Before Mickey Mouse ever whistled down the river in Steamboat Willie, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927. Almost a century after his creation—and twenty years after Bob Iger famously traded sportscaster Al Michaels to Universal to bring the rabbit back home to Disney—the long-lost icon is getting his ultimate starring spotlight.
Taking the stage at D23, Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian & Grogu, The Jungle Book) formally unveiled Oswald, a three-part, live-action/animated hybrid miniseries set to premiere exclusively on D+ on February 17, 2027.
Created, written, and co-directed by Favreau alongside Jude Weng and Andrew R. Jones, Oswald takes a meta, lore-rich approach to Walt Disney’s history.
Hidden Away Since the 1920s
When a modern earthquake unearths a secret vault releasing Walt’s original creation—who has been hidden away from the world since the 1920s—a middle school boy and his friends take on the task of helping the cartoon rabbit navigate the confusing, fast-paced realities of the 21st century.
Introducing the project to an enthusiastic crowd at the Honda Center, Favreau reflected on bringing a century-old piece of Disney history back to life:
“Oswald is a character not many people know, but I have a feeling a lot of people in this room are very familiar with him,” Favreau shared on stage. “Now, the story ofOswaldis set in many historic locations that Disney fans would recognize, like the site of the old Hyperion Studios in Silver Lake, Walt’s office—Office 36 on the Disney lot in Burbank—and then we got to shoot on-location at Disneyland itself.”
2D Hand-Drawn Animation
While his work at Marvel and <a href="https://comicvibe.com/star-wars-meets-fortnite-in-new-millennium-falcon-smugglers-run-experience/" title="Star Wars meets Fortnite in new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run experience”>Star Wars has pushes the boundaries of digital VFX, including Volume technology, Favreau revealed that Oswald is taking a passionate step back into tradition. The series utilizes pure, traditional 2D hand-drawn animation, led by legendary animator Sergio Pablos (Klaus, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) alongside veteran Walt Disney Animation Studios artists.
The exclusive footage screened for the D23 audience featured a 2D-drawn Oswald sneaking through Walt Disney’s preserved Burbank office, eluding a night-shift janitor and tap-dancing across the very piano famously played by the Sherman Brothers.
The series pairs its traditional animation with a high-caliber live-action and voice cast:
- The Kid Crew: Led by Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Encanto), Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Ryder Allen.
- The Supporting Stars: Featuring Al Madrigal, Kathryn Hahn, and Oscar-nominee Albert Brooks.
- The Musical Engine: Scored by veteran Disney composer John Debney (Iron Man, Hocus Pocus).
For animation historians and Disney diehards, giving Oswald the Lucky Rabbit a hand-drawn hybrid miniseries under Favreau’s stewardship is an extraordinary full-circle moment. By filming inside Walt Disney’s actual office and recruiting master traditional animators like Pablos, Oswald isn’t just another streaming show—it’s a loving tribute to the birth of Disney animation itself.
