Disney movie veteran Jon Favreau is working with the House of Mouse on a Disney+ series featuring classic animated icon Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Details about the actor and director’s upcoming project come from a Deadline report, which says Favreau will be blending his live-action and animation skills to bring Oswald to the Disney streaming service in the form of a TV show. He’ll serve as both writer and producer on the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series. Further details, including plot and casting information, have yet to be revealed.
Although Oswald has and always will be an important character in Disney’s expansive lineup of animated, anthropomorphic characters, his time with the now-giant company was short-lived. The Lucky Rabbit was an idea born from Walt Disney himself, but the then-mascot actually only lived with Disney for 26 silent cartoons from 1927 to 1928 due to a rights mix-up that saw Universal take control. As covered in our in-depth look at Disney’s 100-year history, Oswald’s departure led to a dark period for the animation pioneer but also resulted in the birth of an important replacement: Mickey Mouse.
Disney went on to nab the rights to Oswald in 2006, and in 2022, it released its first new original short starring the character in 95 years. Now, it appears the company wants the character to live on as more than a simple representation of how far it’s come. Although a release date for the Favreau project has also not been revealed, it sounds like fans can expect the live-action and animation hybrid to materialize sometime in the future.
While Favreau’s sights are set on one of Disney’s oldest animated properties, more recently, he’s found himself tied up with some of its newest universes. Star Wars fans no doubt recognize the filmmaker as one of the loudest voices pushing the galaxy far, far away into the future thanks to his work on projects like The Mandalorian, Skeleton Crew, and Ahsoka. He’s also made his mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind and in front of the camera for the last 15 years and even sat in the director’s chair for the 2019 The Lion King remake. Fans can expect to see him direct once again when The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters in 2026.
While Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is primed to see an official return under the Disney umbrella, news of the character’s most recent appearance in film isn’t even one year old. In 2023, just one year removed from Oswald’s entrance into public domain status, Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole was revealed as a horror movie spin on the classic character starring Ghostbusters actor Ernie Hudson.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
