Walt is said to have drawn the first
sketches of Mickey Mouse on a train to Los Angeles after losing the rights to
Oswald, the cartoon rabbit. Viewed from a distance of over 70 years, it appears
that Mickey's success was inevitable, that he was a kind of force of nature in
entertainment, destined to become one of the most beloved characters in the world. But the truth isn't so simple. In fact, Mickey Mouse could easily have
become just another character in the history of animation, joining the likes of
Popeye, Betty Boop, and Felix the Cat. In fact, when Mickey was first created he
didn't look so very different from many of his predecessors. Clearly, the most
significant factor that led to Mickey's super-stardom was his optimistic,
cheerful, resilient character -- one very much like Walt's. It may be true that
animator Ub Iwerks was largely responsible for Mickey's final form -- reworking
Walt's sketches to make the mouse easier to animate. But as old animators have
commented, according to animation historian Charles Solomon, "Ub designed
Mickey's physical appearance, but Walt gave him his soul."
Still, an appealing personality didn't guarantee Mickey fame. He got his first
big break because of one seemingly simple flash of inspiration:
In
a day when cartoon characters were silent, Walt decided to give Mickey Mouse a
voice. Other studios had experimented with synchronizing sound and animation,
but none had done a particularly successful job. Writes Solomon of
Mickey's start, "The first three films . . . were made as silents. Distributors
expressed little interest in them: Mickey seemed very similar to Oswald. Disney
was asking for $3,000 per film (a considerable sum at the time) and insisted on
retaining the rights to the Mickey Mouse character." It was then that Walt
decided to spend every dollar he had creating a soundtrack for one of these
three cartoons, "Steamboat Willie." It wasn't easy, and a lesser man than Walt
would have given up. Musicians didn't keep time to the cartoon . . . a
bull-fiddle player turned up drunk . . . money ran short. But the job was
finally done. And when "Steamboat Willie" premiered at New York's Colony
Theater, it attracted a great deal of attention. The "New York Times" called it
"an ingenious piece of work with a good deal of fun." And Mickey was off and
running.
Walt has often been quoted as saying,
"It all started with a mouse." Though the phrase has become almost a
cliché, it's nonetheless true. With all due respect to Walt's creative genius,
had Mickey Mouse not taken off and become an international celebrity, there's no
way to be sure that any of Walt's other dreams would have been fulfilled. For
his part, Walt made certain that Mickey was not just a profitable character; his
image and character were respected and maintained throughout the organization.
Walt wouldn't permit his animators to use Mickey for a cheap gag that would
dilute the power of his personality. Dozens of sketch sheets were prepared to
guide artists in the way Mickey would look if he was angry, sad, scared or
happy. One bizarre myth has grown up that Walt couldn't draw Mickey Mouse
himself. While it's certainly true that Walt handed over the drawing labors to
his staffers -- who were better artists and draftsman than he -- Walt was more
than capable of inking his favorite character, and he did so on more than one
occasion for friends and fans.
Of course, Walt's relationship with
Mickey went deeper than simple affection. His wife, Lilly, commented that she
thought the two shared many character traits. And, of course, Walt provided
Mickey's voice until 1946, when Jim Macdonald took over for about 30 years, to
be replaced by Wayne Allwine. According to Dave Smith's "Disney A to
Z," "Mickey Mouse was originally drawn using circles -- for head,
body, and ears. 'The Pointer,' in 1939, was the first cartoon that featured a
drastically new design for Mickey. His body became more pear-shaped than round
and pupils were added to his eyes, making them more expressive. In the early
1940s, animators gave him perspective ears -- shadowing them to give a
three-dimensional effect -- but this change was short lived."
Mickey
starred in about 120 cartoons -- often joined by a growing cast of supporting
characters (many of whom had the lead in their own cartoons). Donald Duck
debuted in 1934, and was catapulted into greater popularity in Mickey's first
color cartoon, "The Band Concert." Minnie, of course, was with Mickey
from the beginning. Goofy came on the scene in a bit part as Dippy Dawg in 1932,
and Pluto was added in 1937.
the cartoon rabbit. Viewed from a distance of over 70 years, it appears
that Mickey's success was inevitable, that he was a kind of force of nature in
entertainment, destined to become one of the most beloved characters in the world. But the truth isn't so simple. In fact, Mickey Mouse could easily have
become just another character in the history of animation, joining the likes of
Popeye, Betty Boop, and Felix the Cat. In fact, when Mickey was first created he
didn't look so very different from many of his predecessors. Clearly, the most
significant factor that led to Mickey's super-stardom was his optimistic,
cheerful, resilient character -- one very much like Walt's. It may be true that
animator Ub Iwerks was largely responsible for Mickey's final form -- reworking
Walt's sketches to make the mouse easier to animate. But as old animators have
commented, according to animation historian Charles Solomon, "Ub designed
Mickey's physical appearance, but Walt gave him his soul." 
In
a day when cartoon characters were silent, Walt decided to give Mickey Mouse a
voice. Other studios had experimented with synchronizing sound and animation,
but none had done a particularly successful job. Writes Solomon of
Mickey's start, "The first three films . . . were made as silents. Distributors
expressed little interest in them: Mickey seemed very similar to Oswald. Disney
was asking for $3,000 per film (a considerable sum at the time) and insisted on
retaining the rights to the Mickey Mouse character." It was then that Walt
decided to spend every dollar he had creating a soundtrack for one of these
three cartoons, "Steamboat Willie." It wasn't easy, and a lesser man than Walt
would have given up. Musicians didn't keep time to the cartoon . . . a
bull-fiddle player turned up drunk . . . money ran short. But the job was
finally done. And when "Steamboat Willie" premiered at New York's Colony
Theater, it attracted a great deal of attention. The "New York Times" called it
"an ingenious piece of work with a good deal of fun." And Mickey was off and
running.
His wife, Lilly, commented that she
thought the two shared many character traits. And, of course, Walt provided
Mickey's voice until 1946, when Jim Macdonald took over for about 30 years, to
be replaced by Wayne Allwine. According to Dave Smith's "Disney A to
Z," "Mickey Mouse was originally drawn using circles -- for head,
body, and ears. 'The Pointer,' in 1939, was the first cartoon that featured a
drastically new design for Mickey. His body became more pear-shaped than round
and pupils were added to his eyes, making them more expressive. In the early
1940s, animators gave him perspective ears -- shadowing them to give a
three-dimensional effect -- but this change was short lived."
Mickey
starred in about 120 cartoons -- often joined by a growing cast of supporting
characters (many of whom had the lead in their own cartoons). Donald Duck
debuted in 1934, and was catapulted into greater popularity in Mickey's first
color cartoon, "The Band Concert." Minnie, of course, was with Mickey
from the beginning. Goofy came on the scene in a bit part as Dippy Dawg in 1932,
and Pluto was added in 1937.