-heavy short, it works. It doesn't try to be deep. It just wants to show a rabbit getting hit in the head with a banjo.

There is a sequence where the rival's car literally hops over a fence like a horse. It’s a bit too much logic-breaking even for a cartoon. It feels like the animators couldn't figure out a better way to get him past the obstacle, so they just made the car jump.

I think the reason I like this more than the early Mickey stuff is that Oswald feels more like a loser. He tries so hard and just gets stepped on by everyone. Mickey became too much of a 'nice guy' later on, but Oswald still has that rough edge.

If you're into film history, you can see where a lot of the later tropes started here. The 'third suitor' ending became a staple for a reason. It’s the ultimate punchline to a long build-up of two guys being idiots.

Overall, it’s a fun little relic. Don't expect to be moved to tears or anything. Just enjoy the weirdness of a time when cars were made of jelly and goats ate sheet music. 🐐

The ending shot lingers just long enough to make you feel bad for the rabbit. Then it’s over. It’s abrupt, messy, and kinda perfect for what it is.