If nothing else, Epic Mickey (and its Rebrushed remake) It is of great historical importance for the Disney company. The film was responsible for bringing Walt's first original animated feature, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, back to the Mouse House. Years of contract disputes with Universal left the unlucky man in obscurity until 2010 — and yet, thanks to Epic Mickey and a handful of other recent appearances, he has more contemporary fans than ever.
So who exactly is Oswald and how was he forgotten? What were the circumstances of his departure from the Disney catalog? And what is his role in the game now as the ruler of the ruined land? We're going deep into the vault for this one, so keep your ears peeled!
The historical information of this article was correct at the time of writing. there is
Some spoilers for Epic Mickey: Rebrushed in here
also; Just a heads up
History of Oswald
How did Oswald become a star?
Oswald the lucky rabbit It started working in 1927A brainchild Walt Disney, who is struggling financially, and his chief animator, Ub Iwerks. Walt had pushed the company over the top with a series of “Alice comedies” that combined live-action films with cartoon characters. While an ambitious project for the time, it was clear that the money was better placed elsewhere: In the “Funny Animal” shorts, Felix the Cat.
In a move unknown to him (and possibly due to pressure from his more businesslike brother Roy), Walt bowed to market trends and signed a distribution deal with Universal Pictures to produce a series of Oswald cartoons.. Rabbit's design was a bit of a mess, but he got there in the end. Wheelbarrow problems, big guns, and oh, what a knight The first-class works were considered his most outstanding early works.
Oswald was young, brash, and irreverent—traits that appealed to audiences at the time and were just as believable later when applied to Mickey.
How was Oswald taken from Disney?
Enter Charles Mintz. This Universal producer was responsible for managing the relationship between his studio and Disney and setting the terms on which the Oswald shorts were made (and actually profited from). In 1928, he started Poaching many Disney animatorsby predicting more economic problems for the company, he tried Try for a 20% drop in Disney's stock Oswald Partnership if they want to pursue an extension.
Appalled by Mintz's tactics, Walt tried to sell Oswald to other distributors, but to no avail. The reason soon became apparent: Mintz drew his attention to it The clause in the contract states that Disney technically has no ownership of Oswald's character.which merely serves as a sweat trap for the animation.
Faced with the choice between the rabbit or his studio, Walt walked. He left Oswald in the hands of Universal and Mintz.
In the Pixar film “Up”, the villain is called Charles Montez
. This is a direct and very deliberate reference to Mintz and his fraud of the Disney company.
Montez's plan in the film is for Kevin to kill the bird – discovering someone else – and
Pass it as his own for fame and glory
. The similarities are obvious.
The rest is animation history. Walt continued to create Mickey, who quickly crushed all the competition Become a real American cartoon superstar. About a decade later, Universal tried Keep Oswald on his feet with a series of redesignsbut he simply could not compare himself to his successor, and soon he did It faded into complete obscurity.
The Mickey saga and beyond
How was Oswald reacquired by Disney?
In the early 2000s, nearly a century since his creation, Disney became interested in regaining the rights to Oswald. Specifically, Bob Igerwho at that time was only the president of the company and not its CEO, was shown to him A dark Mickey Mouse game featuring Oswald as an outcast villain. There was no developer to begin with, but it was visually striking.
Iger was so impressed by the land that it became him He is personally committed to bringing Oswald home; A goal that he achieved in 2006, after reaching the position of CEO. He negotiated with Universal and was able to Swap NBC football commentator Al Michaels for IP Oswald. A lot of humorous discourse that day surrounded Michaels' feelings, which were basically the equivalent of a 1920s animated rabbit.
With Oswald back where he belonged, Work on the game, now called Epic Mickey, can begin. A release window was set in 2010 and Warren Spector, of Deus Ex famewas brought in to lead the project. The goal was to reinvent Mickey as a hero, steeper, more edgy and more action-oriented.
Plan to deal with Oswald's feeling of jealousy towards the ubiquitous mouseAnd the game's concept art attracted media attention with its vision of a post-apocalyptic Disneyland.
What is Oswald's role in Mickey's saga?
In the Mickey saga, Mickey is drawn to the cartoon wastelanda dystopian realm created by the wizard Yen Sid and full of forgotten cartoon characters. This off-key parody of Disneyland It was once sunny and colorful – until a mischievous Mickey entered Yen Sid's workshop and accidentally destroyed the world, creating the dreaded Shadow Blot in the process.
Oswald was the first inhabitant of the WastelandAnd he appointed himself as its leader and tried to make the best of a bad situation. He started shops, ice cream shops, rides etc. and The world gradually filled up With other characters like Horace Horsolar, Clarabelle the Cow, and more types of Pete than any Disney character can name.
It all fell apart With the introduction of blot and simultaneous thinning disasterHowever, that wiped out all but a few of the Wasteland's inhabitants and scarred its landscape. A desperate last stand against the blot saw The petrification of his lover, Ortensia, which made Oswald's heart sour. With bitterness and anger, he blames the person he blames for all his problems: Mickey.
During the game, Mickey and Oswald learn more about each otherMickey finally had to talk about his role in the disaster more thinly. In the meantime, Oswald has to overcome his inferiority complex Numerous metafictional references to Walt and his involvement with Universal which led to his fall from stardom.
“I'm starting to see why he likes you more, Mickey. Most people here would die for a heart. And you just gave yours away!” – Oswald
This is a touching storyAnd it's especially helpful if you know something about the history of animation.
What else has Oswald been up to since the Mickey saga?
The Mickey saga is widely credited It reawakened great public interest in Oswald as a characterand since 2010 his use has steadily increased. He was promoted to a playable character The sequel to Epic Mickey, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Twoand made his Disney comic debut in a 2015 IDW special.
On the screen, he Appeared in the 2013 short receive A horse!and starred in it His own 2022 cartoon It was produced on the occasion of Disney's 100th anniversary. He occasionally inserts a short scene Paul Rudish's recent Mickey Mouse seriesand to wander in the background in Proverbs Mickey Mouse Funhouse, Once Upon A Studio, et al.
Most notably, Oswald A lovely village in Disney's Dreamlight Valleywhere he brings vintage 20s talent to your town as part of the Eternity Isle DLC. Likewise, you can put him behind the wheel of a supersonic gasser Disney Speedstorm, a free-to-play racing game which combines people from all parts of the Disneyverse for a futuristic tournament.
In a sense, The premise of Epic Mickey seems a little dated todayIn that Oswald is no longer forgotten. He may continue to appear in projects, because He is a special part of entertainment historyand a proud fortune-teller in the cap of the Disney conglomerate. Who needs bugs when you have bunnies like this, right?
