An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced. They also own rights over merchandising and creative rights for characters created/held by the company, much like authors holding copyrights . In some early cases, they also held patent rights over methods of animation used in certain studios that were used for boosting productivity. Overall, they are business concerns and can function as such in legal terms.
72-452: Lucasfilm Animation Ltd. LLC is an American animation studio and subsidiary of Lucasfilm , originally established in 2003. Its first major productions were the feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its associated television series , both of which debuted in 2008 and Strange Magic , which premiered in 2015. In September 2016, Dave Filoni , known for his contributions to Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels , accepted
144-545: A The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse special and series finale entitled Steamboat Silly featuring multiple copies of Mickey as he appears in this short. The first cinematic adaption of Steamboat Willie since its entry to public domain was the live-action art film Social Imagineering by multidisciplinary artist Sweætshops released at midnight on January 1, 2024, which was filmed on the PS Waverley paddle steamer. Steamboat Willie –themed levels are featured in
216-665: A Georgetown University law student who wrote a paper confirming Brown's claims, alleging that publishing the paper could be slander of title , but Disney chose not to sue after its publication. Beginning in 2022, several Republican lawmakers vowed to oppose any future attempt to extend the copyright term due to Disney's opposition of the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act . Legal experts noted that later versions of Mickey Mouse created after Steamboat Willie will remain copyrighted, and Disney's use of
288-406: A budget of $ 4,986.69, including the prints for movie theaters. There was initially some doubt among the animators that a sound cartoon would appear believable enough, so before a soundtrack was produced, Disney arranged for a screening of the film to a test audience with live sound to accompany it. This screening took place on July 29, with Steamboat Willie only partly finished. The audience sat in
360-452: A falling-out over money, and Powers hired away Disney's lead animator, Ub Iwerks . Mickey Mouse is piloting a side-wheeler paddle steamer , cheerfully whistling " Steamboat Bill " and sounding the boat's three whistles. Soon, the captain, Pete , appears and orders Mickey off of the bridge . Annoyed, Mickey blows a raspberry at Pete who afterwards attempts to kick him, but Mickey rushes away in time and Pete accidentally kicks himself in
432-628: A financial success. In June 1927, producer Pat Powers made an unsuccessful takeover bid for Lee de Forest 's Phonofilm Corporation . In the aftermath, Powers hired a former DeForest technician, William Garrity, to produce a cloned version of the Phonofilm system, which Powers dubbed "Powers Cinephone". By then, de Forest was in too weak a financial position to mount a legal challenge against Powers for patent infringement. Powers convinced Disney to use Cinephone for Steamboat Willie ; their business relationship lasted until 1930 when Powers and Disney had
504-601: A longer running manga or animated series. As the OAV market is not adapted to the rigors that are faced by television shows or feature films, they have been known to show gratuitous amounts of violence and/or pornography. Some OAV's have registered such strong acclaim that they have been remade as anime television series as well as theatrical releases. Since most new OVA's are derived from other animated media, many animation studios that have previously worked on animated series or movies, and adaptations of Japanese manga, have now entered
576-506: A new animation studio, Studio Ghibli , which would be used for the personal works of Miyazaki and his close friend, Isao Takahata . Many of Ghibli's works have become Japan's top-grossing theatrical films, whether in live-action or animated form. The market for 'OAV's or ' Original Anime Video ' later the acronym would be better known as 'OVA' meaning 'Original video animation' as the term 'OAV' could often be misunderstood for 'Original Adult Video', began in 1984. These are often tended towards
648-508: A profitable enterprise and many have entered the made for television market since, with Joseph Barbera and William Hanna refining the production process for television animation on their show Ruff and Reddy . It was in 1958 that The Huckleberry Hound Show claimed the title of being the first all-new half-hour cartoon show. This, along with their previous success with the series Tom and Jerry , elevated their animation studio, H.B. Enterprises (later Hanna-Barbera Productions ), to dominate
