Lost Short Film “Uncle Walt” Found And Sold On eBay.

One of the greatest things about film history is how sometimes certain things can get lost and later uncovered. For example, film sets and props from the 1923 version of The Ten Commandments were found buried in the Guadalupe Dunes, where it was originally filmed and abandoned, swallowed by the sands. It was like an archeological dig in Egypt.

Now, a piece of history once believed to be lost has been uncovered on eBay, of all places.

According to @LostMediaBusters on Twitter/X, a reel for the 1964 short film Uncle Walt was listed online for sale and bought by a private user. The reel sold for $172.50 USD or £132.84 GBP.

🚨BREAKING🚨: The long-lost unauthorized 1964 short film 'Uncle Walt' was listed on eBay a couple days ago and has been now bought by an unknown user!

Hopefully, we see it finally released soon!

For more info: https://t.co/awnNdR2f1k pic.twitter.com/YRnPOeGFhb

— Lost Media Busters (@LostMediaBuster) August 19, 2024

The short film was made in 1964 by then-UCLA student Robert Swarthe as part of a workshop. It takes a rather twisted approach to the classic characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the style of their old black-and-white shorts from decades prior. The short was last seen in 1972 and has been publicly unavailable for over 50 years.

The short depicts Mickey and Minnie as they come across various racial stereotypes and depictions of female fantasy characters from Fantasia working in a red-light district, with some being topless. There are also visuals depicting disturbing scenes involving graphic violence, death, and even toilet humor. Definitely not something Disney himself would have approved of.



There have been a few screenshots of the lost short floating around the internet over the years, but this recent listing added more context to the overall short. It is unknown who the buyer of the reel is or if they intend to share it. The screenshots have since been added to the Lost Media wiki archive.

Earlier this year, Thunderbean Animation announced a BluRay set called Public Domain Mouse Adventures! It will feature three public-domain Mickey Mouse shorts and additional shorts, including Uncle Walt. Other than a pre-order listing, no release date has yet been given.

What do you think? Is this piece of lost media being found a good thing for film history? Or should it have remained buried? Let us know your thoughts.