Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to star in all-new Disney short

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is set to star in an all-new short to celebrate Disney's 100 Years of Wonder.

The iconic cartoon character was created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, and Oswald is now returning for the first time in nearly 95 years to feature in a short from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Producer Dorothy McKim said: "On the eve of Disney's 100th anniversary, it was such a joy to create the first new Oswald short from our studio since 1928.

"Our hand-drawn animation team - including our hand-drawn legends Mark Henn, Randy Haycock and Eric Goldberg, as well our wonderful team of 2D apprentices - had a ball animating in the style of Oswald’s era."

Eric, 67, also relished the return of the cartoon character, describing Oswald as a "plucky scamp".

He added: "We wanted to bring Oswald back, and in the short, he literally returns to his original home, the movie screen.

"We wanted to have Oswald do all of the squash-and-stretch, rubber-hose animation style, celebrating that first generation of Walt Disney’s artists."

The new animated short has been titled 'Oswald The Lucky Rabbit' and will be available on Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube Channel.

Oswald was first introduced to moviegoers in 1927 and the character is still widely recognised as one of the most significant in Disney's history.

Oswald was one of the first cartoon characters that had a distinctive personality, and Walt Disney once explained his ambition behind so-called personality animation.

The legendary film producer - who eventually created Mickey Mouse as a replacement for Oswald, after control of the character was taken away in 1928 - said: "I want the characters to be somebody. I don't want them just to be a drawing."

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