720-631: A promotion to oversee the development of all future Lucasfilm Animation projects. Founded in 2003 in Singapore as a means to tap into the talent pool, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore (LAS) opened in October 2005. LAS works closely with Lucasfilm Animation. The LAS production schedule also includes contributions to projects from other Lucasfilm companies. While the largest of LAS’ production groups focused on Star Wars: The Clone Wars , in July 2006 LAS announced
792-412: A promotional poster created in 1928 features Mickey Mouse wearing red shorts and yellow gloves, meaning those attributes might also now be in the public domain and available for anyone to use. However, while the poster was created in 1928, it is unclear whether it was published that same year; thus, its copyright status is unknown, and Mickey Mouse's red shorts and yellow gloves are not definitively in
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#1732791339123864-416: A reference to the song by Collins. Disney performed all of the voices in the film, although there is little intelligible dialogue. The film has received wide critical acclaim, not only for introducing one of the world's most popular cartoon characters but also for its technical innovation. The short is often considered to be one of the most influential cartoons ever made. Animators voted Steamboat Willie as
936-433: A room adjoining Walt Disney's office. His brother Roy placed the movie projector outdoors and the film was projected through a window so that the sound of the projector would not interfere with the live sound. Ub Iwerks set up a bedsheet behind the movie screen behind which he placed a microphone connected to speakers where the audience would sit. The live sound was produced from behind the bedsheet. Wilfred Jackson played
1008-541: A short parody of the opening scene of Steamboat Willie , entitled Steamboat Itchy . In the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan , set in 1944, a German prisoner of war, nicknamed "Steamboat Willie", tries to win the sympathy of his American captors by talking about Mickey Mouse. In the 2008 film of the TV series Futurama titled The Beast with a Billion Backs , the opening is a parody of Steamboat Willie . As part of their 100-year anniversary, in July 2023, Disney released
1080-409: A shortened cover of the cartoon's music was arranged to be featured in the land's background ambiance. In 2007, a Steamboat Willie clip of Mickey whistling started being used for Walt Disney Animation Studios' production logo . In 2019, Lego released an official Steamboat Willie set to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. The whistle in the film has been used to make sound in
1152-550: A very small core group. After being bought out or sold to other companies, they eventually consolidated with other studios and became larger. The drawback of this setup was that there was now a major thrust towards profitability with the management acting as a damper towards creativity of these studios, continuing even in today's scenario. Currently, the independent animation studios are looking to ensure artistic integrity by signing up with big animation studios on contracts that allow them to license out movies, without being directed by
1224-539: A wide market if the interchangeability angle does not interfere. Recommended unreservedly for all wired houses. The Film Daily (November 25, 1928) said: This is what Steamboat Willie has: First, a clever and amusing treatment; secondly, music and sound effects added via the Cinephone method. The result is a real tidbit of diversion. The maximum has been gotten from the sound effects. Worthy of bookings in any house wired to reproduce sound-on-film. Incidentally, this
1296-464: Is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks . It was produced in black and white by Walt Disney Animation Studios and was released by Pat Powers , under the name of Celebrity Productions . The cartoon is considered the public debut of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse , although both appeared months earlier in a test screening of Plane Crazy and the then yet unreleased The Gallopin' Gaucho . Steamboat Willie
1368-591: Is dated around 1917, but it would take until 1956 for the Japanese animation industry to successfully adopt the studio format as used in the United States. In 1961, these productions began to be aired in the US. Toei Animation , formed in 1948, was the first Japanese animation studio of importance and saw the reduction of animators as independent anime artists. After the formation of Toei Animation Co. Ltd. in 1948,
1440-606: Is subject to local intellectual property rights. The animators must also be aware of the contracts laws and labour laws prevalent in the jurisdiction to which the animation studio is subject to. There have been numerous legal battles fought over the copyright of famous franchises, such as Kung Fu Panda and SpongeBob SquarePants . This has come about as a result of the clause in Copyright contracts that states that an idea cannot be protected, only an actual piece of work can be said to be infringed upon. This means that though
