Epic Mickey is coming back with a sequel, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and included in the game will be the long forgotten predecessor Oswald the lucky Rabbit.
Mickey Mouse's predecessor is coming back into the spotlight after a 40 year hiatus. Oswald was one of Walt Disney's creations before the iconic Mickey Mouse came to light. Disney lost the character in a 1928 contract dispute and gave ownership to Universal Studios. Oswald returned to Disney in 2006 after CEO Bog Iger brokered a deal to send Al Michaels to Universal.
"We've always known about the character and loved him and wished that we could do things with him, but he wasn't a character that belonged to us," said Walt Disney Co. archive director Becky Cline. "In 2006, we were over the moon when Bob Iger made (the deal)."
This sets the stage for Oswald's grand return in Epic Mickey as a king of a forgotten world. Fans will see him team up with Mickey in Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two as they adventure through the Wasteland to explore a world filled with forgotten Disney characters. Mickey uses his paint brush to paint while Oswald summons electricity with his remote control.
Mickey will be more vocal in the new game and all other characters will have human voice actors. The voice acting will accompany an array of Disney musical scores as it is dubbed the first video game described as a musical.
Frank Welker has been nominated for voicing Oswald. The new combination of gameplay and musical gave creator Warren Spector a new challenge and high expectations for the game.
"I'm such a geek about musicals," Spector said, "I love the co-op and next-gen stuff, but for me, when a character breaks into song, which they do on a regular basis in this game, it's magic...And in the game, the second player can join or stop the action whenever they want."
"It's drop-in, drop-out co-op...You can sit down at any time with a friend who is playing as Mickey, and you can take control of Oswald. If you're playing as a single player, Oswald will be there every second of the game. He's not just a multiplayer character. He's a helper, whether you're playing alone or with a friend or family member."
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be released in fall 2012 and available for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.