Disney gets Oswald the Lucky Rabbit back!

[Fflewduur]

Leave to the nerds at UD and cartoon forums to get excited about Disney getting a throw-in 80 year ago cartoon character in a trade of one of the most notable sports announcers today.

Which is exactly why I initially made the mistake of starting this thread under "Off-Topic." For the rest of the world, the story was certainly about keeping Madden & Michaels together and the sports programming ABC will pick up from NBC.

I was listening to my local sports-talk radio station (WJOX 690-AM) and they were discussing how ABC got the better of the bargain--Ryder Cup coverage, expanded Olympic & Notre Dame highlights, etc, etc--when they began talking about Oswald and how the name meant nothing to any of them. I, on the other hand, literally began dancing around the kitchen.
Pretty geeky, huh?

[2099net]

... Notre Dame highlights, etc, etc

Competetive Bell Ringing?

Remember all those "Iger sux" posts when his position was first announced? Well, it seems that this and that little Pixar deal have made him everybody's best friend.

[creid]

One of the articles linked from this thread noted none of the cartoons made by Universal are included in the deal. I suspect the Universal releases have long since gone PD so I would not expect the cartoons made by Lantz/Universal will not be part Oswald Treasures.

That would leave a handful of cartoons produced by Mintz and created by the Harman/Ising/Freleng team up in the air. These were produced for Universal so they also may be out of the deal. Considering there are ony 26 cartoons, many of which no longer exist, Disney needs more toons to make the Oswald Treasure.

[MikeyMouse]

This is great news, really...I think we can expect to see a Treasures set of the Disney Oswalds at some point in the not-so-distant future. Public Domain or otherwise, Disney should want to have these cartoons out there, and probably have access to better prints then most two-bit DVD producers. I can't imagine the Walter Lantz shorts (all 170+ of them) being included on a Treasures set, since Walt wasn't involved with them, but somewhere down the road we could probably expect them in a regular release of some sort.

On a side note, how do you think Al Michaels feels being traded for an 80-year old, mostly-forgotten cartoon star?

[Mr. Toad]

That would leave a handful of cartoons produced by Mintz and created by the Harman/Ising/Freleng team up in the air.

Well those would be pretty historically significant too. Seems to me they hooked up with a man named Schelsinger(sp?) and launched an animation studio of some repute as well.

[Mr. Toad]

Leave to the nerds at UD and cartoon forums to get excited about Disney getting a throw-in 80 year ago cartoon character in a trade of one of the most notable sports announcers today..

Well thats why we are here. We are Disney/animation nerds. Most of us are rather passionate about this.(maybe unhealthily so)

[Disney Lover]

That'ss good news! Though I have a question....what exactly does it mean when you say that a cartoon or character is Public Domain?


Tabbi <3

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I was listening to my local sports-talk radio station (WJOX 690-AM) and they were discussing how ABC got the better of the bargain--Ryder Cup coverage, expanded Olympic & Notre Dame highlights, etc, etc--when they began talking about Oswald and how the name meant nothing to any of them. I, on the other hand, literally began dancing around the kitchen.
Pretty geeky, huh?

Good thing that some people are able to cut through the fluff and see the true essence!

[Lars Vermundsberget]

That'ss good news! Though I have a question....what exactly does it mean when you say that a cartoon or character is Public Domain?


Tabbi <3

It means that no one owns the copyright - usually applies to works so old that the copyright expired or the owner didn't bother to renew the copyright.

[Fflewduur]

One of the articles linked from this thread noted none of the cartoons made by Universal are included in the deal...I suspect the Universal releases have long since gone PD so I would not expect the cartoons made by Lantz/Universal will not be part Oswald Treasures.

The Miami Herald notes Disney "will get the rights to the Oswald character plus all 26 shorts created by [Walt] Disney...not...the 'Oswald' films and other products produced by Universal."
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/en ... 838167.htm
I agree that even if all 26 were available, it seems a bit short for a Treasures release.

