Mickey Mouse is arguably the most famous of the Disney cartoon characters. Making his debut in "Steamboat Willie" at the Colony Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1928, Mickey went on to star in over 120 different cartoons. He also starred in "The Mickey Mouse Club" television show of the 1950s.
Mickey Mouse's original drawings used circles for his head, body and ears. 1939's "The Pointer" saw a bold, new design for Mickey as his body became more pear-shaped and pupils were added to his eyes to increase his range of expression. Later on, animators of the 1940s would add a perspective aspect to his ears, giving them a three-dimensional effect. This change, however, was short-lived. The Mickey Mouse of today appears much as he did in the early days with the exception of a costume change here and there.
Originally, Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself. Later, those duties were assumed by Jim Macdonald and today Wayne Allwine provides Mickey's distinctive voice.
Mickey Mouse has appeared on thousands of merchandise items, and currently holds the esteemed title of Chief Greeter at the Disney theme parks.
"Steamboat Willie" was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, and the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Mickey was born out of necessity when Walt discovered he had lost the rights to his previous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Refusing to work with the Oswald character for less money, he instead teamed up with Ub Iwerks to create Mickey Mouse. In "Steamboat Willie," Mickey plays a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat, who, to Minnie's delight, plays "Turkey in the Straw" utilizing an animal menagerie as his instruments. The tyrannical Captain Pete, however, is not amused, and Mickey ends up peeling potatoes in the galley.
Directed by Walt Disney. After unsuccessfully trying to make a deal to record through RCA or Western Electric, Walt contracted with the bootleg Powers Cinephone process and, after an initial disastrous recording session, finally recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey. Released at the Colony Theater in New York on November 18, 1928, the date used for the birth of Mickey Mouse.
The Mickey Mouse comic strip, distributed by King Features Syndicate, made its debut on January 13, 1930. The original artist was Ub Iwerks. He drew the strip for a month and then was followed for three months by Win Smith. When Smith left, Floyd Gottfredson was asked to take over the strip for a few weeks until they could find a replacement. But Gottfredson continued to draw the strip for 45 years, until the day he retired.
The Mickey Mouse Sunday page began on January 10, 1932, and was drawn by Manuel Gonzales for over 30 years.
In 1932 a special Academy Award® was given to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
The original Mickey Mouse watch was manufactured by Ingersoll in 1933 and sold for $3.25 (later lowered to $2.95). They also made a pocket watch at the same time, selling for $1.50. The original wristwatch had a round dial and featured three tiny Mickeys on a disc that indicated the seconds. These early watches have become some of the most sought-after types of Disneyana collectibles. The Mickey Mouse watch has been made continuously since 1933, though there was a period in the 1960s when only the words "Mickey Mouse" appeared on the dial.
Ingersoll became U.S. Time, which became Timex. One of the more interesting watches was a backwards Goofy watch. The numbers were placed in backwards order and Goofy's hands moved backwards as well. It took some effort to learn how to tell time backwards, but the watches became popular collectibles after their 1972 manufacture by Helbros. They originally cost $19.95, and within two decades were up to about $700 on the collectors' market. In their recent program of reproducing some of the classic Disney watches, The Disney Store selected the backwards Goofy watch as the first in their series of reproductions. In 1972, Bradley, a division of Elgin National Industries, Inc., took over the manufacture of Disney watches, and in 1987 the contract went to Lorus. Today a number of different companies make Disney watches.
The first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color. From then on, with the exception of "Mickey's Service Station" and "Mickey's Kangaroo," all the Disney
cartoons would be in color. Mickey is a frustrated bandleader who must deal not only with obnoxious peanut vendor and flute player Donald Duck, who tries to persuade the band to play "Turkey in the Straw," but also with a cyclone before his concert of the "William Tell Overture" is completed. The cartoon was a major success, making Donald more popular than ever. Conductor Arturo Toscanini called this cartoon his favorite.
It was in this cartoon that the public saw for the first time a redesigned Mickey Mouse, supervised by animator Fred Moore. Most noticeable were his
eyes: Now they had pupils in a white eye, where before they were simple black ovals. In the movie, Mickey tries to teach Pluto to be a pointer in their hunt for quail. But they have a harrowing encounter with a huge bear and Pluto points instead to a can of beans. Nominated for an Academy Award®.
Mickey's first appearance in a feature film and perhaps his most famous role. As the sorcerer's apprentice, Mickey's that little guy in all of us who dreams that some day he too can make it big. Unfortunately, his dreams are bigger than his abilities, as he borrows his mentor's forbidden magic hat and enchants a broomstick to do his work for him. Sure that he's mastered the sorcerer's art, Mickey relaxes into a nap. Fantasizing that he's in control of the very forces of nature, he's rudely awakened to a flood of reality; even the simple broomstick is beyond his control. Realizing too late that there's no shortcut to greatness, Mickey learns you've got to slosh your way to the top one bucket at a time.
Mickey's most famous role was something of a comeback for the mouse, originally planned as a special short subject. But since it turned out to be so elaborate (and expensive), it was combined with other segments into the feature film "Fantasia." His image was modified for this feature film debut to include eye pupils and a more three-dimensional appearance (adapted from an illustration by Ward Kimball).
"The Simple Years" would be the last Mickey Mouse cartoon for 30 years (until "Mickey's Christmas Carol"). While Mickey fishes at the beach, Pluto has bad encounters with a clam and then a seagull, who also steals Mickey's bait and fish. The pair are eventually chased away by all the gull's friends.
To celebrate Mickey's 50th birthday, a television show (90 min.) aired on November 19, 1978. Dozens of celebrities, many of them in very short cameo
appearances, stop by to help wish Mickey a happy birthday. Included among them are Gerald Ford, Billy Graham, Lawrence Welk, Willie Nelson, Gene Kelly, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Edgar Bergen, Jodie Foster, Goldie Hawn, Eva Gabor, Anne Bancroft, Jo Anne Worley, and Burt Reynolds. Mike Jittlov provides a stop-motion sequence on Mickey Mouse merchandise through the years, using new merchandise from Disneyland® Park shops and old merchandise from the Walt Disney Archives.
Charles Dickens' well-known Christmas story is retold with Uncle Scrooge taking the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Goofy as Jacob Marley's ghost, Donald Duck as nephew Fred, and many other Disney favorites who were returning to the silver screen after quite a long absence. Mickey, for instance, had not been seen in a theatrical cartoon since "The Simple Things" in 1953.
The idea for the film came from a 1974 Disney record album of the same name. Director Mattinson was inspired to begin the project, with the OK from Disney president and chief executive officer Ron Miller in May 1981. One of the difficult tasks in bringing back such favorite characters as Mickey and Donald was finding the right voices. Clarence "Ducky" Nash was still available to voice Donald, as he had since Donald's debut, but a new talent, Wayne Allwine, would be introduced to provide Mickey's voice.
Mickey Mouse cartoon featurette, premiered in England on October 20, 1983. Directed by Burny Mattinson. 25 min. Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Film. The song "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day" was written by Frederick Searles and Irwin Kostal. Released on video in 1984. Began an annual television airing in 1984 on NBC.
Dr. Frankenollie, a mad scientist, transplants Mickey's brain into a monster's body and vice versa. The monsterized Mickey, known as Julius, becomes obsessed with pursuing Minnie. Mickey, whose intentions are misunderstood because he is in the monster's body, tries to save her. The name of Dr. Frankenollie was inspired by the famed animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
Article Written by Disney.
Mickey Mouse's original drawings used circles for his head, body and ears. 1939's "The Pointer" saw a bold, new design for Mickey as his body became more pear-shaped and pupils were added to his eyes to increase his range of expression. Later on, animators of the 1940s would add a perspective aspect to his ears, giving them a three-dimensional effect. This change, however, was short-lived. The Mickey Mouse of today appears much as he did in the early days with the exception of a costume change here and there.
Originally, Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself. Later, those duties were assumed by Jim Macdonald and today Wayne Allwine provides Mickey's distinctive voice.
Mickey Mouse has appeared on thousands of merchandise items, and currently holds the esteemed title of Chief Greeter at the Disney theme parks.
"Steamboat Willie" was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, and the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Mickey was born out of necessity when Walt discovered he had lost the rights to his previous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Refusing to work with the Oswald character for less money, he instead teamed up with Ub Iwerks to create Mickey Mouse. In "Steamboat Willie," Mickey plays a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat, who, to Minnie's delight, plays "Turkey in the Straw" utilizing an animal menagerie as his instruments. The tyrannical Captain Pete, however, is not amused, and Mickey ends up peeling potatoes in the galley.
Directed by Walt Disney. After unsuccessfully trying to make a deal to record through RCA or Western Electric, Walt contracted with the bootleg Powers Cinephone process and, after an initial disastrous recording session, finally recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey. Released at the Colony Theater in New York on November 18, 1928, the date used for the birth of Mickey Mouse.
The Mickey Mouse comic strip, distributed by King Features Syndicate, made its debut on January 13, 1930. The original artist was Ub Iwerks. He drew the strip for a month and then was followed for three months by Win Smith. When Smith left, Floyd Gottfredson was asked to take over the strip for a few weeks until they could find a replacement. But Gottfredson continued to draw the strip for 45 years, until the day he retired.
The Mickey Mouse Sunday page began on January 10, 1932, and was drawn by Manuel Gonzales for over 30 years.
In 1932 a special Academy Award® was given to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
The original Mickey Mouse watch was manufactured by Ingersoll in 1933 and sold for $3.25 (later lowered to $2.95). They also made a pocket watch at the same time, selling for $1.50. The original wristwatch had a round dial and featured three tiny Mickeys on a disc that indicated the seconds. These early watches have become some of the most sought-after types of Disneyana collectibles. The Mickey Mouse watch has been made continuously since 1933, though there was a period in the 1960s when only the words "Mickey Mouse" appeared on the dial.