1512-560: Is the first Cinephone-recorded subject to get a public exhibition and at the Colony [Theater], New York, is being shown over Western Electric equipment. In 1994, members of the animation field voted Steamboat Willie 13th in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons , which listed the greatest cartoons of all time. In 1998, the short was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by
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#17327913391231584-585: The Song Car-Tunes series, using the Phonofilm sound-on-film process. However, the Song Car-Tunes failed to keep the sound fully synchronized, while Steamboat Willie was produced using a click track to keep his musicians on the beat. As little as one month before Steamboat Willie was released, Paul Terry released Dinner Time , which also used a soundtrack, but Dinner Time was not
1656-539: The Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Australian Perth Mint released a 1 kg gold coin in honor of Steamboat Willie in 2015. Prior to its entrance into the public domain, the film had been the center of a variety of controversies regarding copyright. Its copyright was extended by multiple acts of the United States Congress . Since
1728-573: The Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction, which opened at Disneyland in January 2023. In the 1950s, Disney removed a scene in which Mickey tugs on the tails of the baby pigs, and then picks up the mother and kicks them off her teats, and plays her like an accordion, since television distributors deemed it inappropriate. A variant of this censored version is featured on the 1998 VHS/Laserdisc compilation special The Spirit of Mickey , where
1800-715: The Nintendo DS . Due to its old building being saturated, Lucasfilm Singapore moved into a new Eclipse building, frequently referred to as the Sandcrawler building, at the beginning of 2014. Sandcrawler, an eight-story building owned by Lucas Real Estate Singapore was home to Lucasfilm Singapore, Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) and ESPN Asia Pacific designed by Aedas . In 2021, Disney has sold its Sandcrawler building for US$ 132 million to Blackstone Group . On August 15, 2023, Lucasfilm announced that it will be shutting down its Singapore operations. Disney explained that
1872-489: The Steamboat Willie version as a logo in its films since 2007 may allow them to claim protection for the 1928 version under trademark law, as active trademarks can be renewed in perpetuity (so long as the owner can prove using it). In April 2023, John Oliver announced his intention to use the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse as the new mascot for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as soon as
1944-437: The " Mickey Mouse Protection Act "). It has been claimed that these extensions were a response by Congress to extensive lobbying by The Walt Disney Company. In the 1990s, former Disney researcher Gregory S. Brown determined that the film was likely in the U.S. public domain already due to errors in the original copyright formulation. In particular, the original film's copyright notice had two additional names between Disney and
2016-646: The 13th-greatest cartoon of all time in the 1994 book The 50 Greatest Cartoons , and in 1998, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry . The cartoon entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2024, as the work was published in 1928. Mickey Mouse was created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit , an earlier cartoon character that
2088-402: The Colony [Theater] they were stumbling over each other. It's a peach of a synchronization job all the way, bright, snappy, and fit the situation perfectly. Cartoonist, Walter Disney. With most of the animated cartoons qualifying as a pain in the neck, it's a signal tribute to this particular one. If the same combination of talent can turn out a series as good as Steamboat Willie they should find
2160-673: The Japanese studios churned out minor works of animation. But with the release of Toei's first theatrical feature, The Tale of the White Serpent released in October 1958, the animation industry in Japan came into the eye of the general public. The success of Alakazam the Great led to the finding of the artist Osamu Tezuka , who would go on to become the father of Japanese manga with his brand of modern, fast-paced fantasy storylines. He became influenced by Hanna-Barbera productions of
2232-564: The Jedi Masters Program, a paid apprenticeship provided young artists with mentorship opportunities from industry professionals at ILM, LucasArts and Lucasfilm Animation. The Jedi Masters Program had classroom facilities within the Singapore studio and combined classroom instruction with mentored work in an actual production environment. The Game Group developed Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance in 2008 and Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes in 2009, both on
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2304-858: The North American and European markets, direct-to-video animation has seen a rise, as a concept, in the Western markets. With many comic characters receiving their versions of OVA 's, original video animations , under the Westernized title of direct-to-video animations, the OVA market has spread to American animation houses. Their popularity has resulted in animated adaptations of comic characters ranging from Hellboy , Green Lantern and Avengers . Television shows such as Family Guy and Futurama also released direct-to-video animations. DC Comics have continually released their own animated movies for
2376-406: The North American television animation market during the latter half of the 20th century. In 2002, Shrek , produced by DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature . Since then, Disney / Pixar have produced the most number of movies either to win or be nominated for the award. Though the term "direct-to-video" carries negative connotations in
2448-413: The OVA market, looking to capitalize on the popularity of their flagship shows. Studios participating in such circumstances include Production I.G and Studio Deen . Although there are permanent/full-time positions in studios, most animators work on a contract basis. There are some animators that are considered to be in the core group of the studio, which can either be as a result of being there since
2520-559: The Seven Dwarfs , which laid the foundation for other studios to try to make full-length movies. In 1932 Flowers and Trees , a production by Walt Disney Productions and United Artists , won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film . This period, from the 1920s to the 1950s or sometimes considered from 1911 to the death of Walt Disney in 1966, is commonly known as the Golden Age of American Animation as it included
2592-507: The addition of a filmed bouncing ball to keep the tempo. Steamboat Willie premiered at Universal's Colony Theater in New York City on November 18, 1928. The film was distributed by Celebrity Productions, and its initial run lasted two weeks. Disney was paid $ 500 a week (~$ 9,000 in 2024). In its first run, the picture was presented five times a day. It played ahead of the independent feature film Gang War . Steamboat Willie
2664-464: The animals like musical instruments via pulling the tail of a cat, stretching a goose's throat, tugging on the tails of pigs , and using a cow's teeth and tongue to play the song as a xylophone . Captain Pete is unamused by the musical act and puts Mickey to work peeling potatoes as a punishment. Out of spite, Mickey uses a knife to peel the potatoes wastefully, discarding most of the potato along with
2736-477: The animators may have forwarded ideas to the animation studios about certain characters and plots, these ideas alone cannot be protected and can lead to studios profiting on individual animator's ideas. However, this has not stopped many independent artists from filing claims to characters produced by different studios. Due to the wide range of animation techniques and styles, many animation studios typically specialize in certain types. Traditional animation employs
2808-413: The audience was extremely positive, and it gave Walt Disney the confidence to move forward and complete the film. He said later in recalling this first viewing: The effect on our little audience was nothing less than electric. They responded almost instinctively to this union of sound and motion. I thought they were kidding me. So they put me in the audience and ran the action again. It was terrible, but it
2880-547: The bigger studios. Examples of such co-operation are the joint ventures between DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures and that of Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Studios . On August 22, 2016, Comcast's NBCUniversal acquired DreamWorks Animation , appointing Meledandri oversee Comcast's Universal Animation/DreamWorks/Illumination, Disney's Disney Animation/Pixar/20th Century Animation, & Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Animation/Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The first known example of Japanese animation, also called anime ,
2952-464: The boat before it leaves. Mickey does not see her in time, but she runs after the boat along the shore calling out Mickey's name. Mickey hears Minnie's calls and he takes her on board by hooking the cargo crane to her bloomers . Landing on deck, Minnie accidentally drops a ukulele and sheet music for the song " Turkey in the Straw ", which are eaten by a goat. After a brief tug of war with the goat over
