Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is the ruler of the Cartoon Wasteland and Mickey Mouse's older half-brother in Epic Mickey. One of the goals of the game is to earn his trust.
Personality
Although Oswald looks very similar to his little brother, Mickey, the resemblance practically stops there. Though they both have similar personalities, Oswald is more shrewd, obnoxious, grumpy, and out-right rude than Mickey. In fact, the only difference between his true personality and the sour mood he's in when you first meet him is that he's more grumpy than usual. His attitude is shown several times in his cartoons. In Rival Romeos, when Pete honks his horn because Oswald's car is going to slow, Oswald simply sticks his nose in the air and slows down even more just to annoy him. He even squirts oil in one of his Bunny Children's face in Trolley Troubles when it gets in his way. In the digicomics, Oswald's cheery side is shown several times.
In Epic Mickey
Oswald was the first inhabitant of the wasteland, and became its ruler in order to make the lives of the inhabitants better after being rejected or forgotten. However, Mickey Mouse accidentally created the Shadow Blot during his curious discovery of the world's model, and tried to erase the Blot. While Mickey left to his home, not knowing of his consequences, the Blot lived on and entered the Wasteland, and Oswald was left to defend his world in the Blot Wars. As time passed, the Shadow Blot would eventually defeat Oswald, and dethrone him as the ruler of the wasteland. Although he was defeated in the blot wars, he was able to seal the blot in the paint thinner jug at a price: he lost his lady love Ortensia.
Oswald, the rightful ruler of the wasteland
Leading up to the events of Epic Mickey
After the Blot Wars ended, Oswald, now forced into exile, is jealous of Mickey, blaming him for taking his spot as Disney's signature character. Oswald has expressed the desire to escape his Realm and really wants a heart like Mickey does. Oswald cringes when he first encounters Mickey, and is quick to mock Mickey when his back is turned. Despite this, however, Oswald is noted to help Mickey on his journey. Mickey must gain Oswald's trust if he wants to defeat the Shadow Blot.
Oswald is seen taunting Mickey as he ventures his way through Dark Beauty Castle and Gremlin Village before he runs off. It is speculated that he is the one who set up some of the obstacles that stand in Mickey's path as a way of getting rid of him.
Three Trials
Before meeting Oswald, you need to face the three Oswald Cartoons, called the Three Trials, each one testing your 2D platforming skills. When "Trolley Troubles", "Great Guns", and "Oh, What a Knight" have been conquered, he and his card guards will let you see him.
After the trials, Mickey finally meets up with Oswald. Oswald then explained that he used to be a star before Mickey came along, and he also explained that hearts represent the fans' love for the character. Suddenly, Oswald gets a brilliant idea. He enlists the help of Mickey and Gus to get to the Tomorrow City Rocket. Using the rocket, they can get Mickey out of Wasteland.
Search for the Rocket Parts
When Oswald and Mickey get to the rocket, Oswald is distraught that to find out that the Mad Doctor has removed three important parts for the Rocket. He then assigns Mickey to go out and recover the parts from Petetronic, Animatronic Captain Hook, and The Mad Doctor. After recovering the parts, Mickey returns to Mickeyjunk Mountain to meet up with Oswald at The Jug.
Release of the Blot
Oswald is seen at the Jug, struggling to keep the cork on and fighting off Blotlings, while Mickey engages in battle with the Shadow Blot just shortly ahead. After the battle, Mickey helps Oswald to keep the cork on. Oswald then reveals that the Blot that Mickey was fighting earlier on was only just a tiny piece of him that managed to get out. Oswald and his girlfriend, Ortensia, a long time ago, managed to get the Blot sealed into the Jug, but Ortensia met an ill fate. Oswald reveals he had been staying on Mickeyjunk Mountain to make sure that the Blot itself doesn't escape. Feeling that he misjudged Mickey, Oswald decided to start over with him. Overcome with guilt, however, Mickey revealed to Oswald that he was the one who released the Shadow Blot into Wasteland.
Outraged, Oswald decided to go one-on-one with Mickey, stomping on the cork keeping the Blot inside, which causes the cork to break, releasing the true Blot from his prison. With Oswald and Gus in his grasp, the Blot proceeds to make a deal with Mickey: give him his heart, and Oswald and Gus lives another day. Not wanting the two to die, Mickey sacrificed his heart. With the heart finally in his possession, the Shadow Blot goes off to drain Wasteland of its color.
Battle of the Blot
Oswald lost all hope of rescuing Wasteland, until Mickey and Gus had an idea. Using the rocket, they'll fly to the Blot to have the final battle. Oswald lit up and agrees to meet Mickey at Tomorrow City. After Mickey destroys all the Bloticles sapping all the color in Wasteland, he goes back to Oswald in Tomorrow City, where they launched the rocket. The Blot, however was wise to their plan, and drained the rocket's color, causing it to crash into Dark Beauty Castle. Luckily, Oswald managed to quickly come up with a new tactic. Using the fireworks set up in three special towers of the castle, they can launch an attack. With the fireworks set up, Oswald and Mickey retry to give each other forgiveness. However, the Blot consumes Oswald, Gus, and Mickey before they can proceed and launch the fireworks.
While Oswald was stuck to gooey walls of the Blot, Mickey proceeds to destroy the Bloticles inside the Blot in order to weaken him. He does so, releasing Mickey's heart and Oswald. Finally free, Oswald takes a good look at Mickey's heart, then, though a bit reluctantly, gives it back to him, and launches the fireworks, which destroys the Blot once and for all. The impact causes Oswald and Ortensia to crash back to Mean Street, and causes Mickey to leave Wasteland. As the Wasteland slowly regains its color, Ortensia was restored to normal, and she and Oswald have a happy reunion. As Oswald and Ortensia observe the fully-restored Wasteland, Oswald sees Mickey viewing the results of his actions. Oswald bids his half-brother farewell as Mickey's mirror returns to its natural state.
Epic Mickey: Tales of Wasteland
"He's got it all! Friends who admire him! A girl who adores him. 420 kids who want him to play with them! Detachable feet that can be rubbed strenuously to give him an extra boost of luck! So why can't Oswald, Disney's first cartoon star, put Mickey Mouse and the outside world into his rearview mirror? Why can't he just focus on Wasteland, the amazing world he's rebuilding into his image? Could it be that the luckiest rabbit in Wasteland simply doesn't know how lucky he is? It almost makes you wonder what kind of disaster would have to hit to make him appreciate everything he's got. Let's hope he never finds out!" 1
Oswald is the main character in the Epic Mickey: Tales of Wasteland (digi)comics. These comics are a prequel to Epic Mickey and take place before the Thinner Disaster. As the main character, he appears in all six of them. He and his Animatronic pals try to clean the clocktower in "Clock Tower Cleaners" and tries to spent the night in Lonesome Manor, because Pete dared him in "One Scary Night". He gets his feet stolen in "The Game's Afoot", fiercely competes with Horace in "The Rubbish Cup", visits the Mad Doctor with Ortensia and tries many different personas to regain his popularity in "Oswald the Lucky Duck" and tries to escape Wasteland in "There's a hole in the sky".
Oswald is quite adventurous and competitive in the comics, but also pretty envious and bitter of Mickey's fame and adventures. He is quick to take up a challenge and prove his worth, but also believes most people don't care for him and see him as an out of date version of Mickey. Sadly, he is also quite easy to manipulate. Something the Mad Doctor takes advantage of. He loves Ortensia and their Bunny Children and seems to be friendly rivals/good friends with Horace Horsecollar. He also takes his Animatronic pals with him on many adventures.
Gallery
Trivia
- Oswald was Walt Disney's first successful cartoon character when he, Ub Iwerks, and Charles Mintz created him. In fact, Mickey came to be only because Disney lost the rights to Oswald. Afterwards, Disney reclaimed the rights to Oswald back in 2006, by trading a newscaster to NBC/Universal in return.
- Despite the fact that he was around before color was introduced to cartoons; Oswald has a pair of blue shorts (the same color when he makes a cameo in animated segment in 1930 film King of Jazz) whilst Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow are appearing in black and white as they were when they first appeared.
- Oswald's girlfriend, Ortensia, is one of the characters that was consumed by the blot
- Paradoxically enough, Pete's character predates Oswald the Lucky Rabbit by a good amount of years, existing at the same time as the old "Alice" shorts, though he would always fail to be as big a star as Oswald and Mickey.
- Before the Blot wars, Oswald made Mickey and Minnie a house in the Cartoon Wasteland for them if they were eventually forgotten, proving Oswald isn't as resentful against Mickey as he acts,Minnies house later became Ortensia's House
- The only time Oswald refers to Mickey as his brother is, when he's in a happy mood, at the end in the control tower if you continue to talk to him, Quote: "You know I always consider you and me Half-Brothers, but I think we should just be plain brothers from now on.", the only other time they are refered as such in the game is by Yen Sid.
- Every time you turn your back to Oswald, even if he loves you as depicted by the floating blue mickey heads, he will make faces at you. If you quickly turn back once he starts he will stop and innocently whistle for a few seconds then go back to his normal actions.
- When you place a tv infront of him, Oswald will refuse to watch it then gives into temptation.
- If you reassembled Animatronic Goofy the door of Ortensia's house will be unlocked. You will find a locket. If you give it to Oswald, he will give you an extra health point.
- An artwork during one of Warren Spector's interviews (above) shows a possible Oswald boss depicting Oswald riding some sort of robot mecha suit to do battle with Mickey. This was scrapped for unknown reasons.
- It is hinted at several times during the game that Oswald had originally planned on stealing Mickey's heart once he finished the rocket, in order to escape Wasteland. If this is true, he was foiled by the Shadow Blot, who succeeded in taking Mickey's heart.