Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kingofwaste) wrote2010-12-12 09:36 pm
kingofwaste) wrote2010-12-12 09:36 pm
Entry tags:
Application
Character
Name: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fandom: Epic Mickey.
Gender: Male.
Age: It’s been over 85 years since he was first created. But, really, he’s an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit. He’ll never age.
Time Period: Post Epic Mickey 2. (Paint ending)
Wing Color: Black.
History: Oswald's tale is a tragic one, indeed. It all started in 1927, when Walt Disney created his first real cartoon star; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Right off the bat, Oswald had a whole bunch of kids (420 of them), which was a great reference to the fact that rabbits breed like crazy. Up until the short “All Wet”, Oswald’s love interest was usually a lady rabbit. After that, Ortensia the Cat came into the picture and she remained his loyal girlfriend thereafter. Sadly, after only 26 episodes, disaster struck; Walt Disney was forced to give up Oswald's character to Universal Studios. While many more Oswald cartoons were produced under different management, none of them had the spark that the Disney classics used to have. Meanwhile, Walt had seemingly moved on and forgotten about Oswald. A new star had been born, who soon took the world by storm and grew into Disney's most well-known character. As Mickey Mouse became Walt's greatest cartoon, Oswald disappeared off the face of the earth.
So it was that the sorcerer Yen Sid created Wasteland, a world for all the forgotten Disney characters. Wasteland was shaped in Disneyland's image and Oswald, as the first forgotten character, took over as King. With the aid of the Mad Doctor, who created Beetleworx for construction work, Wasteland expanded further. The Doctor also created animatronic pals for Oswald; duplicates of Donald, Goofy and Daisy. After all, anything that Mickey had, Oswald could top. As seen in the special digicomic series, Tales of Wasteland, Oswald regularly had wacky adventures with his animatronic pals. They would clean the clocktower in the Gremlin world, spend a night in Lonesome Manor or engage in storytelling contests. Let’s not forget the infamous “Hole in the Sky” incident, where Oswald stacked up all 420 of his kids and climbed them like a ladder, in hopes of escaping Wasteland through a hole that had appeared in the sky. While proclaiming himself to be King, it’s clear he often mingled with the other residents. He and Ortensia ensured that the forgotten characters had good homes and overall, he was a kind ruler.
That is, until the Thinner Disaster. This tragedy wiped out a number of Wasteland's population and reduced most of the world to ruin. Along with that, the Shadow Blot appeared. This great monstrosity threatened to destroy Wasteland entirely. The Mad Doctor stepped over to the dark side to join forces with the Shadow Blot instead. Oswald and Ortensia managed to seal the Blot inside the jug that had caused the thinner flood, but it came at a terrible price. Just before the Blot was sealed, it grabbed Ortensia and reduced her to a lifeless statue. Not only that, but the Blot managed to escape the jug over the years, one drip at a time. Just like that, Wasteland had turned from the happiest (forgotten) place on Earth to the most depressing. Little did Oswald know, the Thinner Disaster was caused by a certain cartoon mouse.
As time passed, Mickey Mouse's popularity increased and Oswald was only too aware of this fact. He grew jealous, cynical and bitter. When Wasteland was overrun with Beetleworx and the Blot's drippings (Blotlings), he went into hiding at the top of Mickeyjunk Mountain, a place which ironically consists of nothing but various Mickey Mouse merchandise. Mickeyjunk Mountain was also where the Jug was hidden. This way, he could watch over it as much as possible. An undetermined amount of time later, the Blot's essence outside the Jug had grown so large and powerful, it managed to reach outside Wasteland and grab Mickey Mouse, pulling him into the forgotten world. With the Mad Doctor's aid, it planned to remove Mickey's heart, which would allow it to leave Wasteland. Luckily, Mickey managed to escape the Doctor's grasp and chase the Shadow away. This is when he first came face-to-face with his would-be brother Oswald, who'd come to investigate the scene. Both seemed shocked and Oswald promptly tried to flee, bumbling and fumbling along the way.
Mickey, now guided by a Gremlin named Gus, chased Oswald all the way to his throne room on Mickeyjunk Mountain, where their first real confrontation took place. It immediately became apparent how much Oswald resented the mouse who'd supposedly stolen his life. He never wanted Mickey to come to Wasteland in the first place and would be glad to be rid of him. This is how the escape plan was formed. Using the Moonliner Rocket from Tomorrow City, Mickey, Gus and Oswald would escape the world of Wasteland. As Gus rightfully stated, without hearts he and Oswald wouldn't be able to leave. It was a fact which Oswald quickly brushed off.
Upon their arrival in Tomorrow City, the trio discovered that the Mad Doctor had disassembled the Moonliner Rocket and three parts of it were scattered across Wasteland. Instead of setting out to find them himself, Oswald sat back and let Mickey do the dirty work, all the while monitoring his progress. When the last part of the rocket had finally been found and the Mad Doctor was defeated, Mickey reported back to Oswald, only to receive another quest. Apparently, there was trouble atop Mickeyjunk Mountain. Mickey clambered all the way to the top to find Oswald, defending the Jug from the Shadow Blot's minions. Under the assumption that the creature that had pulled him in was the Shadow Blot itself, he faced off against a smaller version of the Blot. When that was over with, he joined Oswald by the Jug and helped him push the cork back in, where he learned that the true Shadow Blot was trapped inside. By now, Oswald had grown more sympathetic towards Mickey and offered him a friendly handshake. Overcome with guilt, Mickey admitted that he was the one who caused the Thinner Disaster and created the Blot, a reveal which sent Oswald into a fit of rage. He challenged Mickey to a fight and, in doing so, stupidly broke the cork that kept the Shadow Blot sealed. It snatched both Oswald and Gus, offering to trade them for Mickey's heart. Mickey accepted the deal, offering up his heart to get his friends back.
So the Shadow Blot grew even more powerful, sprouting huge tentacles known as Bloticles across Wasteland to drain it of its remaining paint. After defeating the Bloticles in Ostown, Mickey met up with Oswald in Mean Street square. Tension was strong in the air, as Oswald offhandedly commented that he saw why Walt Disney liked Mickey better. What kind of idiot would give up his heart, something that most Wastelanders would die for, to save a Gremlin he’d just met and a rabbit who resented him, after all? Gus soon snapped them both back to attention. It was time for a new plan. In order to defeat the Blot, they needed to take back Mickey’s heart, but with the creature’s size it was impossible to get to it. That’s why the trio decided to use the rocket to get up high enough. Oswald was skeptical at first, but quickly changed his mind for the better and got started on fixing the rocket while Mickey would eliminate the rest of the Bloticles. Just before disappearing through a projector screen, Oswald remarked that he really did see why Walt liked Mickey better, now.
A short while later, Mickey reunited with Oswald by the Moonliner Rocket and they were ready for takeoff. Sadly, the rocket’s hull was held together with paint (“It was kind of a budget issue”), which the Bloticles absorbed before they could reach the Shadow Blot. The rocket crashlanded in Dark Beauty Castle, Oswald’s old place, but not all was lost. By activating the fireworks on all three towers of the castle, they could blast the Blot into oblivion. Thus, Mickey scaled the three towers of Dark Beauty Castle, all the while being attacked by the Blot, while Oswald awaited his return in the Control Tower. When the fireworks were ready, the two would-be brothers had another heart-to-heart chat while Gus prepared the remote. Mickey apologized once again for causing the disaster, but Oswald finally understood that he didn’t mean to do it. The rabbit also admitted that for a while, he did intend to take Mickey’s heart for himself and use the Moonliner Rocket to escape Wasteland, which is why they were both in need for forgiveness. Oswald once again offered his hand for a shake, but that’s when the Blot attacked, snatching Wasteland’s King, Gus and even Ortensia’s lifeless body from the control room. Mickey valiantly jumped after them, entering the Shadow Blot itself for the final battle.
After Mickey’s heart was freed of the Bloticles that held it in place, it landed in Oswald’s hand. For a moment, the lucky rabbit was torn, looking as if he would actually take the heart for himself after all. Then he relented and returned it to its rightful owner, before using the remote to ignite the fireworks show. The Shadow Blot was destroyed and while the three Wastelanders were sent whizzing back to the surface, Mickey himself was catapulted through the portal and back into the real world, where Yen Sid was waiting for him.
As it turned out, the Wasteland had gained a little bit of ‘magic’ of its own. Paint rained down from the sky, restoring the land to its former glory all around Oswald. Even Ortensia returned to her former self, greeting her boyfriend with a barrage of kisses. Everyone in Wasteland celebrated (… or didn’t, depending on how the player affected their environment) and while Yen Sid closed the portal to his workshop for good, Mickey could use the mirror to watch Mean Street’s inhabitants. Oswald, who could see his new friend through the mirror as well, introduced him to Ortensia. As they both placed their hands against the mirror, Yen Sid remarked that he hoped the two could become friends and perhaps even brothers.