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3024-412: The cartoon entered the public domain in 2024, and debuted the "brand new character". Not affecting trademark status, Steamboat Willie entered the US public domain on January 1, 2024, more than 95 years after its release. Although it was believed that only the black-and-white depiction of Mickey Mouse—which lacks the red shorts and gloves—would enter the public domain, it has been pointed out that
3096-545: The copyright statement. Thus, under the rules of the Copyright Act of 1909 , all copyright claims would be null. Arizona State University professor Dennis Karjala suggested that one of his law school students look into Brown's claim as a class project. Lauren Vanpelt took up the challenge and produced a paper agreeing with Brown's claim. She posted her project on the Internet in 1999. Disney later threatened to sue
3168-482: The copyright was filed in 1928, three days after its initial release, it was extended for over half a century. Steamboat Willie could have entered the public domain in four different years: first in 1955, at which point it was renewed to 1986, then extended to 2003 by the Copyright Act of 1976 , and finally to 2023 by the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 (also known pejoratively as
3240-809: The creation of the Game Group and the Digital Artists Group (DAG). With difficulty in meeting the technical and aesthetic requirements of Clone Wars, LAS was ultimately removed from the production and released a number of employees. R2-D2 is featured in the company logo at the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Industrial Light & Magic launched its Singapore operations in 2006, as the first international ILM. The Digital Artists Group served as an extension of ILM, contributed to ILM's work on feature film visual effects. LAS had supported LucasArts’ video game productions and Lucasfilm Animation. In November 2007, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore launched
3312-510: The film is spoken by the ship's parrot. When Mickey falls into a bucket of soapy water, the bird says, "Hope you don't feel hurt, big boy! Ha ha ha ha ha!". After Mickey throws the bucket onto the parrot's head, it cries "Help! Help! Man overboard!". It repeats the phase at the end of the short, after Mickey throws a potato onto the parrot and it falls into the water. The production of Steamboat Willie took place between July and September 1928, which according to Roy O. Disney's personal notes had
3384-479: The final soundtrack was performed by the Green Brothers Novelty Band and was conducted by Carl Edouarde . Joe and Lew Green from the band also assisted in timing the music to the film. The first attempt to synchronize the recording with the film, done on September 15, 1928, was a disaster. Disney had to sell his Moon roadster in order to finance a second recording. This was a success, with
3456-452: The first forays of animation designed for the smaller screen and was to be followed by the first animated series specifically made for television, Crusader Rabbit , in 1948. Its creator, Alex Anderson , had to create the studio 'Television Arts Productions' specifically for the purpose of creating this series as his old studio, Terrytoons , refused to make a series for television. Since Crusader Rabbit, however, many studios have seen this as
3528-575: The growth of Disney, as well as the rise of Warner Bros. Cartoons and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio as prominent animation studios. Disney continued to lead in technical prowess among studios for a long time afterwards, as can be seen with their achievements . In 1941, Otto Messmer created the first animated television commercials for Botany Tie ads/weather reports. They were shown on NBC-TV in New York until 1949. This marked
3600-414: The home video market, while not tending to the television or theatrical audience as such. They refer to those movies that are launched as direct-to-video releases and not meant to be released in theatres. Video productions can run from half an hour productions to well over two hours. They require that premise or story be original in order to be counted as an OVA, though sometimes, the story can be derived from
3672-421: The inception of the company or being talented recruits from other animation studios. These are the more secure positions in an animation studio, though the studio might have policies concerning the possible tenure of animators. Since studios can hire animators on a work for hire basis nowadays, many artists do not retain rights over their creations, unlike some of the early animators. The extent of these copyrights
