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.
Oswald in the Disney years saw mostly good to very good cartoons, and while the Winkler years had some duds there were also cartoons as good as the best of the Disney years. The 1929-1930 batches of Walter Lantz-directed Oswald cartoons were a mixed bag, with some good, some forgettable and not much special and a few mediocre. The 1931 batch was mostly underwhelming, with only 6 out of 18 cartoons being above average or more. The 1932 batch had a few not so good, though the cartoons in question were nothing compared to the worst of the previous 3 years, cartoons, but most were decent to good and some even very good. The 1933 batch is one of the most consistent, with the weakest 'Beau Best' still being decent.
The 1934 cartoons mostly have been nice, decent but unexceptional, apart from the average 'Chris Columbus Jnr' and 'The Dizzy Dwarf'. 'Sky Larks' is a strong contender as the best Oswald cartoon of 1934. It may be slight in story, structurally that is, and the documentary footage that is seen in the cinema at the beginning jars with the animation a bit and doesn't look anywhere near as good.
However, the animation is very good. There is the looser and more elaborate look of many of the previous Lantz era Oswald cartoons, revelling in the rubbery style seen in the Oswald cartoons made around this time.
Love the music too, which is very characterful and beautifully orchestrated and performed.
Gags are well timed and amusing, if not hilarious. Oswald's adventures are very enjoyable and charming to see unfold, and it avoids the cutesiness and saccharine factors that a good deal of the previous 1934 cartoons had. Oswald is endearing and fun to watch as ever.
To conclude, a very nicely done cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox
