Just over 98 years ago, Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks co-created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the cartoon predecessor of Mickey Mouse. While Oswald has never fully recaptured the popularity he enjoyed in his original 1927-1929 run, Disney is about get behind this classic character in a big way with a new original series on Disney+.
As reported by Deadline, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau will write and produce the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series. It’s currently unclear if the show will be animated or a blend of live-action and animation like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Either way, Favreau has plenty of experience with both as the director of The Lion King and Jungle Book remakes, as well as the first two Iron Man movies that defined the MCU. Favreau has also directed The Mandalorian and Grogu, the next Star Wars movie, which will hit theaters in May 2026.
Disney’s 26 Oswald shorts were originally distributed by Universal Pictures, but he was forced out of his own successful series in part because he didn’t own the character. Disney and Iwerks found greater success with Mickey, while Oswald ultimately languished in Universal’s vault for decades.
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In 2006, at the insistence of CEO Bob Iger, Disney initiated a trade with NBC/Universal that saw the rights to Oswald revert to the company founded by his creator in exchange for the services of sportscaster Al Michaels. Subsequently, Oswald has been slowly integrated into the Disney theme parks with his own merchandise and cast members in costume as the character for meet-and-greet photos.
One of the reasons why Iger wanted Oswald under the Disney umbrella was for the 2010 video game, Epic Mickey, which was recently re-mastered as Epic Mickey Rebrushed. In that game, Mickey is trapped in a wasteland where he discovers that Oswald and other long-forgotten characters have been banished and forgotten. Mickey and Oswald’s shared creator made them unofficial brothers, and they reconciled their differences before teaming up in the sequel, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.
A new Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short was released in 2023, but the new series is easily the most prominent role that the character has had since his return. However, the character has also entered the public domain, which has allowed filmmakers to create an unauthorized horror slasher called Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole.