The iconic cartoon mouse that would become one of the most recognized symbols in the world was introduced to the public in the form of the first widespread cartoon that also featured synchronized sound. While not the first cartoon with sound, it was on a completely different level of quality compared the very few that came before. The film was called Steamboat Willie and it was a massive success.
The Year was 1928
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The success of the release of Steamboat Willie in New York marked a dramatic turn in the Disney name, which after a string of failures was facing bankruptcy. It was an immediate success and the demand for it was so great that it soon went from being played in small theaters to what was then the largest theater in the world called The Roxy in Manhattan to massive crowds and fanfare.
Due to the fact that Disney was facing the possible end of the company and banked a lot of this one film to turn things around - Walt was obviously quite thrilled. From this point forward Disney would continue to grow into the absolutely massive company that it is today.
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The short film begins with Mickey at the helm of a river boat of sorts and appears to be the captain, we are quickly introduced to the actual captain "Pete" who seems to abuse Mickey and is actually pretty terrifying for a cartoon character. We are also introduced to who might be the 2nd most famous cartoon mouse of all time in this feature.
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Considering the technology that was being used at the time the animation is actually really good and if you can put yourself in the shoes of someone living in the 20's and imagine that automobiles and widespread electricity were still relatively new concepts at the time, perhaps you can understand how amazed the general public must have been by this.
Work had begun on the film some months before with the massive budget of just under $5 thousand - which would probably get you about half of the bouncing lamp intro on one of today's Pixar films.
Obviously everything was hand drawn and while there are no word spoken, there is dialogue in the sense that certain aspects of the sound effects had to have the timing matched up exactly with things happening on screen. This would prove to be a very tricky procedure as there was virtually no technology available at the time to assist in this.
It's only a few minutes long so if you haven't seen it you really should. I dare you to not end up with the "Mickey whistle-tune" stuck in your head
from Disney Animation Studios official channel
Walt Disney experienced a great many failures leading up to Steamboat Willie and as I mentioned before had this short cartoon not been the hit that it ended up becoming, the entire notion of Disney owning almost everything entertainment-oriented may have never happened. Imagine there not being Disneyworld? Well, if the reception had happened differently on this day in 1928 we might be faced with precisely that.
Soon after this film, and Mickey, became wildly famous, Walt's true skill came into play shortly thereafter in that he was an excellent businessman, primarily in regards to marketing. He quickly formed "The Mickey Mouse Club" which would be one of the most popular programming sensations and it came compete with merchandising - especially of the mouse hats, which people still buy today.
While it is certainly conceivable that cartoons with sound definitely would have happened with or wither Walt Disney involved in it, imagine the difference in famous stories that we might be subjected to in an alternate history. Imagine no Mickey, no Minnie, no Pluto, no Donald Duck, no Goofy, no Bambi, and no Dumbo.
It all could have crashed and burned if not for the triumphant success of Steamboat Willie. Walt himself acknowledged the importance of this day and long ago declared that November 18th as "Mickey Mouse's Birthday" ... which makes the world's most famous mouse and the cartoon that launched him to fame, 91 years old.
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The most iconic figure in the history of animations today, period.
Lol amazing how times have changed. $5k wouldn't even write a line of a script in today's Disney World
I didn't watch all of that, but it was a nice little rundown of old school cartoons.
This one is a movie I already know of. I love Disney and they released one movie I like after another. It's amazing to see they were this strong (if not stronger) since late 20s (More than 90 years now.)
I watched Steamboat Willie before but that was years ago and I forgot it, it seems. Time to refresh my memory of this amazing show!
well it is only 7 minutes long, don't think it will be too much of a refresh. When i watch it I try to put myself in the heads of children at that point in time who had never seen a cartoon before. How amazing would that be? No wonder everyone flocked to the Mickey Mouse Club in droves.
They must be really amazed with it. I think the theme of "steamboat" also helps too!
Wowo .. 1928? I remember watching the Mickey Mouse Club as a kid. They would play cartoons on that channel and every once in a while, play the original old stuff from this era. Lets just say I appreciate it more now then I did then.. haha. I think that I wasn't all that into Black and White cartoons and the weird voice-over tones. Either way, the guy was a genius at marketing.
PS don't hate me for my recent art post ;-}
I don't know if the MM club is still a thing. I did catch an episode of some children's Mickey show that was educational about a year ago and despite the fact that it was meant for 5 year olds, I was glued to the screen as well. It was all CGI and what not but those folks over at Disney know what they are doing... fo sho.
Oh yea. They have really gotten good at throwing in adult humor to reel us in. I am a sucker for it too. I don’t go looking for it, but with young children in the family, I am subjected to it from time to time.
The great mouse that took over the world!
I could be wrong, but at this point I don't think he was called Mickey yet I think his name was Mortimer. It wasn't until later that he was changed to Mickey. I could be totally wrong though. Either that or I was fed bad information in my younger years. It is insane how huge they are right now. I think the only thing anyone talked about all last week was the new streaming service.
I think I am wrong. Just ignore this. It appears I was indeed fed bad info.
It was Mortimer at one point in time, but by the time Steemboat Willie happened it was Mickey and apparently only because Walt's wife convinced him to change the name.
Ah, thanks for the lesson :) Good stuff!
I did not know that. Thank's for the info
Congratulations @gooddream!
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