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#17327913391233744-575: The late 1950s and made Japan's first made for television animation studio, Mushi Productions . The success of the studios' first show in 1963, Astro Boy , was so immense that there were 3 other television animation studios by the end of the year and Toei had opened their own made for television division. The greatest difference between Japanese studios and North American studios was the difference in adult-themed material to make way in Japan. Tezuka's thought that animation should not be restricted to kids alone has brought about many studios that are employed in
3816-439: The music on a mouth organ , Ub Iwerks banged on pots and pans for the percussion segment, and Johnny Cannon provided sound effects with various devices, including slide whistles and spittoons for bells. Walt Disney provided what little dialogue there was to the film, mostly grunts, laughs, and squawks. After several practices, they were ready for the audience, which consisted of Disney employees and their wives. The response of
3888-415: The partially eaten ukulele, Mickey loses his grip and it lands inside the goat. The force from the ukulele makes the goat begin to play musical notes. Mickey, interested, orders Minnie to begin using the goat's body as a phonograph by turning its tail like a crank. Music begins to play which delights the two mice. Mickey uses various objects on the boat as percussion accompaniment, and later on begins to "play"
3960-508: The post of being the first studio, Bray's studio employee, Earl Hurd , came up with patents designed for mass-producing the output for the studio. As Hurd did not file for these patents under his own name but handed them to Bray, they would go on to form the Bray-Hurd Patent Company and sold these techniques for royalties to other animation studios of the time. The biggest name in animation studios during this early time
4032-560: The production of adult-themed adaptations of classic stories such as Heidi ( Heidi, Girl of the Alps ), One Thousand and One Nights and The Diary of a Young Girl and many more. In the 1980s, animation studios were led back to their theatrical roots due to the success of Hayao Miyazaki 's film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind , which led publishing house Tokuma Shoten to finance
4104-452: The public domain. The cartoon has been adapted into two horror films: The Mouse Trap , a slasher film where a mass murderer in a Mickey Mouse mask hunts down a group of teenagers inside an amusement arcade, and Screamboat , a comedy horror film where Mickey Mouse turns into a mutated creature that starts a murderous rampage on a ferry. The fourth-season 1992 episode of The Simpsons " Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie " features
4176-407: The rear. Mickey falls down the stairs, slips on a bar of soap on the boat's deck, and lands in a bucket of water. A parrot laughs at him and Mickey throws the bucket on its head. Pete, who has been watching the occurrence, pilots the steamboat himself. He bites off some chewing tobacco and spits into the wind. The spit flies backward and rings the boat's bell. Amused, Pete spits again, but this time
4248-566: The resulting frames are played back. Notable studios specializing in this style of animation include Aardman Animations , Laika and ShadowMachine . 3D animation is the newest of the animation techniques, using the assistance of computers and software, such as Houdini , to create 3D models that are then manipulated and rendered to create movement. Notable studios include Pixar Animation Studios , Sony Pictures Imageworks , Blue Sky Studios , Illumination , DNEG and Marza Animation Planet . Steamboat Willie Steamboat Willie
4320-498: The shutdown was due to economic factors, with the SAG-AFTRA strike in the United States affecting the industry's work. Animation studio The idea of a studio dedicated to animating cartoons was spearheaded by Raoul Barré and his studio, Barré Studio , co-founded with Bill Nolan , beating out the studio created by J.R. Bray , Bray Productions , to the honor of the first studio dedicated to animation. Though beaten to
4392-452: The skin. In the potato bin, the same parrot that laughed at him earlier appears in the porthole and laughs at him again. Fed up with the bird's heckling, Mickey throws a half-peeled potato at it, knocking it back into the river below. Mickey then laughs as he sits next to the potatoes and hears the parrot squawking. Mickey, Minnie, and Pete perform in near-pantomime, with growls and squeaks but no intelligible dialogue. The only true dialogue in
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#17327913391234464-417: The sole purpose of sale in the direct-to-video market. With growing worries about piracy, direct to video animation might become more popular in the near future. With the growth of animation as an industry, the trends of ownership of studios have gradually changed with time. Current studios such as Warner Bros. and early ones such as Fleischer Studios , started life as small, independent studios, being run by