---
After Mickey’s defeat of the Shadow Blot, several things happened. For one, the Thinner seas receded, allowing entrance to Disney Gulch. The Spatters that were left behind were banished to Blot Alley- a remote section of Bog Easy- and put under the supervision of Ghost Ian. Animatronic Captain Hook departed from the land and without a Captain to guide them, his old crew was chased out of Tortooga by Blackbeard. Train stations were built as an alternative to the projectors as Wasteland’s residents attempted to repair the remaining damage done to their land.
Sadly, all could not remain well. An undetermined amount of time later, earthquakes began to shake the land. One particularly nasty one split Mean Street straight down the middle and it was at that moment the Mad Doctor made his reappearance. As his Beetleworx began to repair the damage, he sang a song about hoping for redemption. With impending danger, Wasteland was in need of saving, so the Mad Doctor hoped that he and Oswald together could be the heroes to do it. Oswald accepted the offer, but Ortensia and Gremlin Gus found the entire matter only too suspicious. They built a special TV to bring Mickey Mouse back into the world of Wasteland, along with the magic brush.
Oswald returned to Dark Beauty Castle only moments after Mickey dropped in (literally) to reiterate what the Mad Doctor had told him. They were being attacked by “evil creatures” that were part blot and part animatronic. In order to get more information from the Mad Doctor, they would have to take the train to Mean Street, as the recent quake left the projectors out of commission. Upon arrival in Mean Street’s southern half, the Doc once again burst into song about how he was longer evil. The evil creatures were known as Blotworx and, coupled with the continuing earthquakes, it left Wasteland in significant danger. As the Mad Doctor departed in his flying globe with the intent to scatter more Beetleworx across the lands for repairs, Oswald and Mickey decided to fix the projectors and open the paths to the other sections. They sought out the Gremlin Jamface in the northern half of Mean Street, who informed them that the Projector Substation down in Rainbow Caverns had already gone down before the quake. In order to get around Wasteland, they would need to take the D. E. C. (Dahl Engineer Corridors).
Before they could get to the Rainbow Caverns, the trio needed to take a detour into Ostown to speak to Prescott, an arrogant Gremlin charge of the Gag Factory. The D.E.C. was down in a sinkhole of Thinner that came to being when Ostown’s fountain broke, so after repairing the pumps to drain the fountain, they were good to go. The Rainbow Caverns were the first attraction ever built in Wasteland and deep inside, by the Rainbow Falls, lay the substation for the projectors. Small Pete, the Pete who inhabited the It’s A Small World ride, was already there making repairs. With the help of Mickey and Oswald, the projectors were up and running again in no time. Just then, the Mad Doctor contacted Oswald through his remote to inform him that they should meet at the Doc’s lab, for he had some good news. However, the message broke off suddenly with the implication that the Mad Doctor was being attacked.
Using the newly-fixed projectors, Mickey and Oswald headed deeper into the Rainbow Caverns, also known as ‘Devil and Angel Caverns’. From there, they reached Disney Gulch, an area filled with assorted junk that was left behind after the Thinner receded. After fixing a small train, they reached the Mad Doctor’s laboratory and entered it to find an enormous Blotworx dragon wreaking havoc. They defeated it (either by befriending the Spatters inside or simply by destroying it) and the Mad Doctor made his appearance, though it seemed he was having more trouble, which he explained through song. He had become animatronic to stand up to the Shadow Blot, but now his parts were giving him trouble and he was slowly falling apart. He wanted to right his wrongs before it was too late and wished deeply to become a Toon again. They returned to Mean Street where all of them, even the Mad Doctor, were given a warm welcome now that the projectors were all working again. However, Small Pete appeared, bearing bad news. He’d found a gag from the Gag Factory jammed up the projector pipes. They’d been sabotaged.
While he tried his best to keep an eye out for possible perpetrators, Oswald refused to believe any of his people could be capable of such a thing. They decided the best course of action would be to speak to Prescott again, but Gus had just been to the Gag Factory and couldn’t find him there. As there’d been talk of Prescott having a few projects in Blot Alley, they decided to go there next. As they passed through Bog Easy, they discovered that someone had hacked the Mad Doctor’s Beetleworx to turn them against Wasteland’s residents once more. In Blot Alley, they met Ghost Ian, who warned them not to scare the Spatters. He’d been hard at work to make the creatures friendly, but the mere sight of Mickey could send them into a frenzy again. As for Prescott, Ian had seen him near Club 13. One short trip later, they arrived at said club to find Petetronic. He’d been put to work there by the Mad Doctor not too long ago. While Petetronic had seen Prescott, it was only in passing. The Gremlin had gone straight on to the train tunnels, and so our heroes followed suit.
As the train tunnels themselves had been damaged in the quake, they had to make their way through the dioramas instead. These dioramas were built by Prescott not long after the Shadow Blot had been defeated, to depict and honor the epic battles Mickey had fought. The animatronic overseer, Abe (Automatic Branch Engineer), was partly damaged. By repairing the dioramas, they managed to repair overseer as well. Abe then informed them that Prescott had indeed stopped by the dioramas earlier to gather parts for some great new invention. An invention that would make him appreciated.
After passing through Fort Wasteland, which had become infested with Spatters much like Blot Alley, the trio reached the old Floatyard, home of retired parade floats. There, Prescott gave them a very unfriendly welcome. They chased him to the very depths of the Floatyard to enter an arena built by Prescott himself. By now, there was no longer any doubt in their minds that he was the one who’d sabotaged the projectors. Still, when Gus questioned him about it, his reasoning was only that ‘he could do whatever he wanted and his greatness had always been wasted at the Gag Factory’. With the intent to take Mickey’s brush from him, Prescott entered his ‘greatest creation’- a gigantic, monstrous float of himself. Optionally, they first needed to face him as he boarded a smaller cannon, which rose upwards into the mouth of the gigantic float after it was defeated.
After Prescott was dealt with (again, either by destroying his creation or by befriending it), Gus attempted to help his old friend to his feet. Prescott was confused, claiming that “he told him no one could defeat him”. However, before the trio could question who “he” was, the Mad Doctor arrived on the scene, followed by Big Bad Pete and Animatronic Daisy, the reporter for the Duck News Network. One of the Mad Doctor’s Beetleworx emitted a strange flash from its eyes, sending Prescott into a hypnotic state, but no one seemed to notice. Another song began as the Doctor questioned Prescott’s motives. While hypnotized, Prescott admitted sole guilt for all the atrocities that had befallen Wasteland, claiming that he only did it because he wanted to be loved. As the pitiful Gremlin was arrested by Big Bad Pete, the Mad Doctor announced before the camera that he would build a new attraction in Mean Street. Celebrations were in order and joy needed to be spread throughout Wasteland. While Oswald reluctantly admitted that Prescott had been the culprit all along, Mickey still found the situation rather suspicious.
As they returned to Mean Street, the Mad Doctor was once again given a warm welcome, while Mickey and Oswald were somewhat ignored. They headed into the Sheriff station to visit Prescott, only to find that the poor Gremlin was still out of his mind and muttering nonsense. As Oswald fretted over the Mad Doctor’s popularity, Gus brought some more bad news to their attention. He’d searched through the Gag Factory to find blueprints of a construction site in Ventureland. While it was supposedly a site to build new homes for Spatters, the prints implied that it was a cover-up for some secret project. As they were still in need of more answers, they decided to investigate the construction site.
Upon arriving in Ventureland, Daisy forced an interview upon them before the camera. She informed them that the Mad Doctor had already closed the construction site down and berated Oswald for going out adventuring while the Doctor had worked hard on repairs. The closing of the construction site only furthered the suspicions that there was something not quite right. After sneaking past Pete Pan, who’d been assigned guard duty by the Mad Doctor, they passed through a projector in the construction site to find a very odd sight. Autotopia, a part of Wasteland that was presumed to have been destroyed in the Thinner Disaster, was still very much intact. Several siphons had been set up across the place to suck Guardians, the small sprites that gave Wasteland their properties of Paint and Thinner, out of their Guardian Pools. After disabling all the siphons, the trio found a projector that led straight into the Mad Doctor’s old attic in Lonesome Manor. The projector film they passed through, The Mad Doctor’s World Of Evil, included a song which explained that the Blotworx were failed creations of the Mad Doctor himself. It also explained why the Mad Doctor was falling apart. That is, his remaining toon parts were interfering with his animatronic parts.
