Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Series Possibly Coming to Disney+
The history of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit is deeply intertwined with the history of The Walt Disney Company itself. And, it seems as if Mickey’s “big brother” may again help write a new chapter in that history.
Today, reports are circulating that Oswald will appear in a Disney+ cartoon series.
Oswald The Lucky Rabbit Series In The Works For Disney+ https://t.co/mAgnPcACXU
— The DisInsider (@TheDisInsider) July 6, 2019
Skyler Shuler of The DisInsider wrote:
There have been tons of announcements recently for projects headed to Disney’s streaming service Disney+. Now, one of Disney’s earliest characters is set to get his own show.
According to writer Christopher Painter’s (SpongeBob SquarePants) resume, his next project will be the animated Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series, which will debut on Disney+ in 2020…
Not much is known on the series at this time.
Exciting news from the often on-spot DisInsider. However, Painter’s resume no longer lists Oswald; perhaps leading even more credence to the report.
Comicbook.com added:
Painter list[ed] himself as a writer on the series for “multiple episodes.”
Of course, nothing is official until it’s announced by Disney, so this series could potentially fall by the wayside rather than make it to the streaming service. That said, Oswald hasn’t been out of the spotlight for some time, and Disney has only had the last decade or so to use him, so an inexpensive animated series seems like a safe bet.
Walt Disney first created Oswald in the 1920s, and the character first appeared in an animated short film in 1927. He was featured in several films from Disney until 1928, when Charles Mintz took the rights to the character to Universal Studios. Later that year, Disney created Mickey Mouse.
A Big Trade: Oswald for AL
You remember, Oswald came back to the Walt Disney Company via a “trade” in 2006.
The story of how Walt Disney lost Oswald–and how he returned nearly 80 years later–is one of the more incredible sagas in animation history. On February 6, 2006, in a trade described by film historian Leonard Maltin as something that has “never happened before and never will again,” ABC sports commentator Al Michaels, actual human, was traded from ESPN to NBC for a black-and-white cartoon character–Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. “Lo and behold we were able to negotiate a fair trade, and as part of the deal Oswald the Rabbit came back to Disney,” Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said following the swap. “Little did I know how much attention this was going to get; the reaction was huge. Even Al Michaels sent me a note in disbelief that Oswald had gotten so much more attention than he had.”
Little Brother
And, of course, the loss of Oswald led to the creation of another character:
Finally, Oswald returned to the company through the video game, “Epic Mickey.”
“I love Oswald, and I want to make him a hero, too,” said one of the animators on the project, adding, “[to] remind people just how incredible a character Oswald is.
“I want Oswald everywhere.”
Agreed. And, if this new is correct, my family and I will certainly be watching! But what do you think about Oswald on the small screen? Let us know in the comments.