ReFrederator Blog

It’s only appropriate that we celebrate our “Nice Place to Visit… Week” with an episode starring one of Toondom’s foremost travelers, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Many of his early talkies simply had one word destination-type titles (”Mexico,” “Africa,” “Alaska,” “Mars,” etc.)

Today he’s “In Wonderland,” but you won’t find much Lewis Carroll material here (although there is an ogre who looks like he could have inspired Maurice Sendak and “Where the Wild Things Are.”) What we have is a revised 1931 version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” juiced up with some grotesque touches, not the least of which is the family cow who walks around with a detachable head BEFORE she gets enchanted by the neighborhood witch. Directorial credit is given to Walter Lantz and Bill Nolan (or “Bill” Nolan as the actual title card would have it.) I think they both might have popped some magic beans before cooking this imaginative item up.

Tomorrow ReFrederator brings you a familiar face in an unfamiliar landscape.

Dave Kirwan