Race Riot: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Lantz, 1929)

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "Race Riot," a landmark silent Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from September 2, 1929, produced and directed by Walter Lantz for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—marking Lantz’s debut as Oswald’s producer and the first cartoon entirely under his control. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he tries to convince his lazy horse, Mopey, to compete in a horse race and win. The story begins with Mopey comically sleeping in a human bed; Oswald wakes him with a scream, but Mopey feigns illness to avoid the race, prompting Oswald to try administering castor oil, causing Mopey to burst through the wall in a panic. Oswald then attempts to weigh Mopey on a scale, which the horse flattens, and signals a cigar-smoking, piano-playing dog to play music for stretches, but Mopey dances instead, earning a punch from Oswald. Late for the race, Oswald mounts Mopey, using his ear to burst a rival hippo (ridden by a dog), a match to burn an elephant (ridden by a mouse), and a fence piece to fuel Mopey over boulders, ultimately winning after Mopey turns into a boulder and flattens the final opponent. The cartoon ends with tiny Oswalds and horses scattering as Mopey, still a boulder, flattens Oswald. Noted for its slapstick humor and early Lantz style, this preserved gem—recorded with Western Electric sound-on-film but released silently—grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a timeless peek at Lantz’s first Oswald adventure frozen in time.