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eta-gamma-14 In reply to 0swaldTheLuckyRabbit [2022-08-01 18:02:18 +0000 UTC]

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eta-gamma-14 In reply to Darkdealer65 [2021-12-14 18:18:08 +0000 UTC]

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Darkdealer65 In reply to eta-gamma-14 [2021-12-14 20:17:40 +0000 UTC]

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ashipnerd In reply to girl1213 [2018-10-15 18:48:21 +0000 UTC]

I've never read that magazine, what does it say?

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girl1213 In reply to ashipnerd [2018-10-16 07:02:10 +0000 UTC]

 Okay this gonna be a bit long, emotional (probably rabbling; ), might be wrong in some ways and I don't remember everything word-for-word from either the magazine or the movie, but a lot of this came from researching the Disney Company's early history and Walt's many interviews for a college assignment (which is how I even found that particular Life Magazine), so please bear with me...

It starts out by saying that Disney had always wanted to make his characters "real." He didn't want to follow what cartoons of his time like Fleischer Studios, were doing; focusing on humor of subjects without worry of moral implications. Oswald was the first of Walt's creations that could move the audiences on an emotional level never seen before. Oswald was the first that could make the audience really feel for the characters, relate even, something that would be crucial later on when Walt began his own company the way he wanted it to be. Oswald showed a side of Walt not many had seen or even known existed.

Did you know Walt participated in WW1 when he was just a teenager? The "Great Guns" cartoon despite all it's humor was a window into what Walt and other WW1 veterans went through, especially when it came to leaving loved ones behind. Sure he says he felt like he "missed an opportunity" but really only someone touched by tragedy could have made Oswald able to bring out all those bottled up emotions in the viewing audience who returned from war and struggle with what happened. In that way, Oswald helped Walt through something he could not talk openly about; that is why Walt loved him.

Mickey Mouse shows the bright, humorous, hopeful and good natured side of Walt we all know and love, but Oswald? Yeah, he can be bright, sunny, all smiles, and even make you laugh, but only the rabbit could convey the secret feelings Walt had underneath like any other human: rage, resentment, annoyance, sadness, it was expressed through Oswald. That's why Oswald in Epic Mickey was so relatable; he had VERY human emotions that the Disney Mascots, especially Mickey, could not have as a core part of who they are since for Oswald, that's not something played for laughs like with Donald or Daisy Duck. Like how Simba's guilt towards his father Mufasa's death, even though he knows he's not the one at fault, is part of the reason why he was blind to the kind person Kovu was despite his mother's attempts to mold him into the image of Scar.

Point to all this is: Oswald was the first. Everything that became Mickey, his gang of friends, and the beloved movies we grew up with and continue to love, was learned from him. And you never forget your firstborn child, especially when they're ripped away from you so unfairly...and you can't even acknowledge them as your own because of this thing called "property rights." Yeah, Walt had lost Oswald forever because he died before Oswald could even be promised to return home.

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Miusemunide In reply to girl1213 [2019-04-09 19:00:45 +0000 UTC]

That's... a nice way to put it but
I wonder if Disney actually liked him...

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girl1213 In reply to Miusemunide [2019-04-10 08:14:58 +0000 UTC]

Well everyone's entitled to their own thoughts and opinions on the thought of how Disney actually felt about Oswald. Mine is just based off what I had learned from that homework assignment and hearing Bob Iger's words on Oswald being "the empty spot in Walt's heart" rather then the "Walt Before Mickey" movie since I had written that assignment back in 2006 or 2007, long before the movie came out.

If it turns out I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. But the fact of the matter is that Walt Disney never really talks about Oswald after he became the star we all know him as, so finding information into his personal thoughts of something or someone, especially during his early days in the animation industry, is difficult and it was just pure luck I found anything relating to Oswald from Walt's own mouth. I wish I had saved that Life Magazine where I based my information from so others can make their own judgements but I hadn't and it's been over 10 years now.

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Miusemunide In reply to girl1213 [2019-04-13 20:45:10 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I like to think Disney liked him. I can't be sure cause there's not much to look into, but thank you so much for taking the time to reply! :>

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ashipnerd In reply to girl1213 [2018-10-18 00:45:12 +0000 UTC]

Wow. That's just....   
Wow. I can't imagine what that must have been like... 
Oswald is so important to Disney at his center, and yet hardly any know who he is.
After Disney lost him, Oswald would slowly start to fade into obscurity. Heck, I didn't know who he was a year ago! I had no clue he even existed!

Now this has just added another reason as to why he's my favorite cartoon character. 

I guess, on the bright side, after almost 80 years, he's home. 

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girl1213 In reply to ashipnerd [2018-10-18 02:56:33 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, Oswald's near fade to obscurity was the fault of Charles Mintz and Walter Lantz, the famous Woody Woodpecker creator. They never did understand what made Oswald so appealing to audiences because they weren't interested in character depth and complexity, so Oswald's fame faded away from the public consciousness. Heck, the owner of Oswald after Mintz and Lantz, Universal Studios, most of its employees didn't even know about Oswald until Bob Iger, Disney's current CEO, told Universal as part of that famous deal that brought Oswald back to Disney in 2006. Iger had long known about "the empty spot in Walt's heart" and vowed he would get Oswald back.

He succeed but Oswald still struggling to gain back public attention. It's been a slow and steady climbing process the past decade: he makes cameo appearances on the current Disney cartoons featuring the Disney Main Cast, he also makes theme park appearances and even has his own service station at Disney California Adventure. Heck, I even saw him carved into the ground and on a tree at The Seven Dwarves ride in Orlando. I really hope soon Disney will make something that will bring Oswald further back into the limelight like the Epic Mickey video games did. Like say, a surprise appearance in Kingdom Hearts? Now that would be something.

Here's hoping for Oswald's continued return to the fame and recognition he deserves.  

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ashipnerd In reply to girl1213 [2018-10-19 14:14:00 +0000 UTC]

I am so hoping that he makes it into Kingdom Hearts. It'd be one heck of a plot twist!

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electrathememestar In reply to CoveragePuns [2018-02-27 18:55:35 +0000 UTC]

* I cried*

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electrathememestar In reply to CoveragePuns [2018-02-27 18:55:18 +0000 UTC]

Me too icied a little

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Chazno-01 In reply to Jene777 [2021-02-15 21:08:40 +0000 UTC]

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09alih In reply to RetroUniverseArt [2016-06-17 21:10:53 +0000 UTC]

I have a LIFE magazine that talks about Walt, and it said the loss of Oswald was pretty devastating for him. They say he wasn't the easiest guy to work for, and I'm willing to bet the whole Universal fiasco is one of the reasons for that... he wanted to make sure that nobody would ever be able to pull something like that again.

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RetroUniverseArt In reply to 09alih [2016-06-18 00:40:08 +0000 UTC]

I honestly don't blame Walt.  These characters aren't just drawings on paper.  They were Walt's first children.

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HelloHannah265 In reply to TheSuperFrank225 [2016-06-14 07:34:22 +0000 UTC]

Obviously, the villain in Up was based off of him.  XD

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TheSuperFrank225 In reply to HelloHannah265 [2016-06-14 20:46:15 +0000 UTC]

Sure

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