Despite Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his cartoons being popular and well received at the time, they have been vastly overshadowed over time by succeeding animation characters. It is a shame as, while not cartoon masterpieces, they are fascinating for anybody wanting to see what very old animation looked like.'Wonderland' to me is one of the better Oswald cartoons overall, and by far one of the best of the batch from 1931 alongside 'The Farmer', 'Country School', 'The Bandmaster', 'Radio Rhythm' and 'The Hunter'. This is saying a lot seeing as most of the 1931 Oswald cartoons from personal opinion were average or less, the pretty weak 'Northwoods' faring weakest. None are must-avoids however.Maybe 'Wonderland' takes a little while to get going, it's once Oswald is up the beanstalk when the action picks up significantly, and figuring out how everything will be solved and ended is not a surprise.However, the animation is good, and some of the most imaginative of any Oswald cartoon. It is smooth and detailed with Oswald's movements, gestures and expressions still very much natural. Drawings are fine and there is little if any choppiness or incompleteness.Even better is the music, so catchy and has such an infectious energy that toe tapping and singing along is likely to happen. All the gags are very amusing and often more so than that, boasting some imaginative moments when up the beanstalk.The pacing is lively and synchronisation is good. Oswald is an endearing protagonist and the supporting characters are fun presences.Overall, not quite a wonder but very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When I saw the title of this short, I thought it might be a play on the Alice in Wonderland story. Strangely enough, it's actually a re-telling of the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, a fairly interesting one at that. As I want to discuss the short, this is a spoiler warning: This short opens with Oswald singing a song about his grandmother sewing a rip in his pants while his grandmother is sewing a rip in his pants-while he's still wearing them! Granny is being assisted by a rather helpful mouse, who also manages to stick the sleeping cat with the needle at least once.This has all the makings of an old melodrama-the dastardly landlord callously telling granny that if he's not paid the mortgage by six, she gets the boot, complete with maniacal laugh and mustaches. Oswald vows to save the homestead and decides to sell the cow to raise money. A witch materializes from a tree and offers a bag of beans for the cow. There's a really good bit here, where the cow basically becomes a "one cow band" when the sale is completed.The obvious happens-the beans get planted, a beanstalk results and Oswald winds up in a large castle, where he meets a girl who decides to help him. There are some really good visuals, culminating in the two hitching a ride on a spider who doubles as "elevator"-right above the mouth of the sleeping (and snoring) giant.They make it over to the chicken (yes, a chicken) that lays golden eggs, a rather noisy and complex process. Oswald gets one 14-caret golden egg before the giant wakes up and the chase is on. Why Oswald doesn't grab the chicken and take it is a puzzle, but the chicken disappears during the chase, though the girl remains and she goes down the beanstalk with Oswald, both followed closely by the giant.Meanwhile, back at the old homestead, granny is weeping as the dastardly landlord is cackling that only one minute remains, when Oswald announces his impending arrival. The landlord cuts down the the beanstalk, laughing a somewhat premature victory laugh-the giant hits him and they're both driven into the ground, while Oswald and the girl land safely. There's a victory dance by Oswald, the girl, the cat and the mouse around an improvised maypole and we leave the happy scene, where virtue has once again emerged triumphant-as long as you ignore the fact that Oswald trespassed and stole from the giant, of course. Minor details.This short is available on the DVD Attack of the '30s Characters and it is well worth watching. Recommended.