Sagebrush Sadie: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Disney, 1928) – Genga

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "Sagebrush Sadie," a lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from April 2, 1928, created by Walt Disney for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—offering a haunting glimpse into early animation history, preserved only as "Genga" sketches. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he plays a cowboy on a mountain road, attempting to rescue his girlfriend Ortensia (referred to as Sadie in this title, though not definitively proven) from a runaway stagecoach, only to face rivalry from Pegleg Pete, who tries to outdo him. Both vie to save her, resulting in slapstick chases and western antics, all set against simple, whimsical backgrounds typical of the era. Considered lost with no known footage remaining, surviving pencil animation drawings were used for recreated "pencil tests" in the 2007 Oswald DVD release, and later story sketches emerged, showing the final scene of Oswald and Sadie riding together. A poignant window into 1920s animation’s golden age, this preserved fragment—marking one of Disney’s final Oswald shorts before leaving Universal—grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a rare, fleeting peek at a lost western classic frozen in time.