SteamBoat Willie

On September 19, 1928, the cartoon Steamboat Willie premiered at the Colony Theater in New York and forever altered the history of animation. The cartoon is noted for both introducing Mickey Mouse to the American public and for being the first animated film to include synchronized sound. The short, which was based on the earlier Buster Keaton (1895�1966) silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr., portrays Mickey as a boat captain who prances about with a cargo of livestock, employing the various animals as musical instruments. He also manages to rescue Minnie Mouse from the villainous Pegleg Pete. The cartoon was an instant success. It is credited with establishing Disney's dominance in the field of animation. Walt Disney (1901�1966) was a young animator during the 1920s who had achieved some success with a series of cartoons featuring a character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. A contractual dispute with Universal Pictures led to Disney losing all rights to Oswald. According to legend, Disney left that meeting and created a new character called Mortimer Mouse while on a train. Lillian, his wife, suggested he rename the mouse "Mickey" because it had more syntax (a better sound pattern). The first Mickey Mouse cartoons to enter production were Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho. Before either cartoon could be released, Disney recognized that "talking pictures" were the future of cinema. Disney, along with his brother Roy (1893�1971) and animator Ub Iwerks (1901�1971), led a team of animators, musicians, and technicians in attempting to synchronize sound with the animated action on the screen. Walt Disney himself provided Mickey's squeaky falsetto voice (a high-pitched male voice) and did so for the next twenty years. The great popularity of Steamboat Willie led to other talking cartoons and catapulted Mickey Mouse to the ranks of international celebrity.
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