Editing Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (section)

==History==
===Creation===
In 1927, because of cost and technical restrictions, Disney and his chief animator [[Ub Iwerks]] ended their work on the [[Alice Comedies]] and [[Julius the Cat]]. Around the same time, [[Charles Mintz]] got word that [[Universal Pictures]] wanted to get into the cartoon business, so he told Disney to create a new rabbit character that he could sell to Universal, because there were too many cat characters ([[Krazy Kat]], Felix the Cat, etc.). After Oswald was created, Winkler signed a contract with Universal on March 4 the same year, which would guarantee 26 ''Oswald the Lucky Rabbit'' cartoons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Universal Announces Release Of "Oscar, the Rabbit" Cartoons |publisher=[[Moving Picture World]]|date=1927-03-12 |url=https://archive.org/details/movingpicturewor85marm/page/n123 |access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref><ref name=bbc>{{cite news |title=Could Oswald the Lucky Rabbit have been bigger than Mickey?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19910825 |newspaper=BBC |date=December 3, 2012 |access-date=April 4, 2013}}</ref><ref name=PW>"Oswald Comes Home" (DVD). (2007). ''[[Walt Disney Treasures]]: The Adventures of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit'' (Disc 1). Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney |last=Barrier |first=Michael |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-520-25619-4 |page=51 |url=https://archive.org/details/animatedmanlifeo00barr/}}</ref> Work on both the character and series began soon after Disney moved his studio to Hyperion Avenue.<ref name="SusaninMiller2011"/>

[[File:Trolley Troubles (Walt Disney, 1927).webm|thumb|left|thumbtime=310|Oswald's first appearance in ''[[Trolley Troubles]]'' (1927)]]
The Universal studio heads rejected the first Oswald cartoon, ''[[Poor Papa]]'', for its poor production quality and the sloppiness and age of Oswald.<ref name=bcdb>"[https://archive.today/20130117234643/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5401-Poor_Papa.html Poor Papa]". [[Big Cartoon DataBase]], April 13, 2012</ref> Disney, together with Iwerks, created a second cartoon titled ''[[Trolley Troubles]]'' featuring a much younger, neater Oswald. The short, released on September 5, 1927,<ref name="SusaninMiller2011">{{cite book |last1=Susanin |first1=Timothy S.|last2=Miller |first2=Diane Disney |title=Walt Before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919–1928 |date=April 7, 2011 |publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-60473-960-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgwbBwAAQBAJ |access-date=September 4, 2012}}</ref> officially launched the series and proved to be Universal's greatest success to date. Poor Papa was later released in 1928 and the storyline was reused in a Mickey Mouse short five years later, in ''[[Mickey's Nightmare]]''.<ref name=bcdb/> Oswald the Lucky Rabbit became Universal's first major hit in 1927, rivaling other popular cartoon characters, such as Felix the Cat and [[Koko the Clown]].<ref name=PW/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Rukstad |first=Michael |author2=David Collis |title=The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King |journal=Harvard Business School |date=January 5, 2009}}</ref>

The success of the Oswald series allowed the Walt Disney Studio to grow to a staff of nearly twenty. Walt's weekly salary from the series was $100 while [[Roy O. Disney|Roy Disney]]'s was $65. The Disney brothers earned $500 per Oswald short and split the year-end profits, with Walt receiving 60% ($5,361), and Roy receiving 40% ($3,574).<ref name="SusaninMiller2011"/> With income gained from the Oswald series, Walt and Roy purchased ten acres of land in the desert. They also invested in an oil-drilling venture. Iwerks also invested his income in several stone mills to crush paint pigment he used to make paint formulas that were utilized by animators for decades.<ref name="SusaninMiller2011"/>

[[File:Rival Romeos (1928) Poster.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A 1928 poster of short film ''Rival Romeos'']]
Oswald's success also resulted in Universal and Winkler signing another contract in February 1928, guaranteeing three more years of Oswald cartoons.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/motionnew37moti#page/n579/|title=Universal Signs for 3 More Years of Oswald |publisher=[[Motion Picture News]]|date=1928-02-18 |access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>

