NOVEMBER 18, 1928
Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie animation was seminal for many reasons, including being one of the first cartoons with synchronised sound and a fully post-produced soundtrack.
But the film has gone down in history, instead, for introducing the world to one of its favourite fictional characters.
The seven minute and 45 second short marked the debut of Mickey Mouse, with its release on November 18, 1928, now celebrated as the character’s official birthday by Disney fans around the world.
It was in Steamboat Willie audiences first became familiar with Mickey’s appearance as we know it today, including his iconic shorts and over-sized shoes. Although, with the animation produced in black white, it wasn’t until Mickey’s first official colour film – The Band Concert, released in 1935 – that we knew he favoured red and yellow, respectively.
Created in secret while he was still under contract to Universal Studios, the inspiration for Mickey was, reportedly, a tame mouse that lived in Disney’s desk. Drawn by animator Ub Iwerks, Disney first chose to call his new creation “Mortimer Mouse” but changed the name after his wife deemed it too stuffy.
Today, 94 years after his inaugural starring role, Mickey Mouse has appeared in more than 130 films – 10 of which were nominated for an Academy Award – and he was the first cartoon character to secure a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.