108-458: Wild Waves is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 18, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the fifteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the twelfth of that year, as well as the last to be released by Celebrity Productions before Columbia Pictures took over distribution. Mickey Mouse is a lifeguard, sitting on his beach chair and playing
216-518: A role model for children, they were limited in the types of gags they could present. This led to Mickey taking more of a secondary role in some of his next films, allowing for more emphasis on other characters. In Orphan's Benefit (1934), Mickey first appeared with Donald Duck who had been introduced earlier that year in the Silly Symphony series. The tempestuous duck would provide Disney with seemingly endless story ideas and would remain
324-646: A Christmas . Many television series have centered on Mickey, such as the ABC shows Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000), House of Mouse (2001–2003), Disney Channel 's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016), Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017–2021) and Mickey Mouse Funhouse (2021–present). Prior to all these, Mickey was also featured as an unseen character in the Bonkers episode "You Oughta Be In Toons". In 2013, Disney Channel started airing new 3-minute Mickey Mouse shorts, with animator Paul Rudish at
432-494: A Studio , in which he corrals the characters of Disney's animated features to take a group picture. Mickey first appeared in comics after he had appeared in 15 commercially successful animated shorts and was easily recognized by the public. Walt Disney was approached by King Features Syndicate with the offer to license Mickey and his supporting characters for use in a comic strip. Disney accepted and Mickey Mouse made its first appearance on January 13, 1930. The comical plot
540-516: A darker, more legible image. Spirit duplicated images were usually tinted a light purple or lavender, which gradually became lighter over the course of some dozens of copies. Mimeography was often considered "the next step up" in quality, capable of producing hundreds of copies. Print runs beyond that level were usually produced by professional printers or, as the technology became available, xerographic copiers . Mimeographed images generally have much better durability than spirit-duplicated images, since
648-427: A detective in the style of Sherlock Holmes , in the modern era several editors and creators have consciously undertaken to depict a more vigorous Mickey in the mold of the classic Gottfredson adventures. This renaissance has been spearheaded by Byron Erickson , David Gerstein , Noel Van Horn , Michael T. Gilbert and César Ferioli . In Europe, Mickey Mouse became the main attraction of a number of comics magazines,
756-405: A different color. This was spot color for mastheads. Colors could not be mixed. The mimeograph became popular because it was much cheaper than traditional print – there was neither typesetting nor skilled labor involved. One individual with a typewriter and the necessary equipment became their own printing factory, allowing for greater circulation of printed material. The image transfer medium
864-410: A durable stencil master were used (e.g. a thin metal foil). In practice, most low-cost mimeo stencils gradually wear out over the course of producing several hundred copies. Typically the stencil deteriorates gradually, producing a characteristic degraded image quality until the stencil tears, abruptly ending the print run. If further copies are desired at this point, another stencil must be made. Often,
972-469: A falling out over money due Disney from the distribution deal. It was in response to losing the right to distribute Disney's cartoons that Powers made the deal with Iwerks, who had long harbored a desire to head his own studio. The departure is considered a turning point in Mickey's career, as well as that of Walt Disney. Walt lost the man who served as his closest colleague and confidant since 1919. Mickey lost
1080-410: A mimeograph, called a digital duplicator , or copyprinter , contains a scanner , a thermal head for stencil cutting, and a large roll of stencil material entirely inside the unit. The stencil material consists of a very thin polymer film laminated to a long-fiber non-woven tissue. It makes the stencils and mounts and unmounts them from the print drum automatically, making it almost as easy to operate as
1188-433: A moving optical head and burning through the blank stencil with an electric spark in the places where the optical head detected ink. It was slow and produced ozone . Text from electrostencils had lower resolution than that from typed stencils, although the process was good for reproducing illustrations. A skilled mimeo operator using an electrostencil and a very coarse halftone screen could make acceptable printed copies of
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#17327837318221296-403: A noted admirer of Chaplin's work, ascribing his development as a storytelling to the actor. In The American Magazine for March 1931, Disney explained, "I think we were rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea [of Mickey Mouse]. We wanted something appealing and we thought of a tiny bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of Chaplin ... a little fellow trying to do
1404-515: A pair of shorts with two large buttons in the front. Before Mickey was seen regularly in color animation, Mickey's shorts were either red or a dull blue-green. With the advent of Mickey's color films, they were always red. When Mickey is not wearing his shorts, he is often still wearing red clothing. Due to budgetary limits imposed by World War II , Mickey temporarily lost his tail, e.g. in The Little Whirlwind (1941). Mickey
1512-474: A photocopier. The Risograph is the best known of these machines. Although mimeographs remain more economical and energy-efficient in mid-range quantities, easier-to-use photocopying and offset printing have replaced mimeography almost entirely in developed countries . Mimeography continues to be used in some developing countries because it is a simple, cheap, and robust technology. Many mimeographs can be hand-cranked, requiring no electricity. Mimeographs and