Upon arrival in the attic, they found Gremlin Jamface imprisoned and the place had been set up to have some sort of stage. They found the Mad Doctor’s diary, which confirmed without a doubt that the man was still evil. It detailed his plan to become a Toon once more by trapping the Guardians, as well as manipulating Prescott into building a special TV for him. This TV would broadcast a program of the Mad Doctor’s to the Cartoon World so that he’d be remembered and could leave Wasteland. Furthermore, the earthquakes that had been plaguing the land were an unexpected side effect of the Doc sucking Guardians out of the ground. The nearby projector was set for the Mad Doctor’s new attraction, so they decided to see if they could confront him there.
What they found was quite unexpected. While indeed some sort of ride, the attraction was at the same time a horrible death trap and yet another gigantic siphon to pull the Guardians out of Wasteland. The Mad Doctor was holding Ortensia, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow hostage, offering a compromise. If Mickey gave him the magic brush, he would release both the Guardians and Oswald’s friends. If not, he would suck all the Guardians out of Wasteland, leaving everyone and everything inert. Either way, the Mad Doctor would leave once his program was broadcast to the outside world. While Mickey seriously considered handing the brush over, Oswald stepped in to stop him. With the brush, the Mad Doctor would be unstoppable in the Cartoon World. So another boss battle ensued. After the fight, the Mad Doctor’s machine threatened to fall into an abyss of Thinner and despite Mickey attempting to hold him back, Oswald rushed forward to pull him to safety. This backfired spectacularly. The Mad Doctor, now rid of his toon skin to show his animatronic insides, was more than willing to take the Lucky Rabbit down with him. What happened next depended on how the player had decided to handle the battle.
If the player had used mainly Paint, Mickey would in turn use this on the Mad Doctor’s face in an attempt to have him release Oswald. The Paint restored part of the Doc’s face, leaving him confused and conflicted. As they all threatened to fall backwards into the Thinner, his conscience kicked in and he grabbed the duo, flying them both to safety with jets installed in his feet. They were reunited with Ortensia and the others, as the Doctor marveled over how they saved him through song. The duo explained that they saved him for the same reason that he then saved them- It’s what heroes do. The Mad Doctor then understood the values of love and courage. Now that he’d seen the error of his ways, blue Guardians arose from the depths of the pit to reward him for it: They turned him into a full-fledged (though still forgotten) Toon. The group returned to Mean Street, accompanied by the Mad Doctor, where a parade was held in their honor.
While all now seemed well in Wasteland, a bonus scene after the credit showed that Big Bad Pete had taken Prescott captive and was planning something. Along with Small Pete, Pete Pan and Petetronic, they departed through the projector leading to Ventureland. However, the appearance of these other Petes also depended on the player’s choices.
Personality:
Before the Thinner Disaster struck, Oswald was a lot more cheerful than he is when Epic Mickey first starts. As seen in the Tales of Wasteland comics and also explained in his official character data, he seemingly had it all despite being forgotten. He had friends who admire him, a girlfriend who loves him and kids who adore him. He also had Pete, who served as a rival for Ortensia’s love, but everything comes at a cost, right? Pegleg Pete was already Oswald’s nemesis in the old cartoon shorts, despite many changes to his character design over those few years. It honestly didn’t seem to bother Oswald too much. While the thought of Mickey Mouse did anger him slightly, he was far from the bitter rabbit we see later on. He played bowling games with his bunny kids, hung out with his animatronic pals and was even friends with the Mad Doctor. Oswald just wanted to be noticed and loved, a trait that never changed throughout the years.
On the flipside, despite having it all and being generally content, Oswald had a tendency to lose his temper whenever Mickey Mouse was mentioned. A great example is in the “One Scary Night” tale, where animatronic Donald brought up that Mickey’s friends split up when they were in a haunted mansion. Oswald promptly cut across him, saying that Mickey wasn’t there, he was, and that they should stick together. Mind, Oswald’s hatred for mice didn’t start with Mickey. Even before he was sent to Wasteland, the lucky rabbit could be seen engaging in scuffles with mice. Mice tried to eat his hot dogs in “All Wet” and in the episode “Great Guns”, many of the enemies were mice. The little critters weren’t always irritating him, though. In the short “The Ocean Hop”, two mice were seen helping Oswald sneak his airplane into a competition. They then helped him win the race.
What really drove Oswald, even in the past, was a thirst to return to the silver screen. More than anything, he wanted to leave Wasteland and regain the love of his audience. In the digicomic “Oswald the Lucky Duck”, he hoped to regain the love of the people by getting a ‘makeover’ with the Mad Doctor’s latest invention. After all, there were a lot of cartoon characters who changed their style over the years, so why couldn’t Oswald do the same? He was willing to give up his essence, being a rabbit, just to become a known character again. Mind you, he didn’t do too well at being a duck, a stiff or even an unlucky devil.
This trait is elaborated on further in the digicomic “There’s A Hole In The Sky”. At first, Oswald was slightly hesitant about going up to the hole and trying something potentially dangerous, especially when Ortensia told him it didn’t matter as long as they had each other. However, the Mad Doctor made use of Oswald’s greatest weakness- his fear of being forgotten again and thus he decided to go through with his plan. While he did promise to get Ortensia and everyone else out as well, there was no telling what lay beyond the hole and whether he’d be able to keep his word at all. Apparently, to Oswald, this was a risk worth taking. Similarly, in the game he spends a fairly long time plotting to take Mickey’s heart and leave Wasteland for good. The lifeless form of Ortensia, his kids, his broken animatronic friends… All of them would be left behind in the ruins of the world he once loved. Seemingly, the thing that stops him from doing this in the end is that he feels it’s unfair towards Mickey.
Years after the Thinner Disaster, Oswald seems to have gone through a bit of a transformation. While he still longs to leave Wasteland, still cares about his friends, his dislike for Mickey has intensified to the point where it seems to have consumed him. He’s grown cynical and bitter, sticking mostly to his hideout in Mickeyjunk Mountain, where he’s surrounded by his own personal guard of playing cards. As the characters in Mean Street comment, they no longer see Oswald around anymore. The exiled King spends about a third of the game trying to shake Mickey off, purposely closing doors behind him on his way to Mickeyjunk Mountain. When they finally meet, Oswald makes it very clear that he never wanted Mickey to invade his little world.
As the game progresses, Oswald is clearly putting Mickey to the test. While he tends to taunt the mouse as soon as his back is turned, he watches how things are handled and his interactions with Mickey change accordingly. Assuming for a moment that the player makes the right choices, as the animated cutscenes tend to stick to, Oswald gradually grows to trust his ‘rival’. After all, once he sees that Mickey is working to make Wasteland a better place, it’s hard to hold a grudge against him. By the time the rocket parts have been gathered and the mini Blot is defeated, it seems Oswald is at least partly ready to put the past behind him and admit that Mickey isn’t such a bad person. The truth behind the Thinner Disaster crushed most of Oswald’s trust again, but trading up his heart for his friends’ safety and destroying the Bloticles put Mickey back in the good books. From this point on, Oswald actually starts to cooperate with the mouse, making preparations to defeat the blot and admitting that he wants them to be brothers. Because, as he says, he’s starting to see why Walt Disney (and the rest of the world) liked Mickey so much.
Oswald is the kind of guy who knows he’s made mistakes in the past and once he gets past his petty grudges, he actually starts feeling guilty for the way he behaved himself. That’s why, when he finally forgives Mickey for the Thinner Disaster, he asks to be forgiven as well. When he’s ultimately given the chance to take the heart for himself and fulfill his greatest desire of leaving Wasteland, he chooses not to do it, proving that he’s fully redeemed himself.
Still, Oswald is an incredible pushover. He can’t stand competition, which stories like the comic “The Rubbish Cup” and shorts like “Rival Romeos” already imply. In “Oh, Teacher”, he intends to beat up a cat who moved in on his rabbit girlfriend. … With what appears to be a brick. When you think about it, the entire premise of Epic Mickey is based on Oswald’s thirst to outshine Mickey Mouse. He’s just like a jealous little brother who throws a fit when he can’t have what his older brother has. Which is ironic because Oswald is actually the older brother. In his cartoon shorts, he regularly participated in competitions, such as an air plane race and a fox hunt. Furthermore, he has a tendency to puff himself up (literally), in hopes of making himself seem more impressive.
The fact that Oswald is called a “lucky rabbit”, sadly, doesn’t actually mean he’s lucky. If anything, it seems to pertain to the fact that whenever he gets into trouble- which is bound to happen, something saves him at the last second. It’s something that Oswald comments on in the game itself, though the remark is delivered in a rather cynical note. He believes that Mickey only saved him from the Blot’s grasp because Gus was captured as well, which is why people refer to him as the Lucky Rabbit. It’s a notion about Mickey’s sacrifice that he only has for a short while, but it’s there nonetheless.
