Oswald's back!

Well! I thought he had been lost to the sands of time, buried underneath years of history. But here he is, back from the dead, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has been "traded" to Disney in exchange for Monday Night Football sportscaster Al Michaels. Perhaps it is only a business move to capitalize on the small burst of popularity Oswald enjoyed overseas...

But then again, perhaps this is a sign that the Mouse House still remembers the importance of its roots, its own history, and the legacy of Walt Disney. But then... what IS the importance of Oswald? Why is it important to remember where animation came from? What can we learn from the old cartoons?

I mean, certainly the quality of animation we've come to expect from modern day films wasn't there yet. Can an old black and white cartoon teach a budding animator how to do proper anticipation, ease ins and outs, keeping volume the same, moving in perspective, etc. etc.? Perhaps not.

So why do we buy those DVDs packaged in tin cases and watch the old shorts? What can the animators of the past teach us today? What can we take away from the patience, effort, struggles and challenges that they faced?