1620-416: A photograph. During the declining years of the mimeograph, some people made stencils with early computers and dot-matrix impact printers . Unlike spirit duplicators (where the only ink available is depleted from the master image), mimeograph technology works by forcing a replenishable supply of ink through the stencil master. In theory, the mimeography process could be continued indefinitely, especially if
1728-415: A pleasing angle, ears included, as opposed to depicting Mickey as a realistic 3D character. Mickey's eyes were originally large and white with black outlines, with the tops able to deform like eyebrows; the pupil was circular (with a triangle cut out in poster close-ups to simulate reflected light). Starting with Steamboat Willie , the bottom portion of the black outlines was removed, often making
1836-440: A precursor to ASCII art . Because changing ink color in a mimeograph could be a laborious process, involving extensively cleaning the machine or, on newer models, replacing the drum or rollers, and then running the paper through the machine a second time, some fanzine publishers experimented with techniques for painting several colors on the pad. In addition, mimeographs were used by many resistance groups during World War Two as
1944-603: A rebellious hero. When not facing an opponent, Mickey is oft placed in situations where his pursuits of grandeur or simple accomplishment lead to disastrous results, typically at the hands of his own impulsivity, as was the case in The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1940) among others. Mickey is not portrayed as a hero in the traditional sense, instead acting as a subversion of the stock archetype. He often fumbles his way through adventures; his small size and misplaced optimism serving as his dominating flaws. His manner of problem-solving
2052-516: A recurring character in Mickey's cartoons. Mickey first appeared animated in color in Parade of the Award Nominees in 1932; however, the film strip was created for the 5th Academy Awards ceremony and was not released to the public. Mickey's official first color film came in 1935 with The Band Concert . The Technicolor film process was used in the film production. Here Mickey conducted
2160-452: A result, Mickey would soon become the most prominent animated character of the time. Walt Disney soon worked on adding sound to both Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho (which had originally been silent releases) and their new release added to Mickey's success and popularity. A fourth Mickey short, The Barn Dance , was also put into production; however, Mickey does not actually speak until The Karnival Kid (1929). After Steamboat Willie
2268-596: A special award from the League of Nations for creating Mickey. The second half of the 1930s saw the character Goofy reintroduced as a series regular. Together, Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy would go on several adventures together. Several of the films by the comic trio are some of Mickey's most critically acclaimed films, including Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935), Moose Hunters (1937), Clock Cleaners (1937), Lonesome Ghosts (1937), Boat Builders (1938), and Mickey's Trailer (1938). Also during this era, Mickey
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#17327837318222376-656: A specialty until Murry's first serial for Walt Disney's Comics and Stories in 1953 ("The Last Resort"). In the same period, Romano Scarpa in Italy for the magazine Topolino began to revitalize Mickey in stories that brought back the Phantom Blot and Eega Beeva along with new creations such as the Atomo Bleep-Bleep. While the stories at Western Publishing during the Silver Age emphasized Mickey as
2484-399: A stencil setting, to create a stencil. The operator loads a stencil assemblage into the typewriter like paper and uses a switch on the typewriter to put it in stencil mode. In this mode, the part of the mechanism which lifts the ribbon between the type element and the paper is disabled so that the bare, sharp type element strikes the stencil directly. The impact of the type element displaces
2592-425: A time. By 1900, two primary types of mimeographs had come into use: a single-drum machine and a dual-drum machine. The single-drum machine used a single drum for ink transfer to the stencil, and the dual-drum machine used two drums and silk-screens to transfer the ink to the stencils. The single drum (example Roneo) machine could be easily used for multi-color work by changing the drum – each of which contained ink of
2700-459: A ventriloquist dummy companion to Donald Duck. In August 2018, ABC television announced a two-hour prime time special, Mickey's 90th Spectacular , in honor of Mickey's 90th birthday. The program featured never-before-seen short videos and several other celebrities who wanted to share their memories about Mickey Mouse and performed some of the Disney songs to impress Mickey. The show took place at
2808-525: Is a meetable character at the Disney parks. He is one of the world's most recognizable and universally acclaimed fictional characters. Ten of Mickey's cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film , one of which, Lend a Paw , won the award in 1941 . In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Mickey Mouse
2916-470: Is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks . The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company , Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white gloves. He is often depicted alongside his girlfriend Minnie Mouse , his pet dog Pluto , his friends Donald Duck and Goofy , and his nemesis Pete . Mickey
3024-407: Is drawn between the rotating drum and a pressure roller, ink is forced through the holes on the stencil onto the paper. Early flatbed machines used a kind of squeegee . The ink originally had a lanolin base and later became an oil in water emulsion. This emulsion commonly uses turkey-red oil (sulfated castor oil ) which gives it a distinctive and heavy scent. One uses a regular typewriter, with
3132-584: Is frequently pitted against larger-than-life villains to accentuate this idea; namely the hulking cat Pegleg Pete, and numerous one-shot antagonists such as the giants of Giantland (1933) and Brave Little Tailor (1938), the king of cards in Thru the Mirror (1936) and Mortimer Mouse in Mickey's Rival (1936). These adversaries were decidedly portrayed as overbearing figures of authority, thusly painting Mickey as
3240-460: Is generally unorthodox to comedic effect; in Ye Olden Days (1933), Mickey's jousting horse was an infantile mule. In Shanghaied (1934), Mickey battled with a broadbill in place of a sword. The underdog nature of Mickey's character has been interpreted by historians as a symbolic reflection of Walt Disney's early struggles as a farm boy breaking into the imposing Hollywood industry in
3348-403: The Mickey Mouse comic strip , which ran for 45 years) and comic books (such as Mickey Mouse ). The character has also been featured in television series such as The Mickey Mouse Club (1955–1996). Inspired by such silent film personalities as Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks , Mickey is traditionally characterized as a sympathetic underdog who gets by on pluck and ingenuity in
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3456-554: The William Tell Overture , but the band is swept up by a tornado. It is said that conductor Arturo Toscanini so loved this short that, upon first seeing it, he asked the projectionist to run it again. In 1994, The Band Concert was voted the third-greatest cartoon of all time in a poll of animation professionals. By colorizing and partially redesigning Mickey, Walt put Mickey back on top once again. Mickey reach new heights of popularity. Also in 1935, Walt would receive
3564-527: The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and was produced and directed by Don Mischer on November 4, 2018. On November 18, 2018, a 90th anniversary event for the character was celebrated around the world. In December 2019, both Mickey and Minnie served as special co-hosts of Wheel of Fortune for two weeks while Vanna White served as the main host during Pat Sajak 's absence. Mickey is
3672-524: The Walt Disney Studio ; after this film, Stalling joined Iwerks at his new studio. This was the last short to use the original title card until Get a Horse! (2013), with Mickey in striped shorts looking at Minnie. Newer releases of this short use the new title card with Mickey's face, followed by the title of the short. In a 1971 interview with Funnyworld magazine, Stalling said that he voiced Mickey's speaking lines in this short, as well as
3780-540: The Walt Disney anthology television series , and on home video. Mickey returned to theatrical animation in 1983 with Mickey's Christmas Carol , an adaptation of Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol in which Mickey played Bob Cratchit . This was followed up in 1990 with The Prince and the Pauper . Throughout the decades, Mickey Mouse competed with Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny for animated popularity. But in 1988,
3888-413: The pupils. His screen role as The Sorcerer's Apprentice , set to the symphonic poem of the same name by Paul Dukas , is perhaps the most famous segment of the film and one of Mickey's most iconic roles. The apprentice (Mickey), not willing to do his chores, puts on the sorcerer 's magic hat after the sorcerer goes to bed and casts a spell on a broom, which causes the broom to come to life and perform
3996-507: The starving artist drew inspiration from a tame mouse (or pair of mice) at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri , or that he undertook a romantic search for inspiration on the train ride home from his disappointing meeting with Mintz. At Disney's behest, Iwerks sketched new character ideas based on various animals such as dogs and cats, but none of these appealed to Disney. A female cow and male horse were rejected, as
4104-530: The 1920s. It has also been perceived as an allegory for the Great Depression in the United States , with Mickey's unrelenting optimism symbolizing the "American endurance to survive" in the face of economic woes. Charlie Chaplin, known by audiences of the time for his role as the " Little Tramp ", was identified by Disney as a source of inspiration for the Mickey character. Disney himself was
4212-525: The 1930 Silly Symphonies short Arctic Antics , and the dancing sea lions were reused in the 1931 Mickey Mouse short The Castaway . The Film Daily (January 5, 1930): "Mickey Mouse is at his best as a life saver in this Walt Disney cartoon, which is made additionally funny by the antics of singing seals, dancing penguins, baritone sea lions and other amazing creations of the moving cartoon kingdom. Actually great." Motion Picture News (January 11, 1930): "Funny and Entertaining. Mickey Mouse plays
4320-473: The Cat ). From early 1929, Mickey also wore white gloves (similar to those appearing on later characters, e.g. Bosko and Bimbo ). Several sources state that this scheme evolved from blackface caricatures used in minstrel shows . Additionally, Mickey's original black hands could not be seen if they passed in front of his torso. This limitation encouraged animators to base their poses on silhouette , much in
4428-500: The Frog . The two are established in the story as having been old friends, although they have not made any other appearance together outside of this. His most recent theatrical cartoon short was 2013's Get a Horse! which was preceded by 1995's Runaway Brain , while from 1999 to 2004, he appeared in direct-to-video features like Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas , Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers and Mickey's Twice Upon
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4536-548: The Papyrograph method of duplication was published by David Owen: A major beneficiary of the invention of synthetic dyes was a document reproduction technique known as stencil duplicating. Its earliest form was invented in 1874 by Eugenio de Zuccato, a young Italian studying law in London, who called his device the Papyrograph. Zuccato's system involved writing on a sheet of varnished paper with caustic ink, which ate through
