The first animated cartoons appeared in the first decade of the twentieth century and it’s fair to say that cartoon horses weren’t far behind. Horace Horsecollar, for example, was one of the earliest animated characters created by Walt Disney, making his silver screen debut, as regular domesticated horse, in ‘The Plowboy’ (1929). Recognisable by his trademark headcollar, overalls, bow tie and bowler hat, he quickly evolved anthropomorphic traits – not least being an attention-seeking showoff – and, along with his girlfriend, Clarabelle Cow, played a supporting role to Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Likewise, Sugarfoot, a short-lived Walter Lanz character, first appeared in theatres, as a faithful old plough horse, in ‘A Horse’s Tale’ (1954) and ‘Hay Rube’ (1954) and later, on television, as a supporting character in ‘The Woody Woodpecker Show’. A more enduring anthropomorphic character from the same era, though, was Quick Draw McGraw, from Hanna-Barbera. A white stallion, usually depicted as a sheriff in the Old West, complete with stetson, gunbelt and bandana, he was the title character of ‘The Quick Draw McGraw Show’, which ran for three seasons between 1959 and 1961.
Fast forward to 1999 and ‘Toy Story 2′, produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, introduced the loyal, carefree and utterly adorable Bullseye, as the horse belonging to Jessie, the Yodelin’ Cowgirl. A non-speaking, bay horse, he’s more doggish than anthropomorphic, but nonetheless highly animated and hugely affectionate towards the other characters.
Of course, the appeal of cartoon horses continues to the present day. Notable recent examples include Spirit, a Kiger Mustang, who’s the title character in ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ (2002) by Dreamworks Animation, and Maximus, based on the Andalusian, who’s a supporting character in ‘Tangled’ (2010), by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The former embodies the spirit of pride, courage and resilience, refusing to be broken when captured by the U.S. Cavalry and remaining steadfast in his determination to return to his wild herd. The latter, too, begins as a faithful palace horse for the Royal Guard of Corona, the birthplace of Rapunzel, on a mission to track down thief Flynn Rider. Later, though, he forms an unlikely alliance with Rapunzel and Rider, revealing a softer, warmer side of his character.