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91-463: The Moose Hunt is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on April 30, 1931, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-eighth Mickey Mouse short to be produced and the fourth of that year. This is the first cartoon to feature Pluto as Mickey's pet – in his previous appearance, 1930's The Picnic , he was called "Rover" and lived with Minnie Mouse . The cartoon

182-453: A haunted house that has long been abandoned. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were called by the ghosts themselves, who are bored because nobody has visited the house for a long time (either because none of the locals were scared or they had scared them all away, as one ghost puts it: "Guess we're too good!"). They wish to play tricks on the living and do so through a series of inventive, annoying pranks. The exterminators arrive and knock on

273-407: A haunted house . They are bored because this house has had no visitors for quite some time, and there is nobody around to fall victim to their pranks . They decide to hire a trio of ghost exterminators by telephone, and then amuse themselves by pranking the exterminators. The Ajax Ghost Exterminators — Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck and Goofy — are hired by telephone to drive out four ghosts from

364-518: 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

455-646: 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

546-494: 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

637-401: A brief Al Jolson impression, kneeling with outstretched paws and saying " Mammy! ". Mickey throws a stick for Pluto, who picks up a larger branch and carries it back to his master. Seeing the antler-like twigs in silhouette, Mickey thinks that Pluto's a moose, and he shoots. He finds Pluto lying motionless, and starts to cry, sobbing, "Oh, what have I done? Don't leave me, pal!" Pluto winks at

728-427: 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,

819-652: A doctor in the house?" Such a self-conscious audience gag would remain a rarity at Disney, but it would become a staple gag at Warner Bros. after Tex Avery joined that studio." On the Disney Film Project , Ryan Kilpatrick points out that Pluto gets more and better gags than Mickey, who was starting to become a more limited character: "Pluto acts just like a dog when he encounters a scarecrow, sniffing around it carefully, waiting for his moment to pounce. Mickey could not have done this, as we would expect him to be more sophisticated. But Pluto's innocence allows for

910-446: A dresser after seeing a ghost in a mirror instead of his reflection and stabs his rear with a pin, mistaking his blue pants for a ghost, and is shoved down into the basement. In the end, the three exterminators crash into some molasses, flour and syrup, making them look like ghosts and consequently, they scare the actual ghosts out of the house in a panic, knocking off and smashing objects. The ghost hunters stand victorious, having driven

1001-469: 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

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1092-453: A ghost knocks Mickey on the head and puts its fingers in both barrels of his shotgun when he tries to shoot it and it explodes. Mickey is driven upstairs and tries to open a door that the ghost disappears into, which falls down and the ghosts (forming a marching band) come out of the fallen door and go into another. Mickey opens the door, which causes water to pour out of it while the ghosts surf across it on surfboards. The last one comes out on

1183-400: A motorboat that goes in a circle around Mickey until it and the water disappear altogether. Donald, meanwhile, is whacked in the rear with a wooden board and is scared away by the sounds of banging chains and dishes. He punches the ghost, but it resurfaces and blows water in his face. Goofy runs into a bedroom at the sound of a ghost banging a wooden spoon on a pan. He soon becomes tangled in

1274-452: A new range of gags. The Moose Hunt really shows the direction that the Mickey cartoons are heading. Mickey is the framework for the side characters to do great and funny little bits. This would really come to fruition in the color shorts, like Lonesome Ghosts or Clock Cleaners , but it starts back in 1930-1931." Motion Picture Herald (May 30, 1931): "Here is a great little cartoon comedy number, with Mickey Mouse himself featured in

1365-403: 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

1456-515: 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

1547-415: 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

1638-603: 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

1729-516: 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

1820-452: 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

1911-596: 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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2002-656: 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

2093-459: 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

2184-525: 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

2275-423: Is aided by a sniffing hound. The two are out amid whistling trills and music accompaniment on a moose hunt. Hound draws laughs by his sniffling, and as he keeps his nose to the ground and is annoyed by fleas. Before the windup the two do meet a moose. Mickey's gun won't work. Usual chase but it winds okay when Mickey picks up the dog's tail and makes the hound fly through the air to safety. Before that he almost popped

2366-409: Is also included in that section because of a similar gag featuring Mickey. In Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse , Gijs Grob writes: "Its pace is slow, and it contains some awkward gags, like the flying Pluto finale. Most interestingly, the short features a rare gag breaking the fourth dimension: when Mickey accidentally shoots Pluto, he suddenly addresses the audience with "Is there

2457-470: 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

2548-503: Is at bay. There is a fast chase finish, with Mickey and the hound coming winners after a narrow escape. Art work and music excellent." The short was released on December 7, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935 . The Moose Hunt was included on the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club (season 2, episode 77). Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse

2639-409: Is dominated by Pluto's antics, he gets a minute and a half of solo screen time. Pluto speaks three times in the cartoon – crying "Mammy!", telling Mickey to "Kiss me!" and pointing out "The moose!" Except for one more "mammy" at the end of Mickey Steps Out , Pluto never speaks again. Mickey Mouse takes his dog Pluto into the woods for a hunting trip. Pluto is distracted by a flea, and sniffs around

2730-584: 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

2821-460: 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

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2912-403: 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

3003-554: 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

3094-527: 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

3185-540: 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,

3276-413: 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

3367-507: 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

3458-530: 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

3549-473: 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

3640-500: 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

3731-453: The audience, as Mickey continues to cry. When Mickey begs him to say something, Pluto looks at him sweetly, and growls, "Kiss me!". Mickey's delighted that Pluto's alive, but they hear a moose call and immediately return to the hunting trip. Pluto sniffs around, but completely misses the moose, who starts snuffling after Pluto instead. Pluto taps Mickey on the shoulder, points at the moose, and barks, "The moose! The moose!" Mickey tries to shoot

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3822-465: 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

3913-479: 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

4004-672: The camera from the 1930 short The Chain Gang . On the 2004 Walt Disney Treasures DVD set Mickey Mouse in Black and White: Volume Two , The Moose Hunt is in the bonus-features "From the Vault" section, which begins with an introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin explaining the origins of racial stereotypes seen in Disney cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s. The Moose Hunt is included in that group because of Pluto's "Mammy!" impression, which refers to Al Jolson 's famous blackface performance, " My Mammy ". The 1929 short The Haunted House

4095-789: 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,

4186-466: 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

4277-443: 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

4368-585: 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

4459-687: 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

4550-470: The dog dead when he mistook him for an antelope." The Film Daily (June 14, 1931): "Swell: Right up to the high average on the Mickey Mouse cartoon series. As the title implies, the antics in this case have to do with a moose hunt. Mickey is accompanied by a flea-bitten hound and there is a lot of comedy business dealing with the search for a moose and the failure of the gun to go off when the animal

4641-451: 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

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4732-403: The enormous moose, but his hands shake so much that his gun falls to pieces. The moose chases Mickey and Pluto, but Mickey uses Pluto's flapping ears to get airborne, and they triumphantly fly away, Mickey riding on his dog's back. This short is the first of six that features Mickey hunting; the theme lasts until R'coon Dawg in 1951. It includes some recycled animation of Pluto sniffing near

4823-483: 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

4914-418: 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

5005-405: 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

5096-428: The forest, getting bitten on the nose by a bird. He examines a raggedy scarecrow, and is frightened when one of the scarecrow's gloves lands on his tail. He flees – knocking Mickey over – and jumps in the water. When he emerges, more fleas climb onto his back. Pluto returns to Mickey, who runs him through a series of dog commands – lay down, roll over, sit up and shake hands. When Mickey tells Pluto to "speak", Pluto does

5187-421: The front door, which falls down. When they announce themselves, there is nobody to receive them. Mickey decides they should get to work anyway. When entering, the door lifts up and throws them inside before putting itself back in place, making a mousetrap fall shut on Goofy's nose. After hearing the ghosts' laughter, the three split up to hunt the ghosts individually. The exterminators are toyed with at every turn;

5278-408: 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

5369-470: 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

5460-567: 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

5551-424: 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

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5642-626: 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

5733-401: 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

5824-644: 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 ,

5915-482: 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

6006-461: 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

6097-489: 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

6188-459: 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

6279-407: 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

6370-400: 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 . Lonesome Ghosts This short marked the first use of one of Goofy's catchphrases, "Somethin' wrong here!". The film features a comedy horror plot. A quartet of trickster ghosts have settled into

6461-586: 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

6552-417: The stellar role of moose hunter. Only the moose turns around and proceeds to hunt Mickey and his hound. The lines are sure-fire and the synchronization touches the Disney par, which is sufficient. Birds, fleas and a skunk for good measure supply the atmosphere. A fine laugh number. Play it, of course." Variety (June 9, 1931): "Of the Mickey Mouse series and good. Will please anywhere. This time Mickey Mouse

6643-495: 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

6734-679: 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

6825-575: 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

6916-472: 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

7007-436: 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

7098-629: 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

7189-522: 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

7280-640: 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

7371-429: 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

7462-509: 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

7553-512: 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

7644-493: 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

7735-421: 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

7826-592: 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

7917-550: 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

8008-401: 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

8099-430: 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

8190-468: 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

8281-610: 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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