Nearly 100 years after he became one of Walt Disney’s very first animated stars, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is officially stepping back into the spotlight.
Disney just revealed our first look at Oswald, a brand-new Disney+ miniseries from filmmaker and Disney Legend Jon Favreau, during the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
And this isn’t just a quick cameo for one of Disney’s oldest characters. Disney confirmed that Oswald will be a three-part miniseries combining live-action filmmaking with traditional 2D animation, and we finally know when we’ll be able to watch it.
Oswald is coming to Disney+ in February 2027.
Jon Favreau took the stage during the D23 Entertainment Showcase to share the new details and give fans their first look at the upcoming series.
The footage brings Oswald the Lucky Rabbit into a live-action world, with the character retaining the hand-drawn appearance that connects him to his earliest animated adventures.
Disney’s first look even appears to place Oswald inside Walt Disney’s office at the company’s Burbank studio, creating a particularly fitting setting considering the character’s history with Walt himself.
Rather than recreating Oswald as a modern computer-animated character, Favreau has emphasized the importance of traditional animation throughout development of the project.
Veteran 2D animators have been recruited to animate the series, with animation work taking place across multiple locations. Favreau previously confirmed that Spain’s SPA Studios, known for its work on Klaus, is among the studios involved.
That animation style may be one of the most interesting parts of the entire project.
Oswald is being created as a live-action and traditionally animated hybrid, allowing the hand-drawn rabbit to interact with characters and environments in the real world.
Favreau has previously made it clear that the animation is being created by artists rather than attempting to recreate the hand-drawn aesthetic through another technique.
It’s an approach that feels especially appropriate for a character who debuted during the earliest years of Walt Disney’s animation career.
And there’s another familiar Disney name involved behind the scenes.
Composer John Debney will create the music for the series. Debney has a long history with Disney, with credits including Hocus Pocus, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Princess Diaries, and Favreau’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book.
If you’re wondering why longtime Disney fans are particularly excited about this announcement, you have to go back almost an entire century.
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927, before Mickey Mouse ever appeared on screen.
Oswald debuted in Trolley Troubles that same year and became one of Walt’s earliest animated successes. Disney produced 26 Oswald shorts before Walt lost creative control of the character in 1928.
That loss ultimately played an enormous role in Disney history.
After losing Oswald, Walt and Ub Iwerks went on to develop another animated character: Mickey Mouse.
Disney eventually regained the rights to Oswald in 2006, bringing one of Walt’s earliest creations back home. Since then, the character has appeared in Disney Parks merchandise and entertainment, the Epic Mickey video games, and a new Walt Disney Animation Studios short released in 2022—the first new Disney-produced Oswald short in nearly 95 years.
The timing of this new series couldn’t be much more appropriate.
Oswald arrives on Disney+ in February 2027, the same year that marks 100 years since Oswald the Lucky Rabbit made his debut.
Disney hasn’t revealed the exact February premiere date yet, and additional story details remain under wraps following the D23 presentation.
But a three-part miniseries built around traditional hand-drawn animation, live-action environments, and one of the most historically significant characters in Disney history already makes this a fascinating project to watch.
Nearly a century after helping launch Walt Disney’s animation career, the lucky rabbit is finally getting another chance to be the star.
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