Alice Rattled by Rats

Plot

In this silent animated comedy from the Alice Comedies series, Alice leaves her cat in charge of guarding the house while she's away. The cat's attempt to catch a mischievous rat backfires when he shoots a hole in the floor and falls into a vat of home-brewed alcohol, becoming intoxicated. With the cat incapacitated, the rats take over the house, dancing and singing before playing in the bathtub. The cat eventually sobers up after landing in a cactus and attempts revenge by planting a bomb to destroy the rats, but the clever rodents turn the tables, attaching the explosive to the cat instead. The resulting explosion blows up the cat, Alice, and several nearby trees in a typical cartoon finale.

Historical Background

1925 was a pivotal year in animation history, with the industry transitioning from simple novelty shorts to more sophisticated storytelling. The Alice Comedies represented Disney's innovative approach to combining live-action with animation, a technique that would influence future filmmakers. This period saw the rise of animation as a legitimate art form, with studios like Disney, Fleischer, and Van Beuren competing for theater bookings. The film was released during the Roaring Twenties, a time of economic prosperity and cultural change in America, which influenced the playful and sometimes risqué content of animated shorts. The Jazz Age aesthetic is reflected in the rats' dancing sequence and the overall energetic tone of the film.

Making Of

The Alice Comedies were created after Disney lost the rights to his earlier character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks worked tirelessly in their small studio in Los Angeles, often working late into the night to meet deadlines. Margie Gay, who played Alice, was just a child actress and had to be carefully directed during the live-action segments. The animation team would shoot the live-action footage first, then create animated sequences around it. The rats' dance sequence was particularly challenging to animate, requiring careful timing to match the musical accompaniment that would be played during theater screenings. The production team often reused animation cycles to save time and money, a practice that was common in the industry at the time.

Visual Style

The film combined live-action cinematography with traditional cel animation. The live-action segments were shot in black and white using standard cameras of the era, with careful attention to lighting to ensure smooth integration with the animated elements. The animation was created using the cel technique, where characters were drawn on transparent celluloid sheets and photographed over background paintings. The film used innovative matting techniques to blend the live-action and animated elements, creating the illusion that Alice was interacting with the cartoon characters. The explosion sequence utilized multiple exposure techniques to create a more dynamic visual effect.

Innovations

The film's primary technical achievement was the seamless integration of live-action and animation elements. Disney and his team developed innovative matting and compositing techniques to create the illusion of interaction between the live-action Alice and the animated characters. The animation itself showed increasing sophistication in movement and character expression compared to earlier entries in the series. The film also demonstrated advances in timing and rhythm, particularly in the synchronized dance sequence of the rats. The explosion finale utilized multiple animation layers to create a more complex visual effect than was typical for shorts of this period.

Music

As a silent film, Alice Rattled by Rats would have been accompanied by live music during theater screenings. The musical score would have been performed by a theater organist or small orchestra, often using compiled music from various sources. The score would have included popular songs of the era and classical pieces chosen to match the on-screen action. The rats' dancing sequence would have been accompanied by upbeat jazz music, reflecting the Roaring Twenties aesthetic. The bomb sequence would have featured dramatic, tension-building music typical of silent film accompaniment. No original score was composed specifically for this short.

Memorable Scenes

• The cat's intoxicated antics after falling into the home-brew vat, where he stumbles and sees double
• The rats' elaborate dance sequence in the now-empty house, showcasing synchronized animation
• The bathtub scene where the rats play in the water, creating bubbles and splashes
• The climactic explosion sequence where the bomb detonates, sending characters and trees flying

What Critics Said

Contemporary reviews of Alice Comedies were generally positive, with trade publications like Variety and The Moving Picture World praising the innovative combination of live-action and animation. Critics noted the clever gags and smooth animation transitions. Modern animation historians view the Alice Comedies as essential stepping stones in Disney's evolution, with Alice Rattled by Rats cited as an example of the series' increasing sophistication in both storytelling and technical execution. The film is now studied as an important example of early 1920s animation techniques and Disney's developing style.

What Audiences Thought

The Alice Comedies were popular with theater audiences in the mid-1920s, particularly with children and families. Alice Rattled by Rats would have been shown as part of a theater program alongside newsreels and feature films. The combination of a real girl (Alice) with cartoon characters was novel and appealing to audiences of the time. The slapstick comedy and visual gags translated well across language barriers, making the series popular internationally. The film's playful tone and exaggerated action sequences were well-received by audiences looking for lighthearted entertainment during the prosperous Roaring Twenties.

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