The Mystery Cartoon Character Game, ongoing.

Thanks, clue 3 pointed me in the right direction.

I'm not in favor of civilization.
I can't handle my son reading and my daughter wanting to marry a civilized boy.
I blame my wife.

This one's a real stumper. Someone else probably knows.

Offhand, this sounds like Dik Browne's Hagar The Horrible, from the newspaper comics. His son is Hamlet, who likes reading rather than fighting, and his daughter is Honi, who lets herself be courted by the minstrel Lute. I can only presume that Hagar was animated at some point; I've not seen this, though.

Oh, and many congrats to EmeraldIsle for attaining the 250 Correct Responses mark. Those are mighty fine cognitive skills, EI.

You are correct OUB, the answer is Hagar and he was indeed animated. The TV special aired on CBS in 1989. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera.

You're up!

Well, to quote the late Jim Nabors' character Gomer Pyle: "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" I never knew Hagar had been animated; otherwise all the other clues pointed squarely at him, so that's a tribute to your clue-giving. Let's see if I can do as well:

1) This character first appeared in an animated feature film, not as the star character, but rather in a pointedly small role.

2) This character can make sounds, but none of them are human speech. Fortunately, this character can read and write well ... very, very well.

3) As might be deduced, this character isn't human: too many feet to qualify as such, and at least one of them must be inordinately lucky.

The third clue makes it a rabbit, but this will need to be looked up.

For the record, Jim Nabors is still alive. I don't know who this is yet.

I think I'll wait for the next set of clues, meself.

I'll also be waiting for the next set.

Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Nabors, and Glowworm. I've obviously gotten my facts mixed up. It was his co-star, Frank Sutton that died, back in 1974.

Try not to get old like me. It's not the knees that go, or the back, or the ol' razzle-dazzle. It's the head that goes first, from rust and cobwebs.

*clears throat* More clues comin'. Might wanna duck...

4) This character was put in a cage and sold publicly in the marketplace. Bought by a nice old lady, fortunately. Though he does get put to the test in short order. He passed the test ... then passed out.

5) For a little guy, it'd be hard to believe he has a menacing gaze, but he does. He stares an official square in the eye and bends his resolution. Must be something about the uniform, yeah.

6) Though freed from the cage early on, this character must have a sense of loyalty, or propriety, or something. Instead of making a break for the wild, this character stays with the title character, right up to and including the climactic showdown.

I still don't have it. Guess I'll have to check for movies about a bunny bought by an old lady.

I'm stumped too! "pointedly small role"..."read and write well"..."too many feet".. "one must be lucky"...""put in a cage"..."sold...in the marketplace" - these are such enticing clues - But I'm just not getting anything!

Well, I'm absolutely tickled silly at this. While an admittedly minor character, I found him to be nonetheless memorable. It's tempting to declare this a "stumper," but I'll give it one more go. *evil chortling*

7) Walt Disney Pictures introduced this character. As usual for WDP, they took the essential story, discarded some distasteful elements, then took huge artistic liberties everywhere else. This character is one of the funner embellishments.

8) The hero of the picture confronts the principal villain, and the two fight briefly. The hero, however, does not actually vanquish the villain. Two "sidekicks" for lack of a better term, arrive on the scene. One acts as a pack mule, carrying the weapon into the scene. This character is the one that activates the weapon, which disposes of the villain.

9) And stop thinking that this is a bunny! He's not. Nor any lagomorph. Not even a mammal, for that matter. Jiminy Christmas, solve this one already.

Wait a second--Crik-Kee the cricket from Mulan. Unlike everyone else--I did not think this was a bunny. Too many legs.

Ta-da, at last, someone gets this. Yes, Glowworm, this is Cri-Kee from Disney's Mulan.
1) He's a minor character, and as a cricket, he's only three inches long, if that: "small role."
2) Cri-Kee can only chirp and squeak thanks to Frank Welker, the man who understands wordless speech better than anyone. And it's almost like an homage to Fred "Tex" Avery by having Cri-Kee function like a typewriter by getting ink on his feet and hopping around on a blank page to produce a Chinese document.
3) And Cri-Kee has six feet, being an insect.
4) One of them must be lucky because when he was bought by Grandmother Fa, she tested his luckiness by ambling blindly into traffic. When she emerged unscathed, she declared Cri-Kee "a lucky one." Cri-Kee, stupefied at having survived certain doom, faints in his little cage.
5) It was also Cri-Kee in the battle helmet that glares at Chi Fu while handing him the marching orders, though Mushu did all the talking.
6) And yes, even after being freed from his cage, Cri-Kee stays with Mulan. Loyal li'l bug, ain't he?
7) Walt Disney Pictures, obviously.
8) Fa Mulan does battle Shan Yu atop the Imperial palace, but she only disarms him and pins him in place. It was Mushu that brought the large fireworks rocket into the fray, and it was Cri-Kee that lit the fuse. Talk about going out with a bang ...
9) Cri-Kee, a cricket. Insect, one for the entomologists. And Jiminy Christmas, of course, being a veiled reference to Jiminy Cricket.

Good for you, GW. Collect another well-earned +1. Everyone else gets to rub their legs together until they chirp.

I also doubted the rabbit theory - "too many legs" sounds like more than four - but Cri-Kee never crossed my mind! Excellent clues, and well done, Glowworm!

I didn't think it was a rabbit either due to clue 3. Also, I only saw Mulan once and forgot about Cri-Kee. I also should have remembered that a cricket is a sign of good luck in China.

Sometimes, if the type of animal isn't specified, it makes it harder to guess. I realize that sometimes, if the type of animal *is* specified, it turns it into a dead giveaway, but . . . . well, you get my drift. I hope.

And I was thrown off by the lucky foot clue, having always associated rabbits' feet with good luck.

Yeah, I figured that unless it was some sort of many legged bunny--it could not be possible. I've seen Mulan in its entirety only once--and actually forgot the cricket's name--I had to edit my post because I called him Lucky. (Due to what everyone assumed him to be.) The poor little guy is easily overshadowed by Mushu.

Anyhow, this one should not be too difficult.

1. I have a deceptive name, as I am the villain in this short.
2. I have a transformation scene--although it starts out with a fake out.
3. I attempt to get rid of six family heirs at once in order to take over their estate.