Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a a series of theatrical cartoons produced by the Walt Disney Studio, Winkler Pictures, and Universal Pictures. The character's name was allegedly chosen by Philip "P.D." Cochrane (the head of Universal's publicity department at the time) after gathering name suggestions from the Universal staff and drawing a name from a hat.
The Walt Disney Company currently owns the rights to the character, and the 27 Walt Disney/M. J. Winkler/Universal-produced cartoon short films created by the Walt Disney Studio, and Winkler Pictures, while Sony Pictures owns the rights to the 25 M. J. Winkler/Universal-produced cartoon short films, and NBCUniversal owns the rights to the character, and the 138 Walter Lantz/Universal-produced cartoon short films.
History[]
Oswald in his old appearence
In January 1927, Winkler Pictures head Charles Mintz told Disney and Iwerks to create a cartoon character they could sell to Universal Pictures - Universal wanted to re-enter the cartoon business and needed a character of it's own. Disney began working on both the character and the films shortly after he moved his studio to Hyperion Avenue.
Disney opted to make the character a rabbit since Universal felt there were too many cartoon cats. Universal's publicity department chose the name of the character by drawing it out of a hat filled with slips of paper with different names on them.
The first Oswald cartoon, Poor Papa, was poorly received by Charles Mintz who demanded a better, younger version of Oswald. The next cartoon, Trolley Troubles, was well received, and the series officially launched.
In 1928, with the series going strong, Disney demanded a raise from Mintz, which he refused. Mintz instead told Disney that he was going to cut the budget, and if Disney did not agree to the cut, Mintz would take over Oswald for himself. Disney refused, and most of Disney's employees left for Mintz. Only Ub Iwerks remained, and the two secretly planned out a cartoon featuring their new character, Mickey Mouse. Oswald and Mickey are brothers, since Oswald was the first cartoon, he is the older brother making, Mickey the younger brother.
In 1929, Carl Laemmle terminated Winkler Pictures' contract for the Oswald cartoons when animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising attempted to take control of the series from Winkler head Charles Mintz. Laemmle formed an in-house cartoon studio and selected Walter Lantz to produce new Oswald shorts. Lantz consulted Walt Disney about Oswald and he gave Lantz his blessing.
Lantz would produce 138 Oswald cartoons. He also gained ownership of the character when Universal made their cartoon studio independent on November 16, 1935 - Lantz would run the studio and rename it Walter Lantz Productions.
MPTV acquired the rights to air the Oswald cartoons on TV in 1954.[1] Guild Films acquired the rights from MPTV sometime later.[2][3]
Universal regained the rights to the Oswald character when Lantz sold Walter Lantz Productions to MCA Universal's parent company, in 1984.
Oswald continued to appear in cartoons, comics, and merchandise.[4] One of Oswald's last appearances while under Universal's ownership was in Férias Frustradas do Pica-Pau (1995), a Woody Woodpecker game released for the Sega Master System in Brazil only.
In October 2000, Taito began using Universal's characters for a new amusement space.[5] On August 16 and September 3, 2004, Universal City Studios LLLP filed two trademarks for Oswald in Japan (No. 4874521 and No. 5037913). Universal utilized an Oswald similar in appearance to the Disney/Iwerks design, but with blue fur and yellow shorts.[6][7][8]
The Walt Disney Company buys Oswald[]
In February 2006, The Walt Disney Company bought the rights to the character, and the 27 Oswald cartoon short films made by the Walt Disney Studio, and Winkler Pictures through a trade with sportscaster Al Michaels.
Oswald became one of the main characters in Epic Mickey. In the game, he's the ruler of the forgotten world where forgotten Disney creations reside, Wasteland. That is until a young Mickey Mouse accidentally spills paint thinner on the world and inevitably creates the Shadow Blot, thus toppling Oswald off of his throne. During this game, Oswald holds a grudge against Mickey, mainly because Oswald feels Mickey stole his fame.
Tales of the Wasteland[]
Oswald as he appears in Epic Mickey: Tales of the Wasteland
Oswald appears in the comic book, Epic Mickey as the main protagonist. The comic takes place as a prequel for the game, Epic Mickey.
Appearances[]
In His Original Cartoons[]
Oswald's original appearence is in Walt's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series in the 1920's. In Poor Papa, he was an old rabbit telling his children stories. Universal wanted a younger version of Oswald so in Trolley Troubles, he looked younger. In most of the episodes, he is saving his girlfriend (Called Ortensia in Epic Mickey) from Pete.
In Epic Mickey[]
Oswald lives in Wasteland. A land of forgotten creations of Walt Disney. At first, he dislikes Mickey because he replaced him. Later, Oswald starts to trust Mickey. At the end, they are friends. "Or perhaps even...brothers" as Yen Sid says at the end of the game.
In Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two[]
Oswald is not only a character in this game, he is a player. Controlled by AI when you are playing as Mickey, a friend can pick up a controller and play as Oswald in two player mode. In this game, The main enemy, the Mad Doctor,from the previous game, claims to good now, which Oswald believes at first. When the Mad Doctor turns out be the bad guy. Oswald joins Mickey to save Wasteland once more. During this game, Oswald wields a Remote that can produce electricity. Oswald has a voice in this game, marking his first speaking role. He is be voiced by Frank Welker.
Filmography[]
- Main article: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (short film series)
Other shorts[]
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Toyland Premiere | December 10, 1934 |
| Springtime Serenade | May 27, 1935 |
| Firemen's Picnic (cameo) | August 16, 1937 |
| Movie Phoney News | May 30, 1938 |
| Happy Scouts | June 20, 1938 |
| Snuffy's Party (cameo) | August 7, 1939 |
| The Egg Cracker Suite | March 22, 1943 |
| Well Oiled (cameo) | June 30, 1947 |
| The Woody Woodpecker Polka (cameo) | October 29, 1951 |
| Team Play | 1952 |
| Get a Horse! (cameo) | June 11, 2013 |
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Greeting Card | December 1, 2013 |
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (short) | December 1, 2022 |
| Once Upon a Studio (cameo) | June 11, 2023 |
Films[]
(all cameos)
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| King of Jazz | April 19, 1930 |
| Big Hero 6 | October 23, 2014 |
| Zootopia | February 13, 2016 |
Print[]
- Comic series
| Series | Publisher | Start date | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oswald the Rabbit | National Allied Publications | February 1935 | January 1936 | Appeared in New Fun and More Fun |
| New Funnies | Dell Comics | July 1942 | April 1962 | |
| Epic Mickey: Tales of Wasteland | Marvel | December 2010[9] | ||
| Walt Disney's Comics and Stories | IDW Publishing | December 23, 2015[10] | ||
- Other books
| Series | Publisher | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: A Story, Drawing & Song Book for Happy-Go-Lucky Children | Universal Music | 1930 |
| Woody Woodpecker's Peck of Trouble | Western Publishing Company | 1951 |
| Oswald the Rabbit Coloring Book | The Saalfield Publishing Company | 1962 |
| Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Punch Out Dolls | 1963 | |
| Woody Woodpecker's Coloring Party | The Saalfield Publishing Company | 1964 |
| Oswald the Rabbit Coloring Book | The Saalfield Publishing Company | 1968 |
| Funorama with Woody Woodpecker and His Friends: A Punch Out and Color Album | 1972 | |
| Woody's First Dictionary | Grosset & Dunlap | 1988 |
| An Imaginary Friend | Little Golden Book | May 5, 2015 |
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons | Disney Editions | August 29, 2017 |
Records[]
| Series | Label | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Woody Woodpecker's Family Album | Decca Records | September 16, 1957[11] |
| Woody Woodpecker Presents | Star-Bright | 1957 |
| Woody Woodpecker And His Friends | Cricket Records | 1959 |
Video games[]
| Video Game | Release date |
|---|---|
| Férias Frustradas do Pica-Pau | October 1995 |
| Epic Mickey | November 25, 2010 |
| Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two | November 18, 2012 |
| Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion | November 18, 2012 |
| Disney Tsum Tsum | January 29, 2014 |
| Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition | September 23, 2014 |
| Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition | August 28, 2015 |
| Disney Emoji Blitz | July 14, 2016 |
| Disney Speedstorm | December 2023 |
Park attractions[]
Television[]
- Main article: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (TV series)
| Episode | Year | Show |
|---|---|---|
| Entombed | 2016 | Mickey Mouse |
| Canned | 2017 | |
| Year of the Dog | 2018 | |
| Keep on Rollin' | 2020 | The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "New Batch of 335 Cartoons Helps Relieve 7-Year Logjam" - Billboard (12/4/1954)
- ↑ "Guild Films Gets All MPTV Features, Plus Sales Force" - Billboard (2/9/1955)
- ↑ Guild Films Ad - Billboard (10/6/1956)
- ↑ "Wooden dolls much in demand" - The Victoria Advocate (10/19/1995)
- ↑ "ユニバーサル・スタジオの人気キャラクターをテーマにした 新型アミューズメントスペースを展開"
- ↑ OSWALD RABBIT TOYS
- ↑ The Word Warrior: The evolution of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, part 5...
- ↑ Oswald on Taito's site
- ↑ http://readallcomics.com/category/epic-mickey-tales-of-the-wasteland/
- ↑ https://diskingdom.com/2015/12/20/new-comic-book-releases-23rd-december-2015/
- ↑ https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000276944/L_10521-The_Woody_woodpecker_waltz
-
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