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.
Although still uneven, so far the 1932 batch of Oswald cartoons has been generally better than the mostly disappointing 1931 batch. Most of the cartoons from that year were average or less, with only six being above average or more, those being 'Country School', 'The Farmer', 'Radio Rhythm', 'The Bandmaster', 'The Hunter' and 'Wonderland'.
'The Winged Horse' is not one of the best so far of the 1932 Oswald cartoons, like 'Grandma's Pet' and 'Beau and Arrows', but it is better than the returns to mediocrity that were 'Wins Out' and 'Let's Eat'. It is a fairly average and forgettable cartoon however, and stands up rather primitively.
Some of the animation is not bad. Some of it is primitive with a lack of refinement and some crudeness, but enough parts are smooth and detailed with Oswald's movements, gestures and expressions still very much natural, like the generally freer, more elaborate and faster look of a good deal of Oswald cartoons at this time. Few signs of choppiness or incompleteness.
Music is another strength. It has an energetic nature, fits well and is dynamic with the action, then again the music is nearly always good in the Oswald cartoons. Synchronisation is good, and some of the gags are amusing and well timed.
Oswald endears and the other characters while archetypal are fun However, the story is barely existent and what there is is predictable and repetitive. While there are moments the funny moments are too far and between, the lack of energy, predictability and repetition hurting it.
While some of the animation is not bad at all, other parts as aforementioned are on the primitive side.
In summary, average and forgettable and there have been other Oswald cartoons that have held up far better. 5/10 Bethany Cox