4644-611: The animals join in, leading to a lengthy sequence of penguins and sea lions dancing while Mickey plays an impromptu harp to "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep", uses sticks to bang on items. A deep-voiced walrus joins in with a solo. Mickey performs the final with do-dos while tapping moving his arms and everyone, including Minnie, cheer for him. At the end of the performance, Minnie, now cheered up and happy, coos to Mickey, "My hero!" and he responds, "Oh that's nothing!" while sweeping his foot to
4752-465: The back of Mickey's gloves represent darts in the gloves' fabric extending from between the digits of the hand, typical of glove design of the era. When the Cat's Away (April 18, 1929), essentially a remake of the Alice Comedy , "Alice Rattled by Rats", was an unusual appearance for Mickey. Although Mickey and Minnie still maintained their anthropomorphic characteristics, they were depicted as
4860-451: The banjo to amuse an appreciative audience of ducks , pelicans , penguins , and sea lions . To his annoyance, the chair dances along. Singing " My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean ", Minnie Mouse changes into a bathing costume and walks to the edge of the beach. A huge wave crashes onto the beach, dragging her out to sea. Minnie cries for help, and Mickey rushes to her rescue, swimming through
4968-479: The best he could." American journalist Alva Johnston noted the similarities between the two figures, stating, "Chaplin was a kind of godfather to Mickey Mouse. It is now and always has been the aim of Disney to graft the psychology of Chaplin upon Mickey. The two universal characters have something in common in their approach to their problems. They have the same blend of hero and coward, nitwit and genius, mug and gentleman." Besides Chaplin, other notable figures of
5076-470: The best of the recent crop, but will fit any program. It's one of the Mickey Mouse series, unwinding the usual antics of the cartoonist's imagination. Most of the action attempts to keep the rhythm of the synchronized score, but the resultant gag maneuvers not being overly strong. Some of the cartoons are mimicking the voices of the figures in certain spots, a mistake, as it rudely interrupts any illusion
5184-789: The cast of the strip which to this point only included Mickey and Minnie. Among the characters who had their first comic strip appearances in this story were Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, and Black Pete as well as the debuts of corrupted lawyer Sylvester Shyster and Minnie's uncle Mortimer Mouse . The Death Valley narrative was followed by Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers , first printed between September 22 and December 26, 1930, which introduced Marcus Mouse and his wife as Minnie's parents. Starting with these two early comic strip stories, Mickey's versions in animation and comics are considered to have diverged from each other. While Disney and his cartoon shorts would continue to focus on comedy,
5292-466: The character's onscreen persona. Mickey's original design strongly resembled Oswald the Rabbit, save for the ears, nose, and tail. Ub Iwerks designed Mickey's body out of circles (distinctly, the ears) to make the character easy to animate. Upon his creation, Mickey's features shared similarities to a number of his cartoon predecessors with large eyes and mouth on a black body (e.g. Oswald and Felix
5400-443: The climax of Fantasmic! , an attraction at the Disney theme parks. After 1940, Mickey's popularity declined until his 1955 re-emergence as a daily children's television personality. Despite this, the character continued to appear regularly in animated shorts until 1943 (winning his only competitive Academy Award—with canine companion Pluto—for the short subject Lend a Paw ) and again from 1946 to 1952. In these later cartoons, Mickey
5508-532: The closely related but distinctly different spirit duplicator process were both used extensively in schools to copy homework assignments and tests. They were also commonly used for low-budget amateur publishing , including club newsletters and church bulletins. They were especially popular with science fiction fans, who used them extensively in the production of fanzines in the middle 20th century, before photocopying became inexpensive. Letters and typographical symbols were sometimes used to create illustrations, in
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#17327837318225616-425: The coating, making the tissue paper permeable to the oil -based ink . This is called "cutting a stencil". A variety of specialized styluses were used on the stencil to render lettering, illustrations, or other artistic features by hand against a textured plastic backing plate. Mistakes were corrected by brushing them out with a specially formulated correction fluid , and retyping once it has dried. (Obliterine
5724-585: The comic strip effectively combined comedy and adventure. This adventurous version of Mickey would continue to appear in comic strips and later comic books throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. Floyd Gottfredson left his mark with stories such as Mickey Mouse Joins the Foreign Legion (1936) and The Gleam (1942). He also created the Phantom Blot , Eega Beeva , Morty and Ferdie, Captain Churchmouse, and Butch. Besides Gottfredson artists for
5832-687: The creation of Mickey Mouse. Despite being eclipsed by the Silly Symphony short the Three Little Pigs in 1933, Mickey still maintained great popularity among theater audiences too, until 1935, when polls showed that Popeye was more popular than Mickey. By 1934, Mickey merchandise had earned $ 600,000 a year. In 1935, Disney began to phase out the Mickey Mouse Clubs, due to administration problems. About this time, story artists at Disney were finding it increasingly difficult to write material for Mickey. As he had developed into
5940-448: The drawings may have previously invoked. That's overdoing the sound thing. The cartoon one-reelers are riding in front at present, with a wealth of material to pick from to make it tough to offset their strength. Carelessness and an attempt to turn 'em out too fast can undermine as fast as the novelty of sound and a couple of great ideas sent them out as pace makers. Their main asset is that they're built for laughs, and people primarily go to
6048-451: The eighteenth strip, Iwerks left and his inker, Win Smith, continued drawing the gag-a-day format." In early 1930, after Iwerks' departure, Disney was at first content to continue scripting the Mickey Mouse comic strip, assigning the art to Win Smith. However, Disney's focus had always been in animation and Smith was soon assigned with the scripting as well. Smith was apparently discontent at
6156-400: The electric pen, used for making the stencil, and the flatbed duplicating press. In 1880, Edison obtained a further patent, US 224,665: "Method of Preparing Autographic Stencils for Printing," which covered the making of stencils using a file plate, a grooved metal plate on which the stencil was placed which perforated the stencil when written on with a blunt metal stylus. The word mimeograph
6264-483: The face of challenges bigger than himself. The character's depiction as a small mouse is personified through his diminutive stature and falsetto voice, the latter of which was originally provided by Walt Disney. Though originally characterized as a cheeky lovable rogue , Mickey was rebranded over time as a more conventionally friendly protagonist, usually seen as a spirited, yet impulsive hero . Mickey also appears in media such as video games as well as merchandising and
6372-418: The first issues were sold out in less than 8 hours. Mickey is traditionally characterized as a sympathetic underdog who gets by on pluck and ingenuity in the face of challenges much bigger than himself. As a mouse, an inherently vulnerable creature, Mickey is often depicted as having minimal resources and attributes at his disposal. Consequently, he must rely on sheer wit to overcome obstacles. The character
6480-405: The first to place him in combat. The Karnival Kid (1929) was the first time Mickey spoke. Before this he had only whistled, laughed, and grunted. His first words were "Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" said while trying to sell hot dogs at a carnival. Mickey's Follies (1929) introduced the song " Minnie's Yoo-Hoo " which would become the theme song for Mickey Mouse films until 1935. The same song sequence
6588-408: The head animator, assisted by Les Clark , Johnny Cannon, Wilfred Jackson and Dick Lundy . This short was a nod to Buster Keaton 's Steamboat Bill, Jr. , released earlier that year. Although it was the third Mickey cartoon produced, it was the first to find a distributor, and thus is considered by The Disney Company as Mickey's debut. It also featured some design refinements, and included
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#17327837318226696-470: The helm, incorporating elements of Mickey's late twenties-early thirties look with a contemporary twist. On November 10, 2020, the series was revived as The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse and premiered on Disney+ . Furthermore, The creative team behind the 2017 DuckTales reboot had hoped to have Mickey Mouse in the series, but this idea was rejected by Disney executives. However, a watermelon bearing Mickey's physical likeness appears in one episode as
6804-560: The inks are more resistant to ultraviolet light . The primary preservation challenge is the low-quality paper often used, which would yellow and degrade due to residual acid in the treated pulp from which the paper was made. In the worst case, old copies can crumble into small particles when handled. Mimeographed copies have moderate durability when acid-free paper is used. Gestetner , Risograph , and other companies still make and sell highly automated mimeograph-like machines that are externally similar to photocopiers. The modern version of
6912-403: The machines and supplies were widely available and inexpensive. Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing into the 1970s, photocopying gradually displaced mimeographs, spirit duplicators, and hectographs. Use of stencils is an ancient art, but – through chemistry, papers, and presses – techniques advanced rapidly in the late nineteenth century: A description of
7020-499: The man responsible for his original design and for the direction or animation of several of the shorts released till this point. Advertising for the early Mickey Mouse cartoons credited them as "A Walt Disney Comic, drawn by Ub Iwerks". Later Disney Company reissues of the early cartoons tend to credit Walt Disney alone. Wild Waves was also composer Carl Stalling 's last film with the Walt Disney Studio . Stalling joined Iwerks at his new studio. Disney and his remaining staff continued
7128-424: The manner of Charlie Chaplin films. Minnie Mouse was designed similarly to Mickey, with only superficial details being different. In the 1930s, animator Fred Moore tried giving Mickey's body more of a pear shape to increase his acting range; Walt Disney liked this adaptation and declared, "that's the way I want Mickey to be drawn from now on." Moore maintained that the character should always be drawn from
7236-537: The mistakes of the previous year. Gone are the stolen gags, mimeographed animation, and absent characterization. Mickey and Minnie are vibrant, their entire faces alive and expressive." The short was released on December 7, 2004 on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935 . Wild Waves aired on The Mickey Mouse Club (season 1, episode 73) and Mickey's Mouse Tracks (season 1, episode 56). Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse
7344-626: The most famous being Topolino in Italy from 1932 onward, Le Journal de Mickey in France from 1934 onward, Don Miki in Spain and the Greek Miky Maous . Mickey was the main character for the series MM Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine , published in Italy from 1999 to 2001. In 2006, he appeared in the Italian fantasy comic saga Wizards of Mickey . In 1958, Mickey Mouse
