History of Mickey - Mouse, A Summery
In the beginning…
v Walt Disney designed the character while riding on a train back to Los Angeles with his wife Lillian. After completing his sketch, Walt showed it to Lillian and said his name was Mortimer Mouse. Lillian did not like the name and suggested Mickey Mouse. And so was the birth of Mickey Mouse.
v Mickey’s first film was Plane Crazy. After the loss of Oswald the Rabbit, Walt and illian Disney and Ub Iwerks, worked in secret on the film in a garage behind Walt’s home on Lyric Avenue.
v Plane Crazy had a sneak preview at a Hollywood movie house in May, 1928. The movie was pleasantly received. However, the big movie houses were not interested in Mickey Mouse.
v Walt and Ub made a second Mickey Mouse film called Gallopin’ Gaucho.
v The first two Mickey Mouse films that Walt made cost the studio $2,500 each.
v Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theater in New York.
v Steamboat Willie was Disney’s first film with sound.
v The original voice of Mickey Mouse was Walt Disney.
v Mickey’s first words were spoken in 1929 inThe Karnival Kid.
v The first merchandise to feature Mickey Mouse was a child’s school tablet in 1929.
v The Encyclopedia Britannica gave Mickey Mouse his own entry in 1934.
v The first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color was The Band Concert, which premiered on February 23, 1935.
v The last black and white cartoon actually premiered after The Band Concert. It was Mickey’s Kangaroo, which premiered April 13, 1935.
v In 1935, The League of Nations awarded Walt Disney a medal for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
v Mickey was originally drawn with circles for his head, body and ears. In 1939, that design was changed to the more pear shaped appearance we see now. Also, pupils were added to his eyes. The first film Mickey appeared in with his new features was The Pointer.
v The 1935 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City was led by a fifty-five foot high Mickey Mouse.
v The League of Nations presented Walt Disney with a special medal, in 1935, in recognition of the fact that Mickey Mouse was “a symbol of universal good will.”
v Mickey’s first appearance in a feature film was in 1940 in Fantasia, where he appeared in his most famous role as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. His image was modified for this feature film debut to include eye pupils and a more three-dimensional appearance.
v Mickey’s greatest honor came in 1944 when the Allied Forces, under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, prepared to invade the continent of Europe. The code name for the invasion was: Mickey Mouse.
v Between 1928, Steamboat Willie, and 1995, Runaway Brain, Mickey Mouse starred in 120 films. However, there was a 30 year gap between The Simple Things in 1953 and Mickey’s Christmas Carol in 1983.