As time passed, Disney feared that Mintz would forgo renewal of the contract, partly due to Iwerks informing Disney that George Winkler, at the behest of Mintz, had been going behind Disney's back during pick-up runs for Oswald reels and hiring away his animators. Eventually, Disney traveled with his wife [[Lillian Disney|Lilly]] to New York to find other potential distributors for his studio's cartoons, including Fox and MGM, prior to meetings with Mintz. As Walt later recalled, he placed two Oswald prints under one arm and—feeling "like a hick"—marched "one half-block north" on Broadway to MGM to visit [[Fred Quimby]]. During this period, Walt and Lillian attended the premier of the Oswald short ''Rival Romeos'', which debuted at the Colony on 53rd and Broadway.<ref name="SusaninMiller2011"/>

In February 1928, Disney traveled to New York City in hopes of negotiating a more profitable contract with his producer Charles Mintz. As economic problems were apparent at the time, Mintz figured Disney should settle for a 20% cut, although large turnarounds were promised if the studio's finances showed considerable growth. While most of his fellow animators left for Mintz's studio, Disney quit working on the Oswald cartoons. On his long train ride home, he came up with an idea to create another character, and retain the rights to it. He and Iwerks would go on to develop a new cartoon in secret, starring a new character which would soon become the most successful cartoon character in film history and later became the foundation of a global entertainment empire. The first [[Mickey Mouse]] cartoon to be filmed was ''[[Plane Crazy]]'' in the summer of 1928, but it was produced as a silent and held back from release. The first Mickey Mouse film with a synchronized soundtrack, ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', reached the screen that fall and became a major hit, eclipsing Oswald. ''Plane Crazy'' was later given its own synchronized soundtrack and released on March 17, 1929.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plane Crazy |website=The Big Cartoon Database |url=https://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/cartoon.cgi?film=3821 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130905165545/http://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/cartoon.cgi?film=3821 |archive-date=September 5, 2013 |access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://d23.com/a-to-z/plane-crazy-film/|title=Plane Crazy (film) |website=D23}}</ref>

===Universal takes direct control===
[[File:Lantz Oswald.jpg|thumb|upright|right|An ad for ''[[The Merry Old Soul]]'' featuring a version of Oswald redesigned by Manuel Moreno.]]
Mintz, meanwhile, opened his own studio (later known as [[Screen Gems]]) consisting primarily of former Disney employees, where he continued to produce Oswald cartoons, among them the first Oswald with sound, ''Hen Fruit'' (1929). Coincidentally, Disney and Mintz each produced nine cartoons the first year and 17 the next, before others took over Oswald. Animators [[Harman and Ising|Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising]], unhappy with Mintz, asked Universal head [[Carl Laemmle]] to remove Mintz, suggesting they would be the ones to continue the Oswald series. Laemmle terminated Mintz's contract but, instead of hiring Harman and Ising,<ref>{{cite web |last=Korkis |first=Jim |date=2014-10-15 |title=The History of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Part Two |website=Mouse Planet |url=https://www.mouseplanet.com/10821/The_History_of_Oswald_the_Lucky_Rabbit__Part_Two |access-date=2023-08-01}}</ref> he opted to have the Oswald cartoons produced right on the Universal lot.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news |title=Oswald the Rabbit returns: Walt Disney's lost bunny hops into 21st century |newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/12/05/oswald-the-rabbit-returns-walt-disneys-lost-bunny-hops-into-21st-century/ |access-date=December 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208041636/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/12/05/oswald-the-rabbit-returns-walt-disneys-lost-bunny-hops-into-21st-century/ |archive-date=December 8, 2010}}</ref> Laemmle selected [[Walter Lantz]] to produce the new series of Oswald shorts (the first of which was 1929's ''[[Race Riot (film)|Race Riot]]''). Featuring [[Bill Nolan (animator)|Bill Nolan]] as an animator (and later director), the Lantz-produced Oswalds had a decidedly different tone and aesthetic than the Disney shorts, with more slapstick and surreal visual gags, some contributed by a young [[Tex Avery]]. Over the next decade, Lantz produced 142 Oswald cartoons, for a total of 194 films featuring the character, spanning the work of all three producers. After Lantz took over production in 1929, Oswald's look changed to some degree over the following years: Oswald got white gloves on his hands, shoes on his feet, a shirt, a "cuter" face with larger eyes, a bigger head, and shorter ears. With 1935's ''Case of the Lost Sheep'', an even more major makeover took place: the character was drawn more realistically now, with white fur rather than black, shoes are removed, plus wearing suspenders instead of a shirt and shorts. Both redesigns were done by Manuel Moreno, who recalled that in the 1935 redesign that Lantz said to make Oswald cute and to get rid of the black on him, because Disney was also changing his characters.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hollywood cartoons: American animation in its golden age |last=Barrier |first=Michael |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-503759-6 |page=176 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodcartoon00barr/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/manuel-moreno-lens-to-destiny-1935/|title=Manuel Moreno, Lens to Destiny, 1935 &#124;|website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref>

