Walt & Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in March of 1927 for a contract they had with Universal Studios; a contract that was oversaw by producer Charles Mintz. Walt and Ub would create a character for a new cartoon series that would be distributed by Universal. Universal also held the right to name the character and the name Oswald was chosen out of a hat.

A few weeks later, Walt’s team created their first Oswald short called Poor Papa. Universal was not happy with this first attempt at an Oswald short; Charles Mintz felt that the work was sloppy and that Oswald appeared too old. Poor Papa was rejected and it was back to the drawing boards. The next short, Trolley Troubles, proved to be a hit and was released on September 5, 1927. In total, Walt and his team created 26 Oswald one-reel shorts (listed below) and the success of the character helped grow the Walt Disney studios. Walt gave Oswald a personality which was not common for cartoon characters back then because cartoons generally focused on gags. And this personality brought a charm to the shorts which would not have been possible with gags alone. Oswald’s personality was a huge part of why the shorts were so popular.

But by early 1928, deals between Walt’s animators and Charles Mintz were starting to form behind Walt’s back. They wanted to start a new studio and claim Oswald as their own. Mintz then signed a new contract that allowed Universal to keep producing Oswald shorts without the involvement of Walt or his studio. Walt then left for New York to negotiate with Mintz in person. The negotiations went south and Walt ended up losing many of his animators and the rights to Oswald.  Many tales have been told of how Walt originally got the idea for Mickey Mouse and one story is that he immediately thought of this new character on the train ride back from New York. However it happened, Walt then created the most popular cartoon character of all time out of his mess with Universal.

Mintz then produced a number of Oswald shorts before Universal executive and co-founder Carl Laemmle selected a new producer. He chose Walter Lantz, best known for creating Woody Woodpecker. Lantz produced 142 Oswald shorts over the next decade. But into the 1940s, Oswald faded away from cartoon shorts and became more common in comic books. The charm of Oswald was never the same after Disney lost their rights because both Mintz and Lantz only focused on the gags and the character’s popularity declined as a result.

But then in 2006, Disney acquired back the rights of Oswald in a trade that has been described by film historian Leonard Maltin as something that has “never happened before and never will again.” Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was traded in exchange for sports commentator Al Michaels leaving ESPN for NBC. Here is what Bob Iger had to say about the unusual trade: “Lo and behold we were able to negotiate a fair trade, and as part of the deal Oswald the Rabbit came back to Disney. 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.” And “I wanted to complete Walt’s mission. I knew there was an empty spot in his heart since Oswald left. There was something about bringing Oswald back that seemed right. So the move was meant to do something that was positive for Disney’s culture and to tap into that legacy.”

Oswald’s first major appearance after his return to Disney was a set of Walt Disney Treasures DVDs titled The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 2007. Then in 2010, Oswald was featured in the Wii game Epic Mickey. In this game, Mickey and Oswald explore “Wasteland” which sorcerer Yen Sid has made as a home to forgotten characters. Since Epic Mickey, Oswald was mostly kept to being the unofficial mascot of Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure, though he no longer meets with guests. He did also appear in the 2013 short Get a Horse! I hope Disney has more plans to star Oswald in the near future!

Oswald Trivia:

• In Epic Mickey, Oswald’s girlfriend is named Ortensia. In the 1920 shorts, Oswald’s girlfriends were named Fanny and Sadie.
• The plot of Poor Papa was later reused in the Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey’s Nightmare in 1932.
• The villain in Up is named Charles Muntz. Coincidence? I think not!
• There is a shop called Oswald’s Filling Station on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure.
• In Shanghai Disneyland on Mickey Avenue there is an Oswald themed merchandise stand called Lucky Express.

List of Disney’s Oswald Shorts:

1. Poor Papa
2. Trolley Troubles
3. Oh, Teacher
4. Great Guns
5. The Mechanical Cow
6. All Wet
7. The Ocean Hop
8. The Banker’s Daughter
9. Harem Scarem
10. Rickety Gin
11. Neck ‘n Neck
12. Empty Socks
13. The Ol’ Swimmin’ ‘ole
14. Africa Before Dark
15. Rival Romeos
16. Bright Lights
17. Sagebrush Sadie
18. Ride ’em Plowboy
19. Ozzie of the Mounted
20. Hungry Hoboes
21. Oh, What a Knight
22. Sky Scrappers
23. The Fox Chase
24. Tall Timber
25. Sleigh Bells
26. Hot Dog