7452-401: The most tiring chore—filling up a deep well using two buckets of water. When the well eventually overflows, Mickey finds himself unable to control the broom, leading to a near-flood. After the segment ends, Mickey is seen in silhouette shaking hands with conductor Leopold Stokowski . Mickey has often been pictured in the red robe and blue sorcerer's hat in merchandising. It was also featured into
7560-644: The name on a similarly named Performo toy . Additionally, actor Mickey Rooney claimed that during his time performing as the title character of the Mickey McGuire film series (1927–1934), he met Walt Disney at the Warner Bros. studio, inspiring Disney to name the character after him; however, Disney Studios was located on Hyperion Avenue at the time, with Disney conducting no business at Warner Bros. The first feature-length movie with dialogue sequences, The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson ,
7668-482: The production of the Mickey series, and he was able to eventually find a number of animators to replace Iwerks. As the Great Depression progressed and Felix the Cat faded from the movie screen, Mickey's popularity would rise, and by 1932 The Mickey Mouse Club would have one million members. At the 5th Academy Awards in 1932, Mickey received his first Academy Award nomination, received for Mickey's Orphans (1931). Walt Disney also received an honorary Academy Award for
7776-461: The prospect of having to script, draw, and ink a series by himself as evidenced by his sudden resignation. Disney then searched for a replacement among the remaining staff of the Studio. He selected Floyd Gottfredson , a recently hired employee. At the time Gottfredson was reportedly eager to work in animation and somewhat reluctant to accept his new assignment. Disney had to assure him the assignment
7884-489: The pupil placement look strange. The pupils began to be treated as stationary, dotlike eyes, requiring the entire head to be moved to make Mickey look around. During the production of Fantasia in the late 1930s, Fred Moore redesigned Mickey with small white pupilled eyes, with the redefined facial area being given a light skin color. Distinct, lined eyebrows were later added and are currently used occasionally. Besides Mickey's gloves and shoes, he typically wears only
7992-439: The role of lifeguard in this clever Walt Disney sound cartoon. There are plenty of laughs when he sets out to save the fair maiden, being tossed about plenty by the wild waves. Then, to take her mind off the narrow escape he struts his musical stuff to great advantage." Variety (January 22, 1930): "Fast-moving comedy cartoon, which isn't on long enough to bore many, no matter if it isn't always laugh provoking. Doesn't rank with
8100-433: The sand. Minnie kisses him gratefully and repeatedly on the cheek that Mickey stops her and kisses her in the lips twice, and the mice hug each other. Wild Waves is the first Mickey Mouse short directed by Burt Gillett , who would direct more than 30 Mickey shorts over the next several years. Wild Waves was the last Mickey Mouse cartoon to be animated by Ub Iwerks . It was also composer Carl Stalling 's last film with
8208-459: The silent era have been credited to Mickey's characterization. Chief among them was Douglas Fairbanks , whose swashbuckling screen adventures would inspire Mickey's animated epics . Ub Iwerks wrote in 1970, "He was the super-hero of his day, always winning, gallant and swashbuckling. Mickey's action was in that vein. He was never intended to be a sissy, he was always an adventurous character. I thought of him in that respect, and I had him do naturally
8316-525: The singing walrus. Mickey's singing voice is much different and probably performed by Walt Disney or an anonymous studio employee. Minnie's voice was performed by a woman who worked in Ink and Paint, Marjorie Norton (later Marjorie Ralston). Some of the lifeguard gags in the film were recycled from an earlier Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short, All Wet (1927). The singing walrus footage was later recycled in
8424-407: The size of regular mice and living with a community of many other mice as pests in a home. Mickey and Minnie would later appear the size of regular humans in their own setting. In appearances with real humans, Mickey has been shown to be about two to three feet high. The next Mickey short was also unusual. The Barnyard Battle (April 25, 1929) was the only film to depict Mickey as a soldier and also
8532-435: The sort of thing Doug Fairbanks would do." Disney was also noted to have been influenced by Fairbanks, along with other screen personalities including Harold Lloyd and Fred Astaire . Mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo , sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine ) was a low-cost duplicating machine that worked by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process
8640-586: The sound synchronized throughout the film. For Willie , Disney had the sound recorded with a click track that kept the musicians on the beat. This precise timing is apparent during the "Turkey in the Straw" sequence when Mickey's actions exactly match the accompanying instruments. Animation historians have long debated who had served as the composer for the film's original music. This role has been variously attributed to Wilfred Jackson, Carl Stalling and Bert Lewis, but identification remains uncertain. Walt Disney himself
8748-582: The stencil material covering the interiors of closed letterforms (e.g. a , b , d , e , g , etc.) would fall away during continued printing, causing ink-filled letters in the copies. The stencil would gradually stretch, starting near the top where the mechanical forces were greatest, causing a characteristic "mid-line sag" in the textual lines of the copies, that would progress until the stencil failed completely. The Gestetner Company (and others) devised various methods to make mimeo stencils more durable. Compared to spirit duplication, mimeography produced
