The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 2, Winter 2019 | Page 84

Mickey Mouse and Merry Melodies: Ho Entertained and Inspired Americ stead, she said they seemed more interested in the scary trees and violence. At the Warner Brothers studio, co-founder Jack Warner knew the live-action movie I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang would “make us some enemies” with its plot: a decorated World War I veteran ends up in a Southern chain gang for a crime he didn’t commit during the post-war economic slump. When he finally escapes, he escapes right into the Great Depression. 13 Still, hundreds of animated shorts and films from Disney and Warner Brothers were wildly popular during the 1930s. Disney’s Silly Symphonies and Mickey Mouse cartoons and Warner Bros.’ Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes were fierce competitors, but they all entertained, provided commentary on current affairs and national emotions, and shared messages with upper-, middle-, and working-class audiences. One of the most poignant shorts that came out of the Depression featured a Disney-created character that was distributed by Universal Pictures, which often co-produced films with Warner Bros. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the star of the Confidence short released in 1933. Disney and legendary animator Ub Iwerks created Oswald in early 1927 for Universal, but the duo lost the character when they broke from the studios about a year later. 14 Disney as a company wouldn’t regain control of Oswald and the character’s cartoons until 2006. In Confidence, Oswald is a successful and happy farmer until a toxic dump down the road forms a black cloud named Depression that wreaks 3