In celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary, the studio released a brand-new animated short featuring one of the company’s oldest and most frequently forgotten characters, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
If you’ve heard of Oswald, it might be because the character was featured in the 2010 game Epic Mickey. Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks designed the spunky rabbit in 1927 while their fledgling animation studio was under contract to Universal Pictures. Oswald starred in a series of popular shorts, but when Universal asserted that it owned the character and continued producing Oswald shorts without Disney, he retired the rabbit from his own animation character stable, and created Mickey Mouse as a replacement that his company would own.
Oswald returned to the Walt Disney Corporation’s ownership in 2006, and while the character subsequently appeared in games, merchandise, and around the parks, this is his first appearance in an animated short since then.
“Oswald is such a plucky scamp. We wanted to bring Oswald back, and in the short, he literally returns to his original home, the movie screen,” says director Eric Goldberg. “We wanted to have Oswald do all of the ‘squash-and-stretch,’ ‘rubber hose’-animation style, celebrating that first generation of Walt Disney’s artists.”
The short is currently available on YouTube.
FAQs
As of January 1, 2024, the Mickey Mouse character, in its original version, will no longer be protected by U.S. copyright. It is a date that should have initially arrived in 1984, but that Disney fought as much as possible to prolong it and surround it with safeguards.
What Disney character was born in 1928? ›
1928: Mickey Mouse Is Created
The company produced three films featuring Mickey that year, including Steamboat Willie.
How can Disney lose the rights to Mickey Mouse? ›
According to US copyright law, the rights for a character expire 95 years after the publication of the original work. With Steamboat Willie debuting in 1928, January 2024 marked the expiration date for the short and Disney lost with Mickey Mouse copyright.
What happened in Disney in 1928? ›
Steamboat Willie—the first animated film to star Mickey Mouse and to feature synchronized sound—debuts at the Colony Theatre in New York.
Did Disney lose the rights to Peter Pan? ›
The copyright to the play and stage adaptations is owned by the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London - this is in perpetuity in the UK only. The novel is in the public domain worldwide. Walt Disney did a deal with Great Ormond Street to buy the animation rights to the Peter Pan story 70 years ago.
What famous cartoon character came about in 1928? ›
The Walt Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse made his debut in a test screening of the silent animated short “Plane Crazy.” (“Steamboat Willie,” released Nov. 18, 1928, was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be widely distributed.)
Which character of mouse was created by Walt Disney in 1928? ›
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white gloves.
What was Mickey Mouse's original name? ›
Walt Disney named his first iteration of the character Mortimer Mouse. However, at the urging of Lillian Disney, his wife, the character was renamed Mickey Mouse; reportedly, Lillian disliked the name Mortimer for the mouse and suggested Mickey.
Did Disney lose money in 2024? ›
SECOND QUARTER AND SIX MONTHS EARNINGS FOR FISCAL 2024
Diluted earnings per share (EPS) was a loss of $0.01 for the current quarter compared to income of $0.69 in the prior-year quarter.
What will happen to Mickey Mouse in 2024? ›
The first iteration of Mickey Mouse is headed for the public domain in 2024. Professor Stacey Lee explores the implications of legendary copyrights for modern media companies.
The ownership structure of Walt Disney (DIS) stock is a mix of institutional, retail and individual investors. Approximately 54.17% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 8.46% is owned by Insiders and 37.36% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.
Who ran Disney after Walt died? ›
Roy O. Disney, who after Walt's death oversaw the building and financing of Walt Disney World, died in late 1971, and for the next decade the Company was led by a team including Card Walker, Donn Tatum, and Ron Miller—all originally trained by the Disney brothers.
What was Disney called 1923? ›
In order to produce the series, the two brothers officially establish Disney on October 16, 1923, originally as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, with both Walt and Roy as equal partners. This studio is based in the back half of a real estate office on Kingswell Avenue in Hollywood.
What happened to Disney in 1926? ›
1926 Walt and Roy rename the studio Walt Disney Studios and move it to a new building on Hyperion Avenue. The birthplace of some of Disney's greatest films, it later becomes known as the Hyperion studio.
What Disney characters are not copyrighted anymore? ›
This year, the “Steamboat Willie” version of Mickey Mouse is now in the public domain. Originally released in 1928, this version of Mickey also appeared in the silent version of“Plane Crazy,” which introduced Minnie as his girlfriend. Additionally, two years ago, a version of Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain.
Did Disney lose copyright to Winnie the Pooh? ›
On Jan. 1, 2022, numerous works entered the public domain, including A.A. Milne's original Winnie-the Pooh stories. Although Disney's version of Pooh is protected by copyright, the company no longer exclusively owns the rights to Winnie the Pooh.
What celebrity was kicked out of Disney? ›
Bruce Springsteen said he and his E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt were escorted out of Disneyland for violating the park's dress code.
Who did Disney lose the rights to Oswald to? ›
Iger—knowing how important Oswald was to the Disney family and the company's legacy—traded the contract of sportscaster Al Michaels to NBC for the rights to the character. Oswald has made up for lost time since his return.
