Disney's Animated Classics

Mickey Mouse Cartoons

Having lost the rights to the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit character, Walt transformed Oswald into Micky Mouse (originally to be called Mortimer Mouse) for his next series of animated shorts. Little did he know at the time that Mickey would eventually become the internationally recognized symbol of the Walt Disney Company. Mickey first appeared on November 18, 1928 in "Steamboat Willie." This was the beginning of a long series of almost 400 cartoons featuring Walt's trademark characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and many others. The series produced many advances in animation and film-making. For example, "Steamboat Willie" was the first animated film to include a synchronized soundtrack. Mickey appeared in 129 short cartoons through 1953, not including his appearances in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" segments of "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000" and the "Mickey and the Beanstalk" segment of "Fun and Fancy Free." Mickey's girlfriend Minnie and dog Pluto frequently appeared in this series of cartoons. After a hiatus of 30 years, in 1983 Mickey appeared alongside some of his cartoon pals in an animated featurette called "Mickey's Christmas Carol."

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