Live-action animated film match with a live kitten. In a variation from this and inspired to do so Walt Disney's first directorial efforts, years before Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was born in 1927 and Mickey Mouse in 1928, were the live-action animated "Alice Comedies" cartoons, in which a young live-action girl named Alice interacted with animated cartoon characters. Many previous films combining live action with stop-motion animation using back projection, such as Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen films in the United States, and Aleksandr Ptushko, Karel Zeman and more recently Jan Švankmajer in Eastern Europe. The first feature film to do this was
The Merry Old Soul The Merry Old Soul The Merry Old Soul is a 1933 animated short film by Walter Lantz Productions, and part of the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series. The cartoon was also nominated for an Academy Award. Oswald goes to a dental clinic for treatment to his cavity problem. While the dentist tries to pull out his damaged tooth, news break out of a radio in the shop, reporting that the king is in serious depression and needs to be cheered up. In this, Oswald abandons his dental treatment, and heads outside to spread the word. In his castle, Old King