The cartoons containing the new, white-furred Oswald seemed different from their predecessors in more than one way, as the stories themselves became softer. Minor changes in the drawing style would continue, too. With ''Happy Scouts'' (1938), the second-to-last Oswald film produced, the rabbit's fur went from being all-white to a combination of white and gray.

Unlike the Disney shorts, in which Oswald did not speak, Lantz's cartoons began to feature actual dialogue for Oswald, although most of the cartoons were still silent to begin with. Animator [[Bill Nolan (animator)|Bill Nolan]] performed the voice of Oswald in ''Cold Turkey'', the first Lantz cartoon with dialogue, and the following year [[Pinto Colvig]], who was working as an animator and gag man at the studio, started voicing Oswald. When Colvig left the studio in 1931, [[Mickey Rooney]] took over the voicing of Oswald until early in the following year. Starting in 1932, Lantz ceased to use a regular voice actor for Oswald, and many studio staff members (including Lantz himself) would take turns in voicing the character over the years. [[June Foray]] provided Oswald's voice in ''The Egg Cracker Suite'', which was the final theatrical short to feature him. She later voiced him again for an unaired radio pilot, ''Sally in Hollywoodland'' (1947).<ref>[https://www.cartoonbrew.com/cartoon-culture/this-is-what-a-woody-woodpecker-radio-show-would-have-sounded-like-79839.html "This is What A Woody Woodpecker Show Would Have Sounded Like"]. Retrieved 2018-04-19.</ref>

Oswald made a cameo appearance in the first animated sequence with both sound and color (two-strip Technicolor), a 2½-minute animated sequence of the live action movie ''[[The King of Jazz]]'' (1930), produced by Laemmle for Universal. It was not until 1934 that Oswald got his own color sound cartoons in two-strip Technicolor, ''Toyland Premiere'' and ''Springtime Serenade''. The Oswald cartoons then returned to black-and-white, except for the last one, ''The Egg Cracker Suite'' (1943), released as a part of the Swing Symphonies series. ''Egg Cracker'' was also the only Oswald cartoon to use [[three-strip Technicolor]]. Oswald's last cartoon appearance was a [[cameo role|cameo]] in ''[[The Woody Woodpecker Polka]]'' (1951), also in Technicolor, which by then had become the norm in the cartoon industry. He also appeared in a 1952 theatrical commercial for the Electric Autolite Company, with his voice being provided by [[Dick Beals]].<ref name="Lantz Oswald on DVD"/>

===Comic books===
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2017}}
[[File:Comic Oswald.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Oswald and his surrogate sons. After a few years on screen, Oswald settled to be featured in comic books.]]
Oswald's first appearance in comics was in a series of comic strips titled ''Oswald the Rabbit'', which ran from February 1935 to January 1936. They were drawn by Al Stahl and published by [[National Allied Publications]]. The comics were serialized on one page of every issue of ''New Fun'' and the first issue of ''[[More Fun Comics|More Fun]]''.

Oswald's second run in comics began in [[Dell Comics]]' ''[[The Funnies|New Funnies]]'', which ran from 1942 to 1962. Following the typical development seen in most new comics, the New Funnies stories slowly morphed the character in their own direction.

At the start of the ''New Funnies'' feature, Oswald existed in a milieu reminiscent of [[Winnie-the-Pooh]]: he was portrayed as a live [[stuffed animal]], living in a forest together with other anthropomorphized toys. These included Toby Bear, Maggie Lou the wooden doll, Hi-Yah Wahoo the turtle-faced Indian, and [[Woody Woodpecker]]—depicted as a mechanical doll filled with nuts and bolts (hence his "nutty" behavior). In 1944, with the addition of writer [[John Stanley (comics)|John Stanley]], the stuffed animal motif was dropped, as were Maggie Lou, Woody, and Wahoo. Oswald and Toby became flesh and blood characters living as roommates in "Lantzville". Initially drawn by Dan Gormley, the series was later drawn by the likes of Dan Noonan and Lloyd White.