Ingersoll became U.S. Time, which became Timex. One of the more interesting watches was a backwards Goofy watch. The numbers were placed in backwards order and Goofy's hands moved backwards as well. It took some effort to learn how to tell time backwards, but the watches became popular collectibles after their 1972 manufacture by Helbros. They originally cost $19.95, and within two decades were up to about $700 on the collectors' market. In their recent program of reproducing some of the classic Disney watches, The Disney Store selected the backwards Goofy watch as the first in their series of reproductions. In 1972, Bradley, a division of Elgin National Industries, Inc., took over the manufacture of Disney watches, and in 1987 the contract went to Lorus. Today a number of different companies make Disney watches.
The first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color. From then on, with the exception of "Mickey's Service Station" and "Mickey's Kangaroo," all the Disney
cartoons would be in color. Mickey is a frustrated bandleader who must deal not only with obnoxious peanut vendor and flute player Donald Duck, who tries to persuade the band to play "Turkey in the Straw," but also with a cyclone before his concert of the "William Tell Overture" is completed. The cartoon was a major success, making Donald more popular than ever. Conductor Arturo Toscanini called this cartoon his favorite.
It was in this cartoon that the public saw for the first time a redesigned Mickey Mouse, supervised by animator Fred Moore. Most noticeable were his
eyes: Now they had pupils in a white eye, where before they were simple black ovals. In the movie, Mickey tries to teach Pluto to be a pointer in their hunt for quail. But they have a harrowing encounter with a huge bear and Pluto points instead to a can of beans. Nominated for an Academy Award®.
Mickey's first appearance in a feature film and perhaps his most famous role. As the sorcerer's apprentice, Mickey's that little guy in all of us who dreams that some day he too can make it big. Unfortunately, his dreams are bigger than his abilities, as he borrows his mentor's forbidden magic hat and enchants a broomstick to do his work for him. Sure that he's mastered the sorcerer's art, Mickey relaxes into a nap. Fantasizing that he's in control of the very forces of nature, he's rudely awakened to a flood of reality; even the simple broomstick is beyond his control. Realizing too late that there's no shortcut to greatness, Mickey learns you've got to slosh your way to the top one bucket at a time.
Mickey's most famous role was something of a comeback for the mouse, originally planned as a special short subject. But since it turned out to be so elaborate (and expensive), it was combined with other segments into the feature film "Fantasia." His image was modified for this feature film debut to include eye pupils and a more three-dimensional appearance (adapted from an illustration by Ward Kimball).
"The Simple Years" would be the last Mickey Mouse cartoon for 30 years (until "Mickey's Christmas Carol"). While Mickey fishes at the beach, Pluto has bad encounters with a clam and then a seagull, who also steals Mickey's bait and fish. The pair are eventually chased away by all the gull's friends.
To celebrate Mickey's 50th birthday, a television show (90 min.) aired on November 19, 1978. Dozens of celebrities, many of them in very short cameo
appearances, stop by to help wish Mickey a happy birthday. Included among them are Gerald Ford, Billy Graham, Lawrence Welk, Willie Nelson, Gene Kelly, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Edgar Bergen, Jodie Foster, Goldie Hawn, Eva Gabor, Anne Bancroft, Jo Anne Worley, and Burt Reynolds. Mike Jittlov provides a stop-motion sequence on Mickey Mouse merchandise through the years, using new merchandise from Disneyland® Park shops and old merchandise from the Walt Disney Archives.
Charles Dickens' well-known Christmas story is retold with Uncle Scrooge taking the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchit, Goofy as Jacob Marley's ghost, Donald Duck as nephew Fred, and many other Disney favorites who were returning to the silver screen after quite a long absence. Mickey, for instance, had not been seen in a theatrical cartoon since "The Simple Things" in 1953.
The idea for the film came from a 1974 Disney record album of the same name. Director Mattinson was inspired to begin the project, with the OK from Disney president and chief executive officer Ron Miller in May 1981. One of the difficult tasks in bringing back such favorite characters as Mickey and Donald was finding the right voices. Clarence "Ducky" Nash was still available to voice Donald, as he had since Donald's debut, but a new talent, Wayne Allwine, would be introduced to provide Mickey's voice.
Mickey Mouse cartoon featurette, premiered in England on October 20, 1983. Directed by Burny Mattinson. 25 min. Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Film. The song "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day" was written by Frederick Searles and Irwin Kostal. Released on video in 1984. Began an annual television airing in 1984 on NBC.
Dr. Frankenollie, a mad scientist, transplants Mickey's brain into a monster's body and vice versa. The monsterized Mickey, known as Julius, becomes obsessed with pursuing Minnie. Mickey, whose intentions are misunderstood because he is in the monster's body, tries to save her. The name of Dr. Frankenollie was inspired by the famed animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
Article Written by Disney.