April Maze (1930)

Directed by Otto Messmer

Like most animation of its era, April Maze was a mute animated cartoon, traditionally animated by hand and in black and white.

Felix was revolutionary in animation not merely for his charisma and inventiveness, but also in the way which he was drawn by Messmer as he invented a solid black body, which was later copied by Disney for their very own Mickey Mouse.

Felix also helped move cartoons from mere strings of jokes into animating a consistent character who had human qualities and more depth in their caharacter.

Felix and his nephews Inky and Winky Cat in the April Maze short.

The short depicts Felix and his nephews trying to go on a picnic as they encounter various obstacles throught their journey. FIrst they have to deal with a storm cloud that continues to gloom over them. Next, they find a rabbit that gets a snake to steal their meal. When they try to get it back, it rains again so they must go back home.

At the end of the story, a stork comes with a picnic basket and hoping the stork has brought more food, Felix opens the basket only to find out it is just more kittens who jump about as the cartoon ends.

Felix the Cat was the biggest cartoon star of the silent era, he was the first giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and The Yankees adopted him as their mascot in 1922. Charles Lindbergh took a Felix doll with him on his famous transatlantic flight and his image was the very first ever broadcast on television.

He was indeed, "the wonderful wonderful cat".