In 1948, Toby adopted two orphan rabbits for Oswald to raise. Floyd and Lloyd, "Poppa Oswald's" new sons, stuck around; Toby was relegated to the sidelines, disappearing for good in 1953. Later stories focused on Oswald adventuring with his sons, seeking odd jobs, or simply protecting the boys from the likes of rabbit-eating Reddy Fox and (from 1961) con man Gabby Gator—a character adapted from contemporary Woody Woodpecker cartoon shorts. This era of Oswald comics typically featured the art of [[Jack Bradbury]], known also for his Mickey Mouse work.

After the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] by [[Lee Harvey Oswald]], the name "Oswald" came to have negative connotations.<ref name=mark>{{cite web |title=Hare Transplant |last=Evanier |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Evanier |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2015/06/02/hare-transplant-2/ |access-date=2022-06-04}}</ref>

He made brief appearances in the ''Woody Woodpecker'' comics series until it ended in the 1970s.<ref name=mark/> Through the end of the 20th century, the comics produced outside the U.S. carried on the look and story style of the Dell Oswald stories.

In 2010, Oswald starred in the digi-comic series ''Epic Mickey: Tales of the Wasteland'', a prequel to the ''Epic Mickey'' video game, sharing what the Wasteland was like before Mickey arrived there.

In 2011, Oswald starred in the Norwegian Disney comic story "En magisk jul!", written by [[David Gerstein]] and drawn by Mark Kausler. It is based on and takes place in the times of the classic Oswald shorts from 1927 to 1928.<ref>[https://inducks.org/story.php?c=XN+HOJ+2010-001 En magisk jul!] at InDucks</ref> The story was later reprinted, as "Just Like Magic!", in the American Disney comic ''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories'' #726 (2015).

===Disney acquires Oswald trademark===
[[File:Al Michaels (37443740985).jpg|right|upright|thumb|[[Al Michaels]] acknowledged that his contract negotiations had effectively [[trade (sports)|traded]] him for Oswald, and spoke favorably of the deal.<ref name="Trivia"/>]]

In February 2006, Disney CEO [[Bob Iger]] initiated a trade with [[NBCUniversal]] in which a number of minor assets, including the rights to Oswald and the 27 shorts that [[Walt Disney]] had worked on, were acquired by [[The Walt Disney Company]] in exchange for sending sportscaster [[Al Michaels]] from Disney's [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[ESPN]] to [[NBC Sports]].<ref name=bbc/> At the time, ABC had lost its contract for [[National Football League|NFL]] broadcast rights, and despite recently signing a long-term contract with ESPN, Michaels was interested in rejoining broadcast partner [[John Madden]] at NBC for the Sunday night package. Universal transferred the trademark of the character to Disney, and in exchange, Disney released Michaels from his employment contract, allowing him to sign with [[NBC]].

The deal included the trademark rights to the character and the 27 Disney-produced Oswald shorts along with the handover of any physical Disney-produced Oswald material Universal still had in their possession. Iger had been interested in the property because of an internal design document for a video game, which became ''[[Epic Mickey]]''.<ref>{{cite podcast |title=The Idle Thumbs Conf Grenade 2011: GDC 2011: Games Kasavin |website=[[Idle Thumbs]] |host=Chris Remo |host2=[[Jake Rodkin]] |host3=Sean Vanaman |date=March 10, 2011 |time=46:40–53:10 |url=http://podcast.idlethumbs.net/conf11/theidleconf_110310.mp3 |access-date=January 9, 2012}}</ref> Walt Disney's daughter, [[Diane Disney Miller]], issued the following statement after the deal was announced:
{{Blockquote|When Bob [Iger] was named CEO, he told me he wanted to bring Oswald back to Disney, and I appreciate that he is a man of his word. Having Oswald around again is going to be a lot of fun.<ref name=WD>[http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2006/2006_0209_oswald.html Walt Disney's 1927 Animated Star Returns to Disney] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215174859/http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2006/2006_0209_oswald.html |date=February 15, 2006 }}, a February 2006 press release</ref>}}

