Walt DISNEY worked for UNIVERSAL? The Baffling History of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit!

Walt Disney’s story didn’t start with Mickey Mouse. There was Laugh-O-Grams, Alice, Julius, and most importantly: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

#BafflingHistory #OswaldTheLuckyRabbit #WaltDisney #CartoonHistory #Oswald

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Baffling History is a series that takes a look at some of the oddest and most interesting stories about Disney and Theme Park History! My other series, History in Pi Minutes, is where I look at some popular topics and cover them in a bite size format.

Before Mickey Mouse , Walt Disney got his start with Laugh O Gram Studios. A very early, simple form of animation. But his studio went bankrupt. So, he headed to Hollywood where he met Margaret Winkler ! One of the early pioneers of animation and one of the first major female producers in movie history. She wanted an animator to give her a silent cartoon star to rival Felix the Cat. Walt wanted money. It was a match made in heaven!

This lead to the Alice Comedies ! Starting with Alice's Wonderland. These blended live action with animation and starred Alice and Julius the Cat. This series was popular, but it wasn't until Winkler handed Walt over to here husband, Charles Mintz at Universal Studios , that Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had his first real break out star.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit!

But as Oswald grew in popularity, Walt and Mintz began to clash. Contract disputes arose and Walt left Universal. But since Universal owned the rights to the Lucky Rabbit. Disney had to leave Oswald behind. Some say Universal stole Oswald, but it really was more about disputes than anything sneaky or underhanded.

Universal had some success with Oswald after Walt left. There was a series of producers that each put their own spin on the character. Walter Lantz , Bill Nolan , Lantz Studios , etc. But there was a lack of direction and plan for the character and his popularity fizzled.

In the mid 2000s, Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company traded ESPN sports anchor Al Michaels to the Universal owned NBC Sports to get the rights back to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! They planned to reintroducing the character through the Epic Mickey video game franchise created by Warren Specter and Junction Point Studios. But poor sales for the second game, Epic Mickey 2 the Power of Two , caused the plans for the series to be cancelled. And Oswald has been relegated to cameos and a few theme park appearances. Although there are rumors of an Oswald Disney+ series. But aside from that Disney Plus series and a few meet and greets, there's not much going on.

B-Roll / Archive Footage:

Train Clip - Steam in the Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World Railroad April 2013)
Courtesy of Blue Comet Productions
   • Steam in the Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney Wo...  

[Lyrics] "Lucky Rabbit" - Oswald's Theme song ( Fandaze Disneyland Paris Resort Disney Studios Park 2018 Version )
Courtesy of V ( Using Footage of the Oh My, Ortensia Show from Attractions Magazine and Audio from DLP Dream )
   • [Lyrics] "Lucky Rabbit" - Oswald's Theme s...  

Swing Jazz Backing Track in C Minor | 165 bpm
Courtesy of Elite Backing Tracks
   • Swing Jazz Backing Track in C Minor | 165 bpm  

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Shorts Included in this video:
Poor Papa
Trolley Troubles
Skyscrapers
Race Riot
Africa
Gone Fishing
The Case of the Lost Sheep

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cameos from:
Woody Woodpecker Polka
Get a Horse
Mickey Mouse in Canned


This Video was made by Zach (AKA Pi the Disney Guy).

The Baffling History of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Walt Disney worked for Universal?

0:00 - Cold Open
0:11 - Act One: Oswald and Walt
6:00 - Act Two: Oswald without Disney
10:09 - Act Three: Oswald's Epic Return

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Music provided by "Vivek Abhishek"
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Music used : "Trailer Music" originally composed and produced by "Vivek Abhishek"
   • [No Copyright Music] Epic and Dramatic Tra...  

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