8856-495: The strip over the years included Roman Arambula, Rick Hoover, Manuel Gonzales , Carson Van Osten , Jim Engel, Bill Wright, Ted Thwailes and Daan Jippes ; writers included Ted Osborne , Merrill De Maris , Bill Walsh , Dick Shaw, Roy Williams , Del Connell, and Floyd Norman . The next artist to leave his mark on the character was Paul Murry in Dell Comics . His first Mickey tale appeared in 1950 but Mickey did not become
8964-679: The subject of the 2022 documentary film Mickey: The Story of a Mouse , directed by Jeff Malmberg. Premiering at the South by Southwest film festival prior to its premiere on the Disney+ streaming service, the documentary examines the history and cultural impact of Mickey Mouse. The feature is accompanied by an original, hand-drawn animated short film starring Mickey titled Mickey in a Minute . Mickey appeared in Walt Disney Animation Studios' centennial short film, Once Upon
9072-452: The theatre for that purpose." In A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten, and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt , Jeff Ryan calls the short the best Mickey Mouse cartoon made during the Iwerks era, stating "even when their relationship was as rocky as the onscreen jetty, Walt and Ub were a team to be reckoned with". He praises it as a "near-perfect piece of animation" and for "erasing all
9180-575: The two rivals finally shared screen time in the Robert Zemeckis Disney / Amblin film Who Framed Roger Rabbit . Disney and Warner signed an agreement stating that each character had the same amount of screen time in the scene. Similar to his animated inclusion into a live-action film in Roger Rabbit , Mickey made a featured cameo appearance in the 1990 television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World where he met Kermit
9288-472: The use of a bouncing ball on the film print to allow conductors and musicians to match the tempo of their music with the film. The cartoon was not the first cartoon to feature a soundtrack connected to the action. Fleischer Studios , headed by brothers Dave and Max Fleischer , had already released a number of sound cartoons using the DeForest system in the mid-1920s. However, these cartoons did not keep
9396-488: The varnish and paper fibers, leaving holes where the writing had been. This sheet – which had now become a stencil – was placed on a blank sheet of paper, and ink rolled over it so that the ink oozed through the holes, creating a duplicate on the second sheet. The process was commercialized and Zuccato applied for a patent in 1895 having stencils prepared by typewriting. Thomas Edison received US patent 180,857 for Autographic Printing on August 8, 1876. The patent covered
9504-415: The waves (and midair) to locate her. He brings her back to the beach and the audience/animals cheers. When Minnie regains consciousness, she sadly starts to cry, disoriented and frightened by the experience. Mickey tries to comfort her and lets her blow her nose on his handkerchief. With her calmed down a bit, Mickey tells Minnie to look at him and soon begins singing and dancing to "The Sailor's Hornpipe", and
9612-436: Was a male frog. In 1925, Hugh Harman drew some sketches of mice around a photograph of Walt Disney, reputedly based on Disney's own designs (similar to those he included on family birthday cards). These inspired Iwerks to create a new mouse character for Disney. "Mortimer Mouse" had been Disney's original name for the character before his wife, Lillian , convinced him to change it. It has been speculated that Disney saw
9720-540: Was a popular brand of correction fluid in Australia and the United Kingdom.) Stencils were also made with a thermal process, an infrared method similar to that used by early photocopiers. The common machine was a Thermofax . Another device, called an electrostencil machine, sometimes was used to make mimeo stencils from a typed or printed original. It worked by scanning the original on a rotating drum with
9828-629: Was also later reused with different background animation as its own special short shown only at the commencement of 1930s theater-based Mickey Mouse Clubs. Mickey's dog Pluto first appeared as Mickey's pet in The Moose Hunt (1931) after previously appearing as Minnie's dog "Rover" in The Picnic (1930). Wild Waves was the last Mickey Mouse cartoon to be animated by Ub Iwerks . Iwerks left to start his own studio, bankrolled by Disney's then-distributor Pat Powers . Powers and Disney had
9936-443: Was another trademark used for mimeograph machines, the name being a contraction of Rotary Neostyle .) In 1891, David Gestetner patented his Automatic Cyclostyle. This was one of the first rotary machines that retained the flatbed, which passed back and forth under inked rollers. This invention provided for more automated, faster reproductions since the pages were produced and moved by rollers instead of pressing one single sheet at
10044-410: Was called mimeography , and a copy made by the process was a mimeograph . Mimeographs, along with spirit duplicators and hectographs , were common technologies for printing small quantities of a document, as in office work, classroom materials, and church bulletins. For even smaller quantities, up to about five, a typist would use carbon paper . Early fanzines were printed by mimeograph because
10152-461: Was created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit , an earlier cartoon character that was created by the Disney studio but owned at the time by Universal Pictures . Charles Mintz served as a middleman producer between Disney and Universal through his company, Winkler Pictures, for the series of cartoons starring Oswald. In a February 1928 meeting with Mintz to renew the Oswald contract, Disney
10260-640: Was created as a replacement for a prior Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit . The character was originally to be named "Mortimer Mouse", until Disney's wife, Lillian , suggested "Mickey". Mickey first appeared in two 1928 shorts Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho (which were not picked up for distribution) before his public debut in Steamboat Willie (1928). The character went on to appear in over 130 films, mostly shorts as well as features such as Fantasia (1940). Since 1930, Mickey has been featured extensively in comic strips (including