Around the same time, the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] and [[New York Jets]] made a similar deal, the Chiefs giving the Jets a draft pick as compensation for releasing coach [[Herm Edwards]] from his contract. Referring to this trade, Michaels said:
{{Blockquote|Oswald is definitely worth more than a fourth-round draft choice. I'm going to be a [[trivia]] answer someday.<ref name="Trivia">{{cite web |title=Stay 'tooned: Disney gets 'Oswald' for Al Michaels |work=ESPN.com |date=February 9, 2006 |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2324417}}</ref>}}
[[File:Oswalds - Disney California Adventure.jpg|thumb|Oswald's Service Station on the Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure.]]
In January 2007, a [[T-shirt]] line from Comme des Garçons seems to have constituted the first new Disney Oswald merchandise. Following in December was a two-disc DVD set, ''The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit'', included in [[Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Seven|Wave Seven]] of the ''[[Walt Disney Treasures]]'' DVD series. Several Oswald collectors' figurines and a limited edition grayscale plush toy appeared shortly after the DVD set's release. [[The Disney Store]] also began to introduce Oswald into its merchandise lines, starting with a canvas print and Christmas ornament that became available in Fall 2007. A standard-issue color plush toy matching Oswald's appearance in ''[[Epic Mickey]]'' appeared in late 2010. This was followed by an ongoing roll-out of clothing and other products at the Disney Store, various chain stores, and the [[Disney California Adventure]] theme park.

In 2012, the newly redesigned [[Buena Vista Street]] at Disney California Adventure included Oswald's Filling Station, an Oswald merchandise stand themed as a 1920s gas station.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Buhlman |first1=Jocelyn |title=Celebrate Oswald at Disney Parks |website=D23: The Official Disney Fan Club |date=September 7, 2017 |url=https://d23.com/celebrate-oswald-disney-parks/ |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref> The shop exclusively sells "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" merchandise such as "Oswald Ears" hats (a similar style to the popular [[Mickey Mouse Club]] black mouse-eared caps), as well as shirts, t-shirts, plush toys, pins, mugs, and other special Oswald items.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Billinger |first1=Tara |title=Oswald's Service Station |website=Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Memorabilia Collection |url=https://oswaldtheluckyrabbitcollection.weebly.com/oswalds-service-station.html |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref> In 2014, Oswald began making appearances in the area near the shop.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Castro |first1=Andy |title=Oswald the Lucky Rabbit arrives as Halloween Time returns to Disneyland |website=Micechat |date=September 15, 2014 |url=https://micechat.com/80152-disneyland-halloween-time-2/ |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref>

===Video games===
In 1995, Oswald briefly appeared in ''[[Férias Frustradas do Pica-Pau]]'', a Woody Woodpecker video game released for the [[Master System]] and the [[Mega Drive]] in Brazil only.<ref>{{cite news |title=Disney Epic Mickey Primer |work=PCWorld |date=December 1, 2010 |language=en |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/212109/Disney_Epic_Mickey_Primer.html |access-date=October 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815015851/https://www.pcworld.com/article/212109/Disney_Epic_Mickey_Primer.html |archive-date=August 15, 2020}}</ref>

In 2006, Oswald made a cameo in the Intro of a Panchiko Machine game called ''[[Woody Woodpecker CR 2]]''.

Oswald is one of the main characters in the 2010 video game ''Epic Mickey'' and its 2024 remake, ''Epic Mickey: Rebrushed''. The world of ''Epic Mickey'' takes place in "Wasteland", a setting that mirrors elements of [[Disneyland]] but as a home for "forgotten" Disney characters, including Oswald,<ref name="Go">{{cite news |title=Game Informer reveals the first information on Epic Mickey |work=GoNintendo |date=May 30, 2011 |url=https://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=100611 |access-date=2011-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711110926/http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=100611 |archive-date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> who rules over the environment.<ref name="Informer">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Matt |website=Gameinformer |title=Epic Mickey keeps looking better |date=2010 |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/06/18/epic-mickey-keeps-looking-better-and-better.asx |access-date=May 30, 2011}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Oswald fashioned Wasteland after Disneyland, although it is darker and distorted. He implements his likeness into areas Mickey Mouse normally appears, such as the iconic [[Partners (statue)|Partners]] statue with Walt Disney and other imagery throughout the town.<ref name="cut1">{{cite web |website=YouTube |title=Epic Mickey: All Cutscenes Part 1 |date=November 29, 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xzOlseu_yE |access-date=May 30, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/4xzOlseu_yE |archive-date=2021-11-17}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Oswald was the first cartoon character to be "forgotten" and eventually lose his relevance, now inhabiting Wasteland.<ref name="cut1"/> Oswald also dislikes Mickey for stealing his popularity that he felt he deserved.<ref name="cut2">{{cite web |website=YouTube |title=Epic Mickey: All Cutscenes Part 2 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TeZkFu7vd0 |access-date=May 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140609112347/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TeZkFu7vd0 |archive-date=2014-06-09}}</ref> Despite his resentment, Oswald tries to maintain peace and make Wasteland a better place for forgotten characters, especially his "bunny children" and his wife Ortensia.<ref name="cut2"/>

