Oswald The Lucky Rabbit may be the most infamous Walt Disney character of all.
Oswald was originally created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures in 1927. He would be used in an animated feature, but ultimately Disney and Iwerks abandoned the project and eventually created Mickey Mouse as Oswald’s replacement.
Credit: Disney
Universal Pictures continued to use Oswald in several pictures through the 1930s before the character faded into oblivion never to be seen again. That is, until 2006, when the Walt Disney Company, led by former CEO Bob Iger, reacquired the characters– including Oswald– that Disney had created.
Oswald would go on to make an appearance in the video game Epic Mickey where he was the title villain and now has his own line of collection merchandise and has even met with Guests at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
Credit: Jessica Quinn
Being replaced by Mickey Mouse, many Disney fans have wanted the company to give Oswald his just due and create an animated series just for him.
Unfortunately, they may have to wait a little longer for that to happen.
Matt Danner, who has been a integral part of several Disney projects throughout the years, recently revealed on social media that Iger was serious about creating an Oswald show for streaming.
Iger was very serious about it. The Legend of the Three Caballeros team was going to follow up with an Oswald show for steaming. Scripts written, designs done, animation test in hand, and a pilot in production. It was beautiful! Then we got broken up and scattered to the wind.
Iger was very serious about it. The Legend of the Three Caballeros team was going to follow up with an Oswald show for steaming. Scripts written, designs done, animation test in hand, and a pilot in production. It was beautiful! Then we got broken up and scattered to the wind. 🐰 https://t.co/n3CTnepxS1
After scripts were written and a pilot had hit production, the planned Oswald show faded into oblivion, similar to what we had seen with the character nearly a century ago.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Danner also followed up by saying that just because his version of the Oswald show was canceled does not mean that there won’t be a Walt Disney Animated Studios series featuring the character in the future.
Hey gang! Don’t be sad about this. Oswald has A LOT of love within Disney. I just wanted to share how serious that love is. I’m sure there will be an Oswald project coming your way in the near future.
Lots of people jumping to conclusions here. No one is saying there is no Oswald content in development. Just saying MY TEAM’S version has not been in development for a few years. I wanted to share how passionate and serious myself and the folks at Disney are about Oswald.
Lots of people jumping to conclusions here. No one is saying there is no Oswald content in development. Just saying MY TEAM’S version has not been in development for a few years. I wanted to share how passionate and serious myself and the folks at Disney are about Oswald. 🐰❤️
For those who are unaware, here is the background for Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, according to Disney Wiki:
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (or simply Oswald) is an animated character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. First appearing in the short film Trolley Troubles on September 5, 1927, Oswald is notable for his ability to disassemble and reshape his body parts at will. He is credited for pioneering “personality animation”, which refers to cartoon characters displaying identifiable emotion.In Oswald’s case, he was often depicted as haughty, feisty, and overzealous, which typically led to comical misadventures that put the rabbit’s trademark luck to the test.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Due to a financial falling out with producer Charles Mintz, Disney abandoned the Oswald series alongside Iwerks and a few other loyalists. Together, the remaining team would independently create Mickey Mouse, Oswald’s successor. Oswald would remain with Universal, and continued to appear in short films through 1938 before fading into obscurity. In 2006, The Walt Disney Company would acquire ownership of Oswald and the Disney-made cartoons. The character would see a resurgence thereafter, beginning with the 2010 video game Epic Mickey, which depicts Oswald as a long-forgotten actor with a vendetta against Mickey. Since then, Oswald has appeared in merchandise, theme parks, and various animated projects.
Credit: Disney
There is certainly potential surrounding an Oswald The Lucky Rabbit animated feature series and the other cartoons in the Walt Disney archive, but it’s something that Disney may be considering in the future, but for now it seems fans will have to wait.
What would you like to see in an Oswald The Lucky Rabbit series on Disney+?
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