“Oswald” is back.
The character that Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created before Disney, who remained damnably out-of-reach for many years, is now back at Disney and Jon Favreau, the director of “Iron Man” and more recently “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” in a three-part miniseries that will debut on Disney+ in February 2027. And at D23, Favreau shared a first look.
Favreau said that Sergio Pablos, the legendary Spanish animator whose credits include “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Treasure Planet” and his own, underrated feature “Klaus,” led the animation team on “Oswald.” And when he showed off the footage, you could really tell.
The sequence is set in Walt’s office, which is now a hallowed part of the Walt Disney Studios lot. Oswald, a tiny, seemingly traditionally animated character, evades a janitor and dances on the piano in Walt’s office, which Richard and Robert Sherman would use while Walt was still alive.
If you are unaware of Oswald, he’s a “lucky rabbit” that Disney and Iwerks created back in 1927 and appeared in a series of shorts released by Universal between 1927 and 1938. When Disney realized that his creation would stay with Universal, he was incredibly frustrated – in part this frustration led to the creation of Mickey Mouse. In 2006, Disney CEO Bob Iger brokered a deal with Universal to return Oswald to Disney (it involved the trade of sportscaster Al Micahels, who became the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s NFL coverage).
The new live-action/animated series stars Kathryn Hahn, Ravi Cabot-Conyers and Steve Martin. The shoot included a three-week shot at Disneyland last year. (Favreau seemed particularly tickled by this part of production.
Three-episode “Oswald” series premieres on Disney+ in February 2027.
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