Disney legend leads Epic Mickey push

Epic Mickey isn’t all about the world’s most famous cartoon mouse – with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit taking a central role in the game’s marketing.

The character is Mickey’s long-forgotten predecessor – the original Disney mascot – and the villain in the upcoming Wii adventure Epic Mickey.

And Disney is keen to see if the rabbit still has the star power necessary to draw in the masses.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was one of Walt Disney’s earliest creations, and is regarded as the most popular silent cartoon character of the 1920s,” said Disney Interactive Studios’ head of marketing for UK and Ireland Keely Brenner.

The character is central to the story of the game, and he is undeniably cute, so he will feature throughout our marketing campaign.”

One of Oswald’s key contributions to Disney’s Epic Mickey promotions will be his appearances in the Tales of Wasteland digital comics. This will be a series of six short stories set in Wasteland, the land of forgotten Disney characters in which Epic Mickey is set.

Oswald will also star in the TV, print and online ads.
The hype behind Epic Mickey has steadily been building ahead of its November 26th release.

Brenner added: Prior to E3, there was already a lot of interest in Epic Mickey, but since the expo it has really heightened.

We expect excitement and interest around the title to grow and grow right up to release and continue through to Christmas.”