TheOriginOf.com

MICKEY MOUSE

March 12, 2007 – 7:58 am

MICKEY MOUSE

Mickey Mouse serves like a mascot for Disney and is certainly the most famous Disney cartoon character. Mickey Mouse was created in the spring of 1928 when Walt Disney asked Ub Iwerks to create a new character after he discovered that he had lost rights to “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit”, an earlier star created by the Disney Studio for Charles Mintz of Universal Studios.

Mickey debuted along with Minnie Mouse in “Plane Crazy” which was first released on May 15, 1928. It was co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. “Plane Crazy” bombed at the box office and Walt could not find a distributor for his short. Unfazed by the lackluster performance Disney went on to produce a second short “The Gallopin’ Gaucho’” in which Mickey meets his arch enemy Pegleg Pete also met the same fate as “Plane Crazy”. All things changed with “Steamboat Willie” Disney decided to bring the new technology of sound to his cartoons. “Steamboat Willie” was first released on November 18, 1928 at the Colony Theatre in New York City. Walt Disney himself gave voice for Mickey Mouse and continued to do so till 1946. Such was the popularity of “Steamboat Willie” that many consider it to be Mickey’s first short and November 18 is the official birthday of Mickey. After the success of “Steamboat Willie” Disney added sound to first two cartoons and offered them to exhibitors.

Mickey made his first comic strip appearance on January 13, 1930 when Walt Disney was approached by King Features Syndicate with an offer for the same. In 1935, Mickey appeared for first time in color in “The Band Concert” which is considered to be his best film.

In 1932 a special Academy Award was given to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse. After 1940’s fewer and fewer cartoons were made starring Mickey. Mickey Mouse moved to Disneyland in 1955 and became the chief host of the theme park.

Mickey Mouse became the first ever cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame on November 18, 1978 on which day he celebrated his celebrated his 50th anniversary.

Mickey appeared in a 1995′s short Runaway Brain, in 2004, he appeared in the Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers and the computer-animated Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas.

One of the finest tributes to Mickey Mouse was given by Walt Disney himself when WHILE surveying Disneyland, Walt said, “I hope we never lose sight of one fact… that this was all started by a Mouse.”