10368-429: Was credited to Disney himself, art to Ub Iwerks and inking to Win Smith . The first week or so of the strip featured a loose adaptation of Plane Crazy . Minnie soon became the first addition to the cast. The strips first released between January 13, 1930, and March 31, 1930, have been occasionally reprinted in comic book form under the collective title Lost on a Desert Island . Animation historian Jim Korkis notes, "After
10476-509: Was first seen in a test screening of the cartoon short Plane Crazy , on May 15, 1928, but it failed to impress the audience and Walt could not find a distributor for it. Walt went on to produce a second Mickey short, The Gallopin' Gaucho , which was also not released for lack of a distributor. Steamboat Willie was first released on November 18, 1928, in New York. It was co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Iwerks again served as
10584-494: Was first used by Albert Blake Dick when he licensed Edison's patents in 1887. Dick received Trademark Registration no. 0356815 for the term mimeograph in the US Patent Office. It is currently listed as a dead entry, but shows the A.B. Dick Company of Chicago as the owner of the name. Over time, the term became generic and is now an example of a genericized trademark . ( Roneograph , also Roneo machine ,
10692-512: Was introduced to the Arab world through another comic book called "Sameer". He became very popular in Egypt and got a comic book with his name. Mickey's comics in Egypt are licensed by Disney and were published since 1959 by "Dar Al-Hilal" and they were successful, however Dar Al-Hilal stopped the publication in 2003 because of problems with Disney. The comics were re-released by "Nahdat Masr" in 2004 and
10800-493: Was met by a disappointing budget cut proposal, along with Mintz's revelation that several of the most important Disney animators were coming over to his studio. Among the few who stayed at the Disney studio were animator Ub Iwerks , apprentice artist Les Clark , and Wilfred Jackson . A new character was workshopped out of necessity and in relative secret. Various myths exist of Walt Disney's inspiration for Mickey (including some which were likely ghostwritten ), such as that
10908-421: Was often characterized not as a hero, but as an ineffective young suitor to Minnie Mouse. The Barn Dance (March 14, 1929) is the first time in which Mickey is turned down by Minnie in favor of Pete . The Opry House (March 28, 1929) was the first time in which Mickey wore his white gloves. Mickey wears them in almost all of his subsequent appearances and many other characters followed suit. The three lines on
11016-592: Was often just a supporting character in his own shorts. Pluto was instead used as the main character. The last regular installment of the Mickey Mouse film series came in 1953 with The Simple Things in which Mickey and Pluto go fishing and are pestered by a flock of seagulls . In the 1950s, Mickey became more known for his appearances on television, particularly with The Mickey Mouse Club . Many of his theatrical cartoon shorts were rereleased on television series such as Ink & Paint Club , various forms of
11124-550: Was only temporary and that he would eventually return to animation. Gottfredson accepted and ended up holding this "temporary" assignment from May 5, 1930, to November 15, 1975. Walt Disney's last script for the strip appeared May 17, 1930. Gottfredson's first task was to finish the storyline Disney had started on April 1, 1930. The storyline was completed on September 20, 1930, and later reprinted in comic book form as Mickey Mouse in Death Valley . This early adventure expanded
11232-406: Was originally a stencil made from waxed mulberry paper . Later this became an immersion-coated long-fiber paper, with the coating being a plasticized nitrocellulose . This flexible waxed or coated sheet is backed by a sheet of stiff card stock, with the two sheets bound at the top. Once prepared, the stencil is wrapped around the ink-filled drum of the rotary machine. When a blank sheet of paper
11340-401: Was released on October 6, 1927. Several additional talkies followed, and movie theaters began installing the necessary equipment. Walt Disney reputedly discussed making sound cartoons in late May 1928. After composer Carl W. Stalling initially voiced Mickey for the 1929 talkie shorts The Karnival Kid and Wild Waves , Disney himself provided the often-shy falsetto voice—a large part of
11448-430: Was released, Mickey became a close competitor to Felix the Cat, and his popularity would grow as he was continuously featured in sound cartoons. By 1929, Felix would lose popularity among theater audiences, and Pat Sullivan decided to produce all future Felix cartoons in sound as a result. Audiences did not respond well to Felix's transition to sound and by 1930, Felix had faded from the screen. In Mickey's early films he
11556-468: Was the star in Brave Little Tailor (1938), an adaptation of The Valiant Little Tailor , which was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1939, Mickey appeared in Mickey's Surprise Party , along with Minnie, with a new design, which included pupils . Later on, in 1940, the character appeared in his first feature-length film, Fantasia . The film used the redesigned version of Mickey with
11664-610: Was voice actor for both Mickey and Minnie and would remain the source of Mickey's voice through 1946 for theatrical cartoons. Jimmy MacDonald took over the role in 1946, but Walt provided Mickey's voice again from 1955 to 1959 for The Mickey Mouse Club television series on ABC . Audiences at the time of Steamboat Willie ' s release were reportedly impressed by the use of sound for comedic purposes. Sound films or "talkies" were still considered innovative. Most other cartoon studios were still producing silent products and so were unable to effectively act as competition to Disney. As
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