---- Epic Mickey 2
In the sequel, Oswald is a lot more cheerful than the sullen bunny he was for most of the first game. He’s hard at work to repair Wasteland and do whatever he can for his people. When he’s around Ortensia, he becomes very affectionate and loves to coddle her. Even so, he finds himself going against her from time to time. While she told him to get rid of his fireworks, he hid them in several secret stashes across Wasteland, and while she absolutely refuses to believe the Mad Doctor’s changed, Oswald gives him a chance anyway.
For that matter, when the Mad Doctor appears before him, he’s skeptical at first, but the Doc knows perfectly well how to manipulate him. By using keywords such as “heart” and “hero” in his song, he manages to target Oswald’s ‘weaknesses’ and so the Lucky Rabbit decides to give him a second chance. Oswald’s become a firm supporter of redemption, as both he and Mickey had been granted the same option in the past. Not only that, but the Mad Doctor was once one of his closest friends, so he’s desperate to regain that. Still, when Mickey later questions him about it, it turns out that Oswald’s not convinced of the Mad Doctor’s turn of heart. He doesn’t entirely believe the Doc’s good now, but he sure hopes so.
Once it turns out that someone sabotaged the projectors, he tries to give everyone the evil eye in hopes of finding the culprit, but ends up faltering. He believes the residents of Wasteland are all good people. Still, after Prescott admits his guilt and is apprehended, Oswald doesn’t question it. He’s willing to accept the Gremlin’s words for what they are, as Prescott’s motives are understandable for a forgotten Toon, which once again has him suckering right into the Mad Doctor’s trap.
One negative portion of Oswald’s personality that retains a strong presence is his jealousy of the ‘more popular’ folks, coupled with his fear of being forgotten. As the Mad Doctor becomes more loved with his people, Oswald becomes more and more sulky. When Daisy accuses him of running off to have adventures while the people of Wasteland had to depend on the Doc for repairs, he becomes visibly distraught. When asked for more comment on the “Pro-Mad Doc” faction, he slams a hand into the camera, then walks off to seclude himself from the group.
In battle, Oswald is cocky and has a thirst to prove himself. Furthermore, he no longer has any problems working alongside Mickey. Since the end of the first game, he’s accepted the mouse as family. While he used to refer to his half-brother as “Mouse” a lot, he now calls him simply “Mickey”. Their relationship is very friendly and the two watch out for each other, but they aren’t afraid to step in if they feel the other is making a mistake, either. While Oswald can’t stop Mickey from wreaking havoc on Wasteland if the player so chooses, he does berate the mouse for it.
Strengths:
Physical: Oswald is pretty fast, as he manages to outrun Mickey in the first stages of the game. More notably, Oswald has detachable limbs. He regularly removes his feet and rubs them on things to gain an extra stroke of luck. He can remove his ears to use them as a key, his tail to use it as a cloth or even the top of his head to tip it like a hat. In the digicomic, he plays a bowling game using his head (His bunny kids are the pins). In Epic Mickey 2, he can detach one of his arm to throw it as a boomerang. Furthermore, he can spin his ears helicopter blades to remain airborne for a limited amount of time.
Mental: He can be pretty resourceful sometimes. In the cartoon shorts, he regularly uses items around him to his own advantage. Like in Trolley Troubles, where he gets an angry mountain goat to push his trolley up a steep hill. In the graphic novel, it’s implied that he played a big part in the original creation of Beetleworx, as well as the animatronic pals.
Emotional: Once Oswald’s trust is gained, he’s a very resourceful and loyal friend. If the situation calls for him to be humble, he’ll do it. If he needs to give up something valuable because it’s the right thing to do, he’ll do it. He’s a great father to all his bunny kids and never abused his position as king to push people around. He cares about his pals a lot, even if he has a terrible way of showing it sometimes. As a Toon, his main goal in life is to make people laugh, so that’s what he’ll aim to do.
Weaknesses:
Physical: He’s pretty clumsy. He may be a cartoon ‘hero’, but he doesn’t have exceptional strength or speed. Most of the time, he just fumbles his way through his adventures and things tend to work out in the end. His detachable limbs can also cause problems sometimes, as they can get lost or even stolen. It happened in the digicomic “The Game’s Afoot”, where Pete stole Oswald’s feet in hopes of having more luck with Ortensia. And of course, while he can bounce back from great physical blows, even Toons have a weakness. Should Oswald ever come in direct contact with Thinner (or a similar liquid), he will either be damaged severely or die.
Mental: While he does have a decent set of brains, there’s plenty of times when his emotions get the better of him and cloud his common sense. It’s easy for people like the Mad Doctor to manipulate him, because despite years of cynicism, he can be pretty gullible.
Emotional: He’s temperamental and competitive. When he gets mad, reasoning can get lost on him and he tends to resort to violence. If someone offers him a challenge, he seems unable to turn it down and that lands him into trouble. After being abandoned by his ‘father’, Oswald has developed a bit of a fear of being forgotten. He needs people to notice him and he can’t stand the thought of someone else taking his spotlight. If there’s a chance for him to return to the world outside of Wasteland, he may take unnecessary risks to achieve that goal. Because Oswald focuses so much on what he wants, he doesn’t entirely realize what he already has until he loses it.
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Oswald's history, explained in more detail by Yen Sid in the graphic novel.
"Wasteland was very, very different at the beginning. A refuge for the cartoons who were now forgotten by their fans, but deserved a better fate than just oblivion. Oswald was the first to arrive here, followed by Ortensia, his girlfriend. Then came the family and friends. Wasteland soon flourished. It was the happiest place on Earth outside Earth. ... Well, more or less! Obviously there was some jealousy! The grass is always greener, even for cartoon characters, but in the end it was nothing serious.
Wasteland was a kind of imitation of another happy place, where even more famous people lived. A place that was often noted for its cleanliness, where any waste left on the street seemed to magically disappear. And it did! Thanks to my magic, rubbish ended up fading to Wasteland, where Oswald and his friend, the Mad Doctor, used it as material for construction. So it was that Beetleworx were born- creatures that would spread throughout Wasteland, continuing to build distorted versions of the buildings of the outside world.
But there was a certain kind of "junk" that Oswald always kept separate from the rest: All Mickey Mouse merchandise that came to Wasteland. It was immediately sent to a secluded area, so as not to "spoil" the pure vision Oswald had of his world. That area was called Mickeyjunk Mountain- a place so remote that only Oswald ventured there. And he did it quite often.
For the rest of the time, he looked wistfully at the sky where, sometimes, portals opened that allowed him to glimpse the outside world. A world where Mickey had good friends; Donald and Goofy, of whom Oswald had built copies to have a little company. A world that was once his, but probably never would be again.
Then one day, disaster struck. It is said that cats are curious, but the mice are just as curious... with even more devastating consequences! The incredible flood of paint and thinner would've sufficed to terrorize the inhabitants of Wasteland, but something much worse happened. The flood gave birth to the Shadow Blot, a sort of force of nature that leveled wasteland, erasing entire areas and by sucking the energy of hundreds of people, making them inert. With each attack his power and his knowledge continued to grow.
Oswald and his allies desperately attempted to find the right mix of paint and thinner, the very essence of Shadow Blot, to stop the destruction. But it was in vain. And when all was lost, the Mad Doctor, until then an ally of Oswald, joined the enemy. Why did he do it? He had his reasons, of course, but the suspicion is that, like the scorpion, he could not do otherwise. It was his nature! Anxious to prove his devotion to the Shadow Blot, he tried to steal the Beetleworx's remote control from Oswald. So that the Shadow Blot would accept him into his army. But, fortunately, Ortensia jumped to Oswald's aid! Unfortunately, this action led to the Mad Doctor vowing revenge. Revenge that was put into motion very soon!
When Oswald and Ortensia tried one last attack on the Shadow Blot on Mickeyjunk Mountain, determined to trap him in a bottle of Thinner that had fallen into Wasteland with him, the Mad Doctor warned the Shadow Blot! The giant creature was determined to stay off the mountain, but Oswald caught his attention. Wasteland's first citizen was too important of a target to ignore. Oswald was ready to sacrifice himself, if it would put an end to the clash. But Ortensia stopped him! Oswald's silent scream rang out across Wasteland. Fortunately, he could think clearly enough to plug the jug, trapping the Shadow Blot! But this did not put an end to the battle! The followers of the Blot still roamed Wasteland, under the leadership of the Mad Doctor and the terrible shadow...
But Oswald did not care about all that anymore... Because the Shadow Blot had erased his only reason for living."
Name: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fandom: Epic Mickey.
Gender: Male.
Age: It’s been over 85 years since he was first created. But, really, he’s an anthropomorphic cartoon rabbit. He’ll never age.
Time Period: Post Epic Mickey 2. (Paint ending)
Wing Color: Black.
History: Oswald's tale is a tragic one, indeed. It all started in 1927, when Walt Disney created his first real cartoon star; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Right off the bat, Oswald had a whole bunch of kids (420 of them), which was a great reference to the fact that rabbits breed like crazy. Up until the short “All Wet”, Oswald’s love interest was usually a lady rabbit. After that, Ortensia the Cat came into the picture and she remained his loyal girlfriend thereafter. Sadly, after only 26 episodes, disaster struck; Walt Disney was forced to give up Oswald's character to Universal Studios. While many more Oswald cartoons were produced under different management, none of them had the spark that the Disney classics used to have. Meanwhile, Walt had seemingly moved on and forgotten about Oswald. A new star had been born, who soon took the world by storm and grew into Disney's most well-known character. As Mickey Mouse became Walt's greatest cartoon, Oswald disappeared off the face of the earth.
So it was that the sorcerer Yen Sid created Wasteland, a world for all the forgotten Disney characters. Wasteland was shaped in Disneyland's image and Oswald, as the first forgotten character, took over as King. With the aid of the Mad Doctor, who created Beetleworx for construction work, Wasteland expanded further. The Doctor also created animatronic pals for Oswald; duplicates of Donald, Goofy and Daisy. After all, anything that Mickey had, Oswald could top. As seen in the special digicomic series, Tales of Wasteland, Oswald regularly had wacky adventures with his animatronic pals. They would clean the clocktower in the Gremlin world, spend a night in Lonesome Manor or engage in storytelling contests. Let’s not forget the infamous “Hole in the Sky” incident, where Oswald stacked up all 420 of his kids and climbed them like a ladder, in hopes of escaping Wasteland through a hole that had appeared in the sky. While proclaiming himself to be King, it’s clear he often mingled with the other residents. He and Ortensia ensured that the forgotten characters had good homes and overall, he was a kind ruler.
That is, until the Thinner Disaster. This tragedy wiped out a number of Wasteland's population and reduced most of the world to ruin. Along with that, the Shadow Blot appeared. This great monstrosity threatened to destroy Wasteland entirely. The Mad Doctor stepped over to the dark side to join forces with the Shadow Blot instead. Oswald and Ortensia managed to seal the Blot inside the jug that had caused the thinner flood, but it came at a terrible price. Just before the Blot was sealed, it grabbed Ortensia and reduced her to a lifeless statue. Not only that, but the Blot managed to escape the jug over the years, one drip at a time. Just like that, Wasteland had turned from the happiest (forgotten) place on Earth to the most depressing. Little did Oswald know, the Thinner Disaster was caused by a certain cartoon mouse.
As time passed, Mickey Mouse's popularity increased and Oswald was only too aware of this fact. He grew jealous, cynical and bitter. When Wasteland was overrun with Beetleworx and the Blot's drippings (Blotlings), he went into hiding at the top of Mickeyjunk Mountain, a place which ironically consists of nothing but various Mickey Mouse merchandise. Mickeyjunk Mountain was also where the Jug was hidden. This way, he could watch over it as much as possible. An undetermined amount of time later, the Blot's essence outside the Jug had grown so large and powerful, it managed to reach outside Wasteland and grab Mickey Mouse, pulling him into the forgotten world. With the Mad Doctor's aid, it planned to remove Mickey's heart, which would allow it to leave Wasteland. Luckily, Mickey managed to escape the Doctor's grasp and chase the Shadow away. This is when he first came face-to-face with his would-be brother Oswald, who'd come to investigate the scene. Both seemed shocked and Oswald promptly tried to flee, bumbling and fumbling along the way.
Mickey, now guided by a Gremlin named Gus, chased Oswald all the way to his throne room on Mickeyjunk Mountain, where their first real confrontation took place. It immediately became apparent how much Oswald resented the mouse who'd supposedly stolen his life. He never wanted Mickey to come to Wasteland in the first place and would be glad to be rid of him. This is how the escape plan was formed. Using the Moonliner Rocket from Tomorrow City, Mickey, Gus and Oswald would escape the world of Wasteland. As Gus rightfully stated, without hearts he and Oswald wouldn't be able to leave. It was a fact which Oswald quickly brushed off.
Upon their arrival in Tomorrow City, the trio discovered that the Mad Doctor had disassembled the Moonliner Rocket and three parts of it were scattered across Wasteland. Instead of setting out to find them himself, Oswald sat back and let Mickey do the dirty work, all the while monitoring his progress. When the last part of the rocket had finally been found and the Mad Doctor was defeated, Mickey reported back to Oswald, only to receive another quest. Apparently, there was trouble atop Mickeyjunk Mountain. Mickey clambered all the way to the top to find Oswald, defending the Jug from the Shadow Blot's minions. Under the assumption that the creature that had pulled him in was the Shadow Blot itself, he faced off against a smaller version of the Blot. When that was over with, he joined Oswald by the Jug and helped him push the cork back in, where he learned that the true Shadow Blot was trapped inside. By now, Oswald had grown more sympathetic towards Mickey and offered him a friendly handshake. Overcome with guilt, Mickey admitted that he was the one who caused the Thinner Disaster and created the Blot, a reveal which sent Oswald into a fit of rage. He challenged Mickey to a fight and, in doing so, stupidly broke the cork that kept the Shadow Blot sealed. It snatched both Oswald and Gus, offering to trade them for Mickey's heart. Mickey accepted the deal, offering up his heart to get his friends back.
So the Shadow Blot grew even more powerful, sprouting huge tentacles known as Bloticles across Wasteland to drain it of its remaining paint. After defeating the Bloticles in Ostown, Mickey met up with Oswald in Mean Street square. Tension was strong in the air, as Oswald offhandedly commented that he saw why Walt Disney liked Mickey better. What kind of idiot would give up his heart, something that most Wastelanders would die for, to save a Gremlin he’d just met and a rabbit who resented him, after all? Gus soon snapped them both back to attention. It was time for a new plan. In order to defeat the Blot, they needed to take back Mickey’s heart, but with the creature’s size it was impossible to get to it. That’s why the trio decided to use the rocket to get up high enough. Oswald was skeptical at first, but quickly changed his mind for the better and got started on fixing the rocket while Mickey would eliminate the rest of the Bloticles. Just before disappearing through a projector screen, Oswald remarked that he really did see why Walt liked Mickey better, now.
A short while later, Mickey reunited with Oswald by the Moonliner Rocket and they were ready for takeoff. Sadly, the rocket’s hull was held together with paint (“It was kind of a budget issue”), which the Bloticles absorbed before they could reach the Shadow Blot. The rocket crashlanded in Dark Beauty Castle, Oswald’s old place, but not all was lost. By activating the fireworks on all three towers of the castle, they could blast the Blot into oblivion. Thus, Mickey scaled the three towers of Dark Beauty Castle, all the while being attacked by the Blot, while Oswald awaited his return in the Control Tower. When the fireworks were ready, the two would-be brothers had another heart-to-heart chat while Gus prepared the remote. Mickey apologized once again for causing the disaster, but Oswald finally understood that he didn’t mean to do it. The rabbit also admitted that for a while, he did intend to take Mickey’s heart for himself and use the Moonliner Rocket to escape Wasteland, which is why they were both in need for forgiveness. Oswald once again offered his hand for a shake, but that’s when the Blot attacked, snatching Wasteland’s King, Gus and even Ortensia’s lifeless body from the control room. Mickey valiantly jumped after them, entering the Shadow Blot itself for the final battle.
After Mickey’s heart was freed of the Bloticles that held it in place, it landed in Oswald’s hand. For a moment, the lucky rabbit was torn, looking as if he would actually take the heart for himself after all. Then he relented and returned it to its rightful owner, before using the remote to ignite the fireworks show. The Shadow Blot was destroyed and while the three Wastelanders were sent whizzing back to the surface, Mickey himself was catapulted through the portal and back into the real world, where Yen Sid was waiting for him.
As it turned out, the Wasteland had gained a little bit of ‘magic’ of its own. Paint rained down from the sky, restoring the land to its former glory all around Oswald. Even Ortensia returned to her former self, greeting her boyfriend with a barrage of kisses. Everyone in Wasteland celebrated (… or didn’t, depending on how the player affected their environment) and while Yen Sid closed the portal to his workshop for good, Mickey could use the mirror to watch Mean Street’s inhabitants. Oswald, who could see his new friend through the mirror as well, introduced him to Ortensia. As they both placed their hands against the mirror, Yen Sid remarked that he hoped the two could become friends and perhaps even brothers.
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After Mickey’s defeat of the Shadow Blot, several things happened. For one, the Thinner seas receded, allowing entrance to Disney Gulch. The Spatters that were left behind were banished to Blot Alley- a remote section of Bog Easy- and put under the supervision of Ghost Ian. Animatronic Captain Hook departed from the land and without a Captain to guide them, his old crew was chased out of Tortooga by Blackbeard. Train stations were built as an alternative to the projectors as Wasteland’s residents attempted to repair the remaining damage done to their land.
Sadly, all could not remain well. An undetermined amount of time later, earthquakes began to shake the land. One particularly nasty one split Mean Street straight down the middle and it was at that moment the Mad Doctor made his reappearance. As his Beetleworx began to repair the damage, he sang a song about hoping for redemption. With impending danger, Wasteland was in need of saving, so the Mad Doctor hoped that he and Oswald together could be the heroes to do it. Oswald accepted the offer, but Ortensia and Gremlin Gus found the entire matter only too suspicious. They built a special TV to bring Mickey Mouse back into the world of Wasteland, along with the magic brush.
Oswald returned to Dark Beauty Castle only moments after Mickey dropped in (literally) to reiterate what the Mad Doctor had told him. They were being attacked by “evil creatures” that were part blot and part animatronic. In order to get more information from the Mad Doctor, they would have to take the train to Mean Street, as the recent quake left the projectors out of commission. Upon arrival in Mean Street’s southern half, the Doc once again burst into song about how he was longer evil. The evil creatures were known as Blotworx and, coupled with the continuing earthquakes, it left Wasteland in significant danger. As the Mad Doctor departed in his flying globe with the intent to scatter more Beetleworx across the lands for repairs, Oswald and Mickey decided to fix the projectors and open the paths to the other sections. They sought out the Gremlin Jamface in the northern half of Mean Street, who informed them that the Projector Substation down in Rainbow Caverns had already gone down before the quake. In order to get around Wasteland, they would need to take the D. E. C. (Dahl Engineer Corridors).
Before they could get to the Rainbow Caverns, the trio needed to take a detour into Ostown to speak to Prescott, an arrogant Gremlin charge of the Gag Factory. The D.E.C. was down in a sinkhole of Thinner that came to being when Ostown’s fountain broke, so after repairing the pumps to drain the fountain, they were good to go. The Rainbow Caverns were the first attraction ever built in Wasteland and deep inside, by the Rainbow Falls, lay the substation for the projectors. Small Pete, the Pete who inhabited the It’s A Small World ride, was already there making repairs. With the help of Mickey and Oswald, the projectors were up and running again in no time. Just then, the Mad Doctor contacted Oswald through his remote to inform him that they should meet at the Doc’s lab, for he had some good news. However, the message broke off suddenly with the implication that the Mad Doctor was being attacked.
Using the newly-fixed projectors, Mickey and Oswald headed deeper into the Rainbow Caverns, also known as ‘Devil and Angel Caverns’. From there, they reached Disney Gulch, an area filled with assorted junk that was left behind after the Thinner receded. After fixing a small train, they reached the Mad Doctor’s laboratory and entered it to find an enormous Blotworx dragon wreaking havoc. They defeated it (either by befriending the Spatters inside or simply by destroying it) and the Mad Doctor made his appearance, though it seemed he was having more trouble, which he explained through song. He had become animatronic to stand up to the Shadow Blot, but now his parts were giving him trouble and he was slowly falling apart. He wanted to right his wrongs before it was too late and wished deeply to become a Toon again. They returned to Mean Street where all of them, even the Mad Doctor, were given a warm welcome now that the projectors were all working again. However, Small Pete appeared, bearing bad news. He’d found a gag from the Gag Factory jammed up the projector pipes. They’d been sabotaged.
While he tried his best to keep an eye out for possible perpetrators, Oswald refused to believe any of his people could be capable of such a thing. They decided the best course of action would be to speak to Prescott again, but Gus had just been to the Gag Factory and couldn’t find him there. As there’d been talk of Prescott having a few projects in Blot Alley, they decided to go there next. As they passed through Bog Easy, they discovered that someone had hacked the Mad Doctor’s Beetleworx to turn them against Wasteland’s residents once more. In Blot Alley, they met Ghost Ian, who warned them not to scare the Spatters. He’d been hard at work to make the creatures friendly, but the mere sight of Mickey could send them into a frenzy again. As for Prescott, Ian had seen him near Club 13. One short trip later, they arrived at said club to find Petetronic. He’d been put to work there by the Mad Doctor not too long ago. While Petetronic had seen Prescott, it was only in passing. The Gremlin had gone straight on to the train tunnels, and so our heroes followed suit.
As the train tunnels themselves had been damaged in the quake, they had to make their way through the dioramas instead. These dioramas were built by Prescott not long after the Shadow Blot had been defeated, to depict and honor the epic battles Mickey had fought. The animatronic overseer, Abe (Automatic Branch Engineer), was partly damaged. By repairing the dioramas, they managed to repair overseer as well. Abe then informed them that Prescott had indeed stopped by the dioramas earlier to gather parts for some great new invention. An invention that would make him appreciated.
After passing through Fort Wasteland, which had become infested with Spatters much like Blot Alley, the trio reached the old Floatyard, home of retired parade floats. There, Prescott gave them a very unfriendly welcome. They chased him to the very depths of the Floatyard to enter an arena built by Prescott himself. By now, there was no longer any doubt in their minds that he was the one who’d sabotaged the projectors. Still, when Gus questioned him about it, his reasoning was only that ‘he could do whatever he wanted and his greatness had always been wasted at the Gag Factory’. With the intent to take Mickey’s brush from him, Prescott entered his ‘greatest creation’- a gigantic, monstrous float of himself. Optionally, they first needed to face him as he boarded a smaller cannon, which rose upwards into the mouth of the gigantic float after it was defeated.
After Prescott was dealt with (again, either by destroying his creation or by befriending it), Gus attempted to help his old friend to his feet. Prescott was confused, claiming that “he told him no one could defeat him”. However, before the trio could question who “he” was, the Mad Doctor arrived on the scene, followed by Big Bad Pete and Animatronic Daisy, the reporter for the Duck News Network. One of the Mad Doctor’s Beetleworx emitted a strange flash from its eyes, sending Prescott into a hypnotic state, but no one seemed to notice. Another song began as the Doctor questioned Prescott’s motives. While hypnotized, Prescott admitted sole guilt for all the atrocities that had befallen Wasteland, claiming that he only did it because he wanted to be loved. As the pitiful Gremlin was arrested by Big Bad Pete, the Mad Doctor announced before the camera that he would build a new attraction in Mean Street. Celebrations were in order and joy needed to be spread throughout Wasteland. While Oswald reluctantly admitted that Prescott had been the culprit all along, Mickey still found the situation rather suspicious.
As they returned to Mean Street, the Mad Doctor was once again given a warm welcome, while Mickey and Oswald were somewhat ignored. They headed into the Sheriff station to visit Prescott, only to find that the poor Gremlin was still out of his mind and muttering nonsense. As Oswald fretted over the Mad Doctor’s popularity, Gus brought some more bad news to their attention. He’d searched through the Gag Factory to find blueprints of a construction site in Ventureland. While it was supposedly a site to build new homes for Spatters, the prints implied that it was a cover-up for some secret project. As they were still in need of more answers, they decided to investigate the construction site.
Upon arriving in Ventureland, Daisy forced an interview upon them before the camera. She informed them that the Mad Doctor had already closed the construction site down and berated Oswald for going out adventuring while the Doctor had worked hard on repairs. The closing of the construction site only furthered the suspicions that there was something not quite right. After sneaking past Pete Pan, who’d been assigned guard duty by the Mad Doctor, they passed through a projector in the construction site to find a very odd sight. Autotopia, a part of Wasteland that was presumed to have been destroyed in the Thinner Disaster, was still very much intact. Several siphons had been set up across the place to suck Guardians, the small sprites that gave Wasteland their properties of Paint and Thinner, out of their Guardian Pools. After disabling all the siphons, the trio found a projector that led straight into the Mad Doctor’s old attic in Lonesome Manor. The projector film they passed through, The Mad Doctor’s World Of Evil, included a song which explained that the Blotworx were failed creations of the Mad Doctor himself. It also explained why the Mad Doctor was falling apart. That is, his remaining toon parts were interfering with his animatronic parts.
Upon arrival in the attic, they found Gremlin Jamface imprisoned and the place had been set up to have some sort of stage. They found the Mad Doctor’s diary, which confirmed without a doubt that the man was still evil. It detailed his plan to become a Toon once more by trapping the Guardians, as well as manipulating Prescott into building a special TV for him. This TV would broadcast a program of the Mad Doctor’s to the Cartoon World so that he’d be remembered and could leave Wasteland. Furthermore, the earthquakes that had been plaguing the land were an unexpected side effect of the Doc sucking Guardians out of the ground. The nearby projector was set for the Mad Doctor’s new attraction, so they decided to see if they could confront him there.
What they found was quite unexpected. While indeed some sort of ride, the attraction was at the same time a horrible death trap and yet another gigantic siphon to pull the Guardians out of Wasteland. The Mad Doctor was holding Ortensia, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow hostage, offering a compromise. If Mickey gave him the magic brush, he would release both the Guardians and Oswald’s friends. If not, he would suck all the Guardians out of Wasteland, leaving everyone and everything inert. Either way, the Mad Doctor would leave once his program was broadcast to the outside world. While Mickey seriously considered handing the brush over, Oswald stepped in to stop him. With the brush, the Mad Doctor would be unstoppable in the Cartoon World. So another boss battle ensued. After the fight, the Mad Doctor’s machine threatened to fall into an abyss of Thinner and despite Mickey attempting to hold him back, Oswald rushed forward to pull him to safety. This backfired spectacularly. The Mad Doctor, now rid of his toon skin to show his animatronic insides, was more than willing to take the Lucky Rabbit down with him. What happened next depended on how the player had decided to handle the battle.
If the player had used mainly Paint, Mickey would in turn use this on the Mad Doctor’s face in an attempt to have him release Oswald. The Paint restored part of the Doc’s face, leaving him confused and conflicted. As they all threatened to fall backwards into the Thinner, his conscience kicked in and he grabbed the duo, flying them both to safety with jets installed in his feet. They were reunited with Ortensia and the others, as the Doctor marveled over how they saved him through song. The duo explained that they saved him for the same reason that he then saved them- It’s what heroes do. The Mad Doctor then understood the values of love and courage. Now that he’d seen the error of his ways, blue Guardians arose from the depths of the pit to reward him for it: They turned him into a full-fledged (though still forgotten) Toon. The group returned to Mean Street, accompanied by the Mad Doctor, where a parade was held in their honor.
While all now seemed well in Wasteland, a bonus scene after the credit showed that Big Bad Pete had taken Prescott captive and was planning something. Along with Small Pete, Pete Pan and Petetronic, they departed through the projector leading to Ventureland. However, the appearance of these other Petes also depended on the player’s choices.
Personality:
Before the Thinner Disaster struck, Oswald was a lot more cheerful than he is when Epic Mickey first starts. As seen in the Tales of Wasteland comics and also explained in his official character data, he seemingly had it all despite being forgotten. He had friends who admire him, a girlfriend who loves him and kids who adore him. He also had Pete, who served as a rival for Ortensia’s love, but everything comes at a cost, right? Pegleg Pete was already Oswald’s nemesis in the old cartoon shorts, despite many changes to his character design over those few years. It honestly didn’t seem to bother Oswald too much. While the thought of Mickey Mouse did anger him slightly, he was far from the bitter rabbit we see later on. He played bowling games with his bunny kids, hung out with his animatronic pals and was even friends with the Mad Doctor. Oswald just wanted to be noticed and loved, a trait that never changed throughout the years.
On the flipside, despite having it all and being generally content, Oswald had a tendency to lose his temper whenever Mickey Mouse was mentioned. A great example is in the “One Scary Night” tale, where animatronic Donald brought up that Mickey’s friends split up when they were in a haunted mansion. Oswald promptly cut across him, saying that Mickey wasn’t there, he was, and that they should stick together. Mind, Oswald’s hatred for mice didn’t start with Mickey. Even before he was sent to Wasteland, the lucky rabbit could be seen engaging in scuffles with mice. Mice tried to eat his hot dogs in “All Wet” and in the episode “Great Guns”, many of the enemies were mice. The little critters weren’t always irritating him, though. In the short “The Ocean Hop”, two mice were seen helping Oswald sneak his airplane into a competition. They then helped him win the race.
What really drove Oswald, even in the past, was a thirst to return to the silver screen. More than anything, he wanted to leave Wasteland and regain the love of his audience. In the digicomic “Oswald the Lucky Duck”, he hoped to regain the love of the people by getting a ‘makeover’ with the Mad Doctor’s latest invention. After all, there were a lot of cartoon characters who changed their style over the years, so why couldn’t Oswald do the same? He was willing to give up his essence, being a rabbit, just to become a known character again. Mind you, he didn’t do too well at being a duck, a stiff or even an unlucky devil.
This trait is elaborated on further in the digicomic “There’s A Hole In The Sky”. At first, Oswald was slightly hesitant about going up to the hole and trying something potentially dangerous, especially when Ortensia told him it didn’t matter as long as they had each other. However, the Mad Doctor made use of Oswald’s greatest weakness- his fear of being forgotten again and thus he decided to go through with his plan. While he did promise to get Ortensia and everyone else out as well, there was no telling what lay beyond the hole and whether he’d be able to keep his word at all. Apparently, to Oswald, this was a risk worth taking. Similarly, in the game he spends a fairly long time plotting to take Mickey’s heart and leave Wasteland for good. The lifeless form of Ortensia, his kids, his broken animatronic friends… All of them would be left behind in the ruins of the world he once loved. Seemingly, the thing that stops him from doing this in the end is that he feels it’s unfair towards Mickey.
Years after the Thinner Disaster, Oswald seems to have gone through a bit of a transformation. While he still longs to leave Wasteland, still cares about his friends, his dislike for Mickey has intensified to the point where it seems to have consumed him. He’s grown cynical and bitter, sticking mostly to his hideout in Mickeyjunk Mountain, where he’s surrounded by his own personal guard of playing cards. As the characters in Mean Street comment, they no longer see Oswald around anymore. The exiled King spends about a third of the game trying to shake Mickey off, purposely closing doors behind him on his way to Mickeyjunk Mountain. When they finally meet, Oswald makes it very clear that he never wanted Mickey to invade his little world.
As the game progresses, Oswald is clearly putting Mickey to the test. While he tends to taunt the mouse as soon as his back is turned, he watches how things are handled and his interactions with Mickey change accordingly. Assuming for a moment that the player makes the right choices, as the animated cutscenes tend to stick to, Oswald gradually grows to trust his ‘rival’. After all, once he sees that Mickey is working to make Wasteland a better place, it’s hard to hold a grudge against him. By the time the rocket parts have been gathered and the mini Blot is defeated, it seems Oswald is at least partly ready to put the past behind him and admit that Mickey isn’t such a bad person. The truth behind the Thinner Disaster crushed most of Oswald’s trust again, but trading up his heart for his friends’ safety and destroying the Bloticles put Mickey back in the good books. From this point on, Oswald actually starts to cooperate with the mouse, making preparations to defeat the blot and admitting that he wants them to be brothers. Because, as he says, he’s starting to see why Walt Disney (and the rest of the world) liked Mickey so much.
Oswald is the kind of guy who knows he’s made mistakes in the past and once he gets past his petty grudges, he actually starts feeling guilty for the way he behaved himself. That’s why, when he finally forgives Mickey for the Thinner Disaster, he asks to be forgiven as well. When he’s ultimately given the chance to take the heart for himself and fulfill his greatest desire of leaving Wasteland, he chooses not to do it, proving that he’s fully redeemed himself.
Still, Oswald is an incredible pushover. He can’t stand competition, which stories like the comic “The Rubbish Cup” and shorts like “Rival Romeos” already imply. In “Oh, Teacher”, he intends to beat up a cat who moved in on his rabbit girlfriend. … With what appears to be a brick. When you think about it, the entire premise of Epic Mickey is based on Oswald’s thirst to outshine Mickey Mouse. He’s just like a jealous little brother who throws a fit when he can’t have what his older brother has. Which is ironic because Oswald is actually the older brother. In his cartoon shorts, he regularly participated in competitions, such as an air plane race and a fox hunt. Furthermore, he has a tendency to puff himself up (literally), in hopes of making himself seem more impressive.
The fact that Oswald is called a “lucky rabbit”, sadly, doesn’t actually mean he’s lucky. If anything, it seems to pertain to the fact that whenever he gets into trouble- which is bound to happen, something saves him at the last second. It’s something that Oswald comments on in the game itself, though the remark is delivered in a rather cynical note. He believes that Mickey only saved him from the Blot’s grasp because Gus was captured as well, which is why people refer to him as the Lucky Rabbit. It’s a notion about Mickey’s sacrifice that he only has for a short while, but it’s there nonetheless.
