Mandalorian Mastermind Unleashes Long-Awaited Disney+ Follow-Up Series!
Jon Favreau, acclaimed for his work on <i>The Mandalorian</i>, is set to launch a new Disney+ miniseries titled <i>Oswald</i>. The show will explore the history of Walt Disney's original character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, blending live-action with hand-drawn animation as it premieres on February 17, 2027. This marks Oswald's first starring role in decades, following Disney's reacquisition of his rights in 2006.
Jon Favreau, a prominent figure in shaping the Star Wars universe on Disney+ as the creator of The Mandalorian and a deserved Disney Legend, is now venturing into Disney's own history with his next series. This long-awaited follow-up project, titled Oswald, will center on Walt Disney’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character that remarkably predates Mickey Mouse.
The new miniseries, comprising three episodes, is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on February 17, 2027. This release date is strategically timed to precede the character's 100th anniversary. Favreau is taking on multiple key roles for the series, serving as its writer, director, and executive producer. The show will feature a unique blend of live-action segments combined with traditional hand-drawn 2D animation, with Sergio Pablos, known for his work on Klaus, overseeing Oswald’s distinct hand-drawn appearance.
The story of Oswald revolves around three middle schoolers who find themselves unexpectedly drawn into an adventure. Their journey begins after an earthquake frees Oswald, who has been hidden for decades. The young cast includes Ravi Cabot-Conyers, also seen in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Ryder Allen from Palmer, and Mykal-Michelle Harris of Raven’s Home. They will be joined by a distinguished adult cast featuring Amy Sedaris from The Mandalorian, Kathryn Hahn, Al Madrigal, Steve Martin, and Bernell Pesino.
Attendees at D23 were given an exclusive first look at the series, which included footage of Oswald exploring the Walt Disney Archives. This sequence captivatingly showed the black-and-white character moving through the real-world building, discovering an old illustration office, interacting with a bottle of black ink, accidentally activating a zoetrope, and humorously scrambling across a piano.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit made his inaugural appearance in the short film Trolley Troubles on September 5, 1927. While Walt Disney himself created the character, he famously lost control of the rights to Universal the following year. This significant event directly led to Disney’s creation of Mickey Mouse. Decades later, Disney successfully reacquired the rights to Oswald in 2006 through an unusual trade deal involving sportscaster Al Michaels, who was released from his ESPN contract to join NBC (owned by Universal) in exchange for the Oswald rights.
Since the reacquisition, Oswald has made sporadic appearances in various Disney projects, including the 2010 video game Epic Mickey and several Disney's Mickey Mouse animated shorts. However, the upcoming Disney+ series marks a historic moment, as it will be the first time in many decades that Oswald takes center stage as the star of his own dedicated vehicle.