I am somewhat surprised to learn Oswald has had some toy licensing in Japan in the past couple years!
http://www.cartoonresearch.com/lantz2.html

[ichabod]

Remember all those "Iger sux" posts when his position was first announced? Well, it seems that this and that little Pixar deal have made him everybody's best friend.

The Disney fan is a strange being, fickleness being amongst its most frequently displayed traits. Years if not decades of evilness can be forgotten in a second and vice versa!

[creid]

Well those would be pretty historically significant too. Seems to me they hooked up with a man named Schelsinger(sp?) and launched an animation studio of some repute as well.

Yea, they came up with such great characters, like Bosko, Buddy and Foxy who had a slightly resembled Mickey.

[Mr. Toad]

Remember all those "Iger sux" posts when his position was first announced? Well, it seems that this and that little Pixar deal have made him everybody's best friend.

The Disney fan is a strange being, fickleness being amongst its most frequently displayed traits. Years if not decades of evilness can be forgotten in a second and vice versa!

I disagree. We were right to be leery that he was just a clone of Eisner, at least Eisner at the end. We also have the right to be very excited about the start Iger is off too. He is on a winning streak, at least from the artistic/creative side of the business.

[MK Sharp]

Ah, this is splendid news. I'm grinning from ear to ear. And I just know that anyone I try to tell about this will think I'm mental.

Welcome back, Ozzie, all is forgiven!

So can we *now* have the Silent Disney treasure with the Oswalds and the rest of the Alices? Pleeeeease?

[ichabod]

Here's an article from Jim Hill Media which again covers the Oswald Story but looks forwrad to what Disney may be cooking up for him.

http://www.jimhillmedia.com/article.php?id=1844

[Fflewduur]

The Jim Hill article is quite interesting. I knew Oswald had to be more than something thrown into the trade. It's a fascinating marketing opportunity, actually, the kind you couldn't create: an essentially brand new but vintage character, with a Machiavellian backstory and a pre-Mickey pedigree? Holy bat, crapman!

[creid]

The Jim Hill article is quite interesting. I knew Oswald had to be more than something thrown into the trade. It's a fascinating marketing opportunity, actually, the kind you couldn't create: an essentially brand new but vintage character, with a Machiavellian backstory and a pre-Mickey pedigree? Holy bat, crapman!

The Oswald story does not end there:
1) The beginning of the Warners/Scheslinger cartoon studio was started with another Machiavellian backstab. (Mintz losing control of Oswald to Lantz leaving Harman/Ising/Freleng unemployed.)
2) One year down the line yet another Machiavellian backstory of Powers, Iwerks & Disney. Powers tried to take control of Disney studios by taking Disney's lead animator and best friend. This lead to the Iwerks studio with Flip The Frog. Unfortunately, Ub was not successful and would later returned to the Disney as special effect/consultant. (He would help the Xerox process in 101 Dalmantians and assisted Hitchcock with The Birds.) From all indications, the friendship never completely mended.

I still think the best movie potential about Walt's life is the time period of the start of the studio through The Three Little Pigs with Oswald story being at the center of it all.

[PatrickvD]

Remember all those "Iger sux" posts when his position was first announced? Well, it seems that this and that little Pixar deal have made him everybody's best friend.

lol very good point. I recall most people sceptical, and for good reason. Although I do remember very well what I said when Iger was appointed. I said back then that executives like Iger have big, BIG egos. And who wouldn't wanna go down in history as the man who saved Disney? exactly. He's after what I thought he was after all along.

[Fflewduur]

I still think the best movie potential about Walt's life is the time period of the start of the studio through The Three Little Pigs with Oswald story being at the center of it all.

Would Disney make it, though?

[MikeyMouse]

Would Disney make it, though?

Probably not, which means it won't get made. I doubt Disney wants to paint their founding father in anything less than a glowing light, and a story about deception, betrayal, and cutthroat business dealings involving "Uncle Walt" most likely wouldn't sit well with the mother ship.