---- Epic Mickey 2
In the sequel, Oswald is a lot more cheerful than the sullen bunny he was for most of the first game. He’s hard at work to repair Wasteland and do whatever he can for his people. When he’s around Ortensia, he becomes very affectionate and loves to coddle her. Even so, he finds himself going against her from time to time. While she told him to get rid of his fireworks, he hid them in several secret stashes across Wasteland, and while she absolutely refuses to believe the Mad Doctor’s changed, Oswald gives him a chance anyway.
For that matter, when the Mad Doctor appears before him, he’s skeptical at first, but the Doc knows perfectly well how to manipulate him. By using keywords such as “heart” and “hero” in his song, he manages to target Oswald’s ‘weaknesses’ and so the Lucky Rabbit decides to give him a second chance. Oswald’s become a firm supporter of redemption, as both he and Mickey had been granted the same option in the past. Not only that, but the Mad Doctor was once one of his closest friends, so he’s desperate to regain that. Still, when Mickey later questions him about it, it turns out that Oswald’s not convinced of the Mad Doctor’s turn of heart. He doesn’t entirely believe the Doc’s good now, but he sure hopes so.
Once it turns out that someone sabotaged the projectors, he tries to give everyone the evil eye in hopes of finding the culprit, but ends up faltering. He believes the residents of Wasteland are all good people. Still, after Prescott admits his guilt and is apprehended, Oswald doesn’t question it. He’s willing to accept the Gremlin’s words for what they are, as Prescott’s motives are understandable for a forgotten Toon, which once again has him suckering right into the Mad Doctor’s trap.
One negative portion of Oswald’s personality that retains a strong presence is his jealousy of the ‘more popular’ folks, coupled with his fear of being forgotten. As the Mad Doctor becomes more loved with his people, Oswald becomes more and more sulky. When Daisy accuses him of running off to have adventures while the people of Wasteland had to depend on the Doc for repairs, he becomes visibly distraught. When asked for more comment on the “Pro-Mad Doc” faction, he slams a hand into the camera, then walks off to seclude himself from the group.
In battle, Oswald is cocky and has a thirst to prove himself. Furthermore, he no longer has any problems working alongside Mickey. Since the end of the first game, he’s accepted the mouse as family. While he used to refer to his half-brother as “Mouse” a lot, he now calls him simply “Mickey”. Their relationship is very friendly and the two watch out for each other, but they aren’t afraid to step in if they feel the other is making a mistake, either. While Oswald can’t stop Mickey from wreaking havoc on Wasteland if the player so chooses, he does berate the mouse for it.
Strengths:
Physical: Oswald is pretty fast, as he manages to outrun Mickey in the first stages of the game. More notably, Oswald has detachable limbs. He regularly removes his feet and rubs them on things to gain an extra stroke of luck. He can remove his ears to use them as a key, his tail to use it as a cloth or even the top of his head to tip it like a hat. In the digicomic, he plays a bowling game using his head (His bunny kids are the pins). In Epic Mickey 2, he can detach one of his arm to throw it as a boomerang. Furthermore, he can spin his ears helicopter blades to remain airborne for a limited amount of time.
Mental: He can be pretty resourceful sometimes. In the cartoon shorts, he regularly uses items around him to his own advantage. Like in Trolley Troubles, where he gets an angry mountain goat to push his trolley up a steep hill. In the graphic novel, it’s implied that he played a big part in the original creation of Beetleworx, as well as the animatronic pals.
Emotional: Once Oswald’s trust is gained, he’s a very resourceful and loyal friend. If the situation calls for him to be humble, he’ll do it. If he needs to give up something valuable because it’s the right thing to do, he’ll do it. He’s a great father to all his bunny kids and never abused his position as king to push people around. He cares about his pals a lot, even if he has a terrible way of showing it sometimes. As a Toon, his main goal in life is to make people laugh, so that’s what he’ll aim to do.
Weaknesses:
Physical: He’s pretty clumsy. He may be a cartoon ‘hero’, but he doesn’t have exceptional strength or speed. Most of the time, he just fumbles his way through his adventures and things tend to work out in the end. His detachable limbs can also cause problems sometimes, as they can get lost or even stolen. It happened in the digicomic “The Game’s Afoot”, where Pete stole Oswald’s feet in hopes of having more luck with Ortensia. And of course, while he can bounce back from great physical blows, even Toons have a weakness. Should Oswald ever come in direct contact with Thinner (or a similar liquid), he will either be damaged severely or die.
Mental: While he does have a decent set of brains, there’s plenty of times when his emotions get the better of him and cloud his common sense. It’s easy for people like the Mad Doctor to manipulate him, because despite years of cynicism, he can be pretty gullible.
Emotional: He’s temperamental and competitive. When he gets mad, reasoning can get lost on him and he tends to resort to violence. If someone offers him a challenge, he seems unable to turn it down and that lands him into trouble. After being abandoned by his ‘father’, Oswald has developed a bit of a fear of being forgotten. He needs people to notice him and he can’t stand the thought of someone else taking his spotlight. If there’s a chance for him to return to the world outside of Wasteland, he may take unnecessary risks to achieve that goal. Because Oswald focuses so much on what he wants, he doesn’t entirely realize what he already has until he loses it.
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Oswald's history, explained in more detail by Yen Sid in the graphic novel.
"Wasteland was very, very different at the beginning. A refuge for the cartoons who were now forgotten by their fans, but deserved a better fate than just oblivion. Oswald was the first to arrive here, followed by Ortensia, his girlfriend. Then came the family and friends. Wasteland soon flourished. It was the happiest place on Earth outside Earth. ... Well, more or less! Obviously there was some jealousy! The grass is always greener, even for cartoon characters, but in the end it was nothing serious.
Wasteland was a kind of imitation of another happy place, where even more famous people lived. A place that was often noted for its cleanliness, where any waste left on the street seemed to magically disappear. And it did! Thanks to my magic, rubbish ended up fading to Wasteland, where Oswald and his friend, the Mad Doctor, used it as material for construction. So it was that Beetleworx were born- creatures that would spread throughout Wasteland, continuing to build distorted versions of the buildings of the outside world.
But there was a certain kind of "junk" that Oswald always kept separate from the rest: All Mickey Mouse merchandise that came to Wasteland. It was immediately sent to a secluded area, so as not to "spoil" the pure vision Oswald had of his world. That area was called Mickeyjunk Mountain- a place so remote that only Oswald ventured there. And he did it quite often.
For the rest of the time, he looked wistfully at the sky where, sometimes, portals opened that allowed him to glimpse the outside world. A world where Mickey had good friends; Donald and Goofy, of whom Oswald had built copies to have a little company. A world that was once his, but probably never would be again.
Then one day, disaster struck. It is said that cats are curious, but the mice are just as curious... with even more devastating consequences! The incredible flood of paint and thinner would've sufficed to terrorize the inhabitants of Wasteland, but something much worse happened. The flood gave birth to the Shadow Blot, a sort of force of nature that leveled wasteland, erasing entire areas and by sucking the energy of hundreds of people, making them inert. With each attack his power and his knowledge continued to grow.
Oswald and his allies desperately attempted to find the right mix of paint and thinner, the very essence of Shadow Blot, to stop the destruction. But it was in vain. And when all was lost, the Mad Doctor, until then an ally of Oswald, joined the enemy. Why did he do it? He had his reasons, of course, but the suspicion is that, like the scorpion, he could not do otherwise. It was his nature! Anxious to prove his devotion to the Shadow Blot, he tried to steal the Beetleworx's remote control from Oswald. So that the Shadow Blot would accept him into his army. But, fortunately, Ortensia jumped to Oswald's aid! Unfortunately, this action led to the Mad Doctor vowing revenge. Revenge that was put into motion very soon!
When Oswald and Ortensia tried one last attack on the Shadow Blot on Mickeyjunk Mountain, determined to trap him in a bottle of Thinner that had fallen into Wasteland with him, the Mad Doctor warned the Shadow Blot! The giant creature was determined to stay off the mountain, but Oswald caught his attention. Wasteland's first citizen was too important of a target to ignore. Oswald was ready to sacrifice himself, if it would put an end to the clash. But Ortensia stopped him! Oswald's silent scream rang out across Wasteland. Fortunately, he could think clearly enough to plug the jug, trapping the Shadow Blot! But this did not put an end to the battle! The followers of the Blot still roamed Wasteland, under the leadership of the Mad Doctor and the terrible shadow...
But Oswald did not care about all that anymore... Because the Shadow Blot had erased his only reason for living."