4536-410: The spit hits him in the face, to his dismay. The steamboat makes a stop at "Podunk Landing" to pick up a cargo of various livestock . Mickey has trouble getting one of the slimmer cows with a FOB tag onto the boat attached to a harness. To solve this, Mickey fills the cow's stomach up with hay to fatten the slim cow into the harness. Just as they set off again, Minnie Mouse appears, running to catch
4608-513: The use of hand-drawn frames, and is used in the world of cartoons, movies and anime. Notable studios that specialize in this style include Studio Ghibli , Cartoon Saloon , Nickelodeon Animation Studio , Disney Television Animation , 20th Television Animation , Warner Bros. Animation , Cartoon Network Studios , Titmouse , Ufotable , Studio Chizu and CoMix Wave Films . Stop-motion animation uses objects that are incrementally moved and photographed in order to create an illusion of movement when
4680-632: The video games Mickey Mania (1994), Kingdom Hearts II (2005), and Epic Mickey (2010). An alternate Steamboat Willie -themed costume of Kingdom Hearts ' Sora was featured in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018). The Steamboat Willie versions of Mickey Mouse and Pete are featured as playable racers in Disney Speedstorm (2023). In 1993, to coincide with the opening of Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland,
4752-632: The villain to both Oswald and Disney's first ever cartoon hero, Julius the Cat (an unlicensed derivative character of Felix the Cat ) starting with Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925), though he was originally depicted as a bear. Despite being recognized for it, Steamboat Willie was not the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Starting in May 1924 and continuing through September 1926, Dave and Max Fleischer's Inkwell Studios produced 19 sound cartoons, part of
4824-400: Was Disney Brothers Animation Studio (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios ), co-founded by Walt and Roy O. Disney . Started on October 16, 1923, the studio went on to make its first animated short, Steamboat Willie in 1928, to much critical success, though the real breakthrough was in 1937, when the studio was able to produce a full-length animated feature film i.e. Snow White and
4896-515: Was an immediate hit, while Gang War has since been lost and all but forgotten today. The success of Steamboat Willie not only led to international fame for Walt Disney but for Mickey as well. Variety (November 21, 1928) wrote: Not the first animated cartoon to be synchronized with sound effects, but the first to attract favorable attention. This one represents a high order of cartoon ingenuity, cleverly combined with sound effects. The union brought forth laughs galore. Giggles came so fast at
4968-579: Was originated by the Disney studio but owned at the time by Universal Pictures . The first two Mickey Mouse films produced, silent versions of Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho , had failed to gain a distributor . According to Roy O. Disney , Walt Disney was inspired to create a sound cartoon after watching The Jazz Singer (1927). Disney believed that adding sound to a cartoon would greatly increase its appeal. The character of Pete predates Steamboat Willie by multiple years, having appeared as
5040-519: Was the future of film. Steamboat Willie became the most popular cartoon of its day. Music for Steamboat Willie was arranged by Wilfred Jackson and Bert Lewis, and it included the songs " Steamboat Bill ", a composition popularized by baritone Arthur Collins during the 1910s, and the popular 19th-century folk song " Turkey in the Straw ". The title of the film may be a parody of the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), itself
5112-647: Was the third of Mickey's films to be produced, but it was the first to be distributed , because Disney, having seen The Jazz Singer , had committed himself to produce one of the first fully synchronized sound cartoons. Steamboat Willie is especially notable for being one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound , as well as one of the first cartoons to feature a fully post-produced soundtrack , which distinguished it from earlier sound cartoons, such as Inkwell Studios ' Song Car-Tunes (1924–1926), My Old Kentucky Home (1926) and Van Beuren Studios ' Dinner Time (1928). Disney believed that synchronized sound
5184-520: Was wonderful! And it was something new! Iwerks said: "I've never been so thrilled in my life. Nothing since has ever equaled it." Walt Disney traveled to New York City to hire a company to produce the soundtrack, since no such facilities existed in Los Angeles. He eventually settled on Pat Powers 's Cinephone system, created by Powers using an updated version of Lee De Forest's Phonofilm system, without giving De Forest any credit. The music in
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