Plane Crazy Released: Mickey Mouse Is Born
Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks created the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Plane Crazy, inspired by Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, and screened it for a test audience on May 15, 1928. The response was lukewarm, and no distributor would buy the silent short. Disney and Iwerks produced a second Mickey cartoon, The Gallopin' Gaucho, which also failed to find distribution. Their third attempt, Steamboat Willie, incorporated synchronized sound throughout the entire film, not just in isolated sequences. It premiered on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theater in New York and was an immediate sensation. The synchronized sound made Mickey Mouse a star overnight. Plane Crazy was finally released with added sound in 1929. Disney voiced Mickey himself until 1947.
May 15, 1928
98 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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