Unnatural History (1925-1927)
Lantz's Unnatural History shorts were launched after the Dinky cartoons had become a well-established series. As far as format went, Unnatural History used the typical Bray-Lantz mix of animation and live-action - though this time the two mediums were generally kept separate from one another. Stories tended to involve a child misbehaving or needing to be entertained at which point Walter would intercede and tell the animated story of how an animal obtained its key physical trait.
Perhaps inspired by Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories ("How the Elephant Got His Trunk," etc.), the Unnatural History films are perhaps the least well-remembered Lantz titles produced at Bray.
Left: Trade paper piece showing poster for the first Unnatural History cartoon and explaining marketing techniques used in the poster's design.
Unnatural History Filmography (16)
Green: Project Print or Video
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
How the Elephant Got His Trunk 10/4/1925
How the Bear Got His Short Tail (aka The Bear's Short Tail) 10/18/1925
How the Camel Got His Hump (aka The Camel's Hump) 11/15/1925
The Leopard's Spots 12/13/1925
The Goat's Whiskers 1/10/1926
How the Giraffe Got His Long Neck (aka The Giraffe's Long Neck) 2/7/1926
The Stork Brought It 3/7/1926
The King of the Beasts 4/4/1926 [animation only]
The Ostrich's Plumes 4/19/1926
The Pelican's Bill 5/30/1926
The Cat's Whiskers 6/20/1926
The Mule's Disposition 7/18/1926
The Pig's Curly Tail 8/15/1926
The Tail of the Monkey 12/29/1926
The Cat's Nine Lives 1/15/1927
The Hyena's Laugh 1/18/1927 [animation only]
Gray: Print Known Elsewhere
Red: No Known Print
How the Elephant Got His Trunk 10/4/1925
How the Bear Got His Short Tail (aka The Bear's Short Tail) 10/18/1925
How the Camel Got His Hump (aka The Camel's Hump) 11/15/1925
The Leopard's Spots 12/13/1925
The Goat's Whiskers 1/10/1926
How the Giraffe Got His Long Neck (aka The Giraffe's Long Neck) 2/7/1926
The Stork Brought It 3/7/1926
The King of the Beasts 4/4/1926 [animation only]
The Ostrich's Plumes 4/19/1926
The Pelican's Bill 5/30/1926
The Cat's Whiskers 6/20/1926
The Mule's Disposition 7/18/1926
The Pig's Curly Tail 8/15/1926
The Tail of the Monkey 12/29/1926
The Cat's Nine Lives 1/15/1927
The Hyena's Laugh 1/18/1927 [animation only]
