| The Hare Mail | |
| Director: | Walter Lantz Bill Nolan |
| Animator: | Manuel Moreno Ray Abrams Fred Avery Lester Kline Vet Anderson |
| Starring: | Mickey Rooney |
| Music: | James Dietrich |
| Producer: | Walter Lantz |
| Studio: | Walter Lantz Productions |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Color Process: | Black and white |
| Runtime: | 6:17 |
| Language: | English |
The Hare Mail is a 1931 short animated film by Walter Lantz Productions and among the many featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.[1] The film is also one of the few where Mickey Rooney voiced the title character.[2]
Oswald is on the streets selling newspapers. Suddenly he hears a distress call coming from a nearby house.
Oswald comes to the house, and peeps through a window. Inside he sees a large turbulent bear interrogating a small living doll about the money's location. When the doll refuses to tell, the bear turns to an old lynx who is the doll's "maternal grandfather". Oswald tries to intervene, only to be easily pushed aside. When the lynx also refuses, the bear ties the doll onto a lumber which is then placed to be sliced by a buzz saw. The lynx finally gives in, and the bear immediately finds a sack of cash hidden within that feline. The lynx then asks the bear to release the doll but the bear just thinks it would be pleasant to have her halved as the canine flees. Oswald returns to the house with a group of cops but the bear has already gone. Instead, the rabbit stops the buzz saw and unties the doll.
The bear attempts to leave using a nearby aircraft. Though the plane takes off, Oswald is able to grab onto its tail. The bear, aware of his presence, tries to separate Oswald by removing the plane's tail but Oswald manages to build another plane with it. The bear then drops a sack onto Oswald's plane which is full of primates. The primates, however, teamed with Oswald to get back at the bear. Upon returning to the bear's plane, Oswald and the primates manage to dispose the bear and recover the loot. When Oswald jumps to return to the ground, troubles are not over for him as his parachute refuses to deploy.
The doll and the lynx spot Oswald in the sky. They then use the lynx's long beard to cushion his fall. Oswald and the doll give each other a smooch.