''[[Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two]]'' is a video game that was released on November 18, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stewart |first=John |title=Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two settles a release date |publisher=Gaming Examiner |url=https://www.gamingexaminer.com/disney-epic-mickey-2-the-power-of-two-settles-a-release-date/16162/ |access-date=June 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615175340/http://www.gamingexaminer.com/disney-epic-mickey-2-the-power-of-two-settles-a-release-date/16162/ |archive-date=June 15, 2012}}</ref> Unlike the previous game, ''Epic Mickey 2'' features full voiced cut-scenes with [[Frank Welker]] (Welker had also provided Oswald's vocal effects and the Shadow Blot in the previous game) as Oswald's first voice actor in an ''Oswald the Lucky Rabbit'' production from Disney. [[Bill Nolan (animator)|Bill Nolan]] was Oswald's first voice actor in 1929, when Walter Lantz produced the Oswald cartoons.<ref>{{cite web |title='Epic Mickey 2' Release Date 2012: New Games For 3DS & Wii, XBox, PS3 [VIDEO TRAILER]|website=[[International Business Times]]|date=March 28, 2012 |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/epic-mickey-2-release-date-2012-new-games-3ds-wii-xbox-ps3-video-trailer-431260}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Game creator dishes on 'Epic Mickey' sequel |date=March 23, 2012 |url=https://torontosun.com/2012/03/23/game-creator-dishes-on-epic-mickey-sequel}}</ref>

[[Tetsuya Nomura]], creator and lead producer of the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' franchise, had requested for Oswald's use in ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'', but the response from Disney was that the character would be "too difficult" to use, with no further clarification or details from Disney.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |title=Kingdom Hearts 3: Tetsuya Nomura on working with Disney and catering to fans both old and new |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=March 10, 2017 |last=Hoggins |first=Tom |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/features/kingdom-hearts-3-tetsuya-nomura-working-disney-catering-fans/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 27, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/features/kingdom-hearts-3-tetsuya-nomura-working-disney-catering-fans/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Nomura cites Oswald as one of his favorite Disney characters.<ref name=KHInsider/>

On November 30, 2023, Oswald was added as a playable racer in ''[[Disney Speedstorm]]'' during its fifth season alongside Ortensia, while he appears in ''[[Disney Dreamlight Valley]]'' as part of its "Eternity Isle" expansion. He is voiced by David Errigo Jr. in both appearances.

===Disney projects===
In 2012, sketch animation from a lost 1928 cartoon, ''Harem Scarem'', was compiled by archivists at Disney and released to help celebrate Oswald's 85th Anniversary.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soteriou. |first1=Helen |title=The rebirth of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit |work=BBC Magazine |date=December 3, 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19910825 |access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> He made an appearance in a 2013 throwback-style Mickey Mouse cartoon, ''[[Get a Horse!]]''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=David |title=Obscure Disney characters |work=CBS News |page=3 |language=en |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/obscure-disney-characters/3/ |access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref>

While only 19 of 26 cartoons were previously known to have survived, a couple of Oswald's lost cartoons were found in the 2010s.<ref name=tg>{{cite news |last1=Ryall |first1=Julian |title=Disney's 'lost' Oswald the Lucky Rabbit movie surfaces in Japan |work=The Telegraph |date=November 15, 2018 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/15/disneys-lost-oswald-lucky-rabbit-movie-surfaces-japan/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=August 28, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/15/disneys-lost-oswald-lucky-rabbit-movie-surfaces-japan/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2015, the [[British Film Institute]]'s National Archives were found to hold his ''Sleigh Bells'' (1928) footage. The BFI and [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]] worked to restore the short.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Galuppo |first1=Mia |title=Long Lost 'Oswald the Lucky Rabbit' Disney Animation Discovered in BFI Archives |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 3, 2015 |language=en |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oswald-lucky-rabbit-disney-animation-836707 |access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> Long-term Disney animator David Bossert wrote a book, ''Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons'' which was released in 2017. A Japanese man, Yasushi Watanabe, read the book and discovered that he had a missing 1928 Oswald cartoon, ''Neck & Neck'', since he was a teenager.<ref name=tg/>

A series centered on Oswald was in development with the project announced in 2019 for a potential release on [[Disney+]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ridgely |first1=Charlie |date=July 6, 2019 |title=Disney+ Reportedly Developing Oswald the Lucky Rabbit TV Series |language=en |work=ComicBook.com |url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2019/07/06/oswald-lucky-rabbit-tv-series-disney-plus/|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nolan |first1=L.D.|date=July 7, 2019 |title=REPORT: Disney+ Developing Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Animated Series |work=CBR |url=https://www.cbr.com/report-disney-oswald-the-lucky-rabbit-series/|access-date=August 28, 2019}}</ref> [[Disney Television Animation]] veteran [[Matt Danner]] revealed that a series was in development as a follow-up for the team behind ''[[Legend of the Three Caballeros]]'', but that they "got broken up and scattered to the wind".<ref>{{cite tweet |user=MattyDanner |number=1474996345903587330 |date=December 26, 2021 |title=Iger was very serious about it. ''The Legend of the Three Caballeros'' team was going to follow up with an Oswald show for steaming. Scripts written, designs done, animation test in hand, and a pilot in production. It was beautiful! Then we got broken up and scattered to the wind.}}</ref> He expressed hope that the series could still be revived in the future and further hinted that another team would develop it, because Disney was still heavily invested in wanting to revive the character.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=MattyDanner |number=1475006178019078153 |date=December 26, 2021 |title=Hey gang! Don't be sad about this. Oswald has A LOT of love within Disney. I just wanted to share how serious that love is. I'm sure there will be an Oswald project coming your way in the near future.}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=MattyDanner |number=1475959144217645056 |date=December 28, 2021 |title=Lots of people jumping to conclusions here. No one is saying there is no Oswald content in development. Just saying MY TEAM'S version has not been in development for a few years. I wanted to share how passionate and serious myself and the folks at Disney are about Oswald.}}</ref>

On December 1, 2022, an online hand-drawn animated Oswald short by Walt Disney Animation Studios was released.<ref name=":1"/> The short was directed by [[Eric Goldberg (animator)|Eric Goldberg]], scored by Dean McClure, and produced by Dorothy McKim, with [[Mark Henn]] and Randy Haycock working on the animation alongside Goldberg.<ref name="Zachary">{{cite web |last=Zachary |date=2022-12-01 |title=Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Stars in a New Walt Disney Animation Studios Short for Disney 100 Years of Wonder |website=The Walt Disney Company |language=en-US |url=https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/oswald-the-lucky-rabbit-stars-in-a-new-walt-disney-animation-studios-short-for-disney-100-years-of-wonder/ |access-date=2022-12-01}}</ref> It marked Oswald's first short produced by Disney, as well as his first short ever since ''Feed the Kitty'' (1938).<ref name="Zachary"/> A few weeks later, a hand-drawn animation piece by Disney Animation featuring Oswald was released, meant to promote a line of products developed by Disney and [[Givenchy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/disney-oswald-the-lucky-rabbit-returns-mixed-reality/|title=Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Returns to Disney Again in New Mixed-Reality Piece|website=TV Shows}}</ref> Restored public domain versions of the shorts ''Trolley Troubles'' and ''All Wet'' (both 1927) were released on Disney+ in September 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zachary |date=2023-06-15 |title=Disney+ to Debut 27 Newly Restored Walt Disney Animation Studios Classic Shorts to Celebrate Disney's 100th Anniversary |website=The Walt Disney Company |language=en-US |url=https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-to-debut-28-newly-restored-walt-disney-animation-studios-classic-shorts-to-celebrate-disneys-100th-anniversary/ |access-date=2023-08-16}}</ref>

In March 2025, it was reported that [[Jon Favreau]] was developing a live-action animation hybrid series based on the character for Disney+ from [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Andreeva |first=Nellie|date=March 7, 2025|title=Oswald The Lucky Rabbit TV Series From Jon Favreau In Works At Disney+|url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/oswald-the-lucky-rabbit-tv-series-jon-favreau-disney-plus-1236313975/|access-date=March 7, 2025|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>