Mickey Mouse
In April 1928, cartoonist/animator Walt Disney had just had his heart broken when his distributor stole his popular character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, from him. After the depressing news, Walt Disney, made a new character. A mouse with round ears and a big smile, named Mickey Mouse. A few months later, the new, talking Mickey Mouse was first shown to the world in the cartoon Steamboat Willie. Since that first appearance, Mickey Mouse has become the most recognizable cartoon character in the world!
When Sound became the latest in film technology in 1928, Walt Disney researched several New York film companies in the hopes of recording his cartoons with sound to make them stand out. He struck a deal with Pat Powers of Powers Cinephone System, a company that offered the novelty of sound with film. While Powers added sound effects and music to the cartoon, Walt Disney was the voice of mickey mouse.
On November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie (the world's first sound cartoon opened at the Colony Theater in New York. Disney did all the character voices in the seven-minute-long film. Receiving rave reviews, audiences everywhere adored Mickey Mouse along with his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, who also made her first appearance in Steamboat Willie.
While Mickey Mouse Gained the popularity of fan clubs, toys, and worldwide fame, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (A popular character from Disney) soon faded into obscurity after 1943. As the Walt disney Company grew over the decades into a mega-entertainment empire, including feature-length motion pictures, television stations, resorts and theme parks, Mickey Mouse remains the icon of the company as well as the most recognizable trademark in the world.
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I loved all the information in this article! I didn't know the background to Mickey Mouse until now.
ReplyDeleteHey Parker, Great job with the research on Mickey. I think you may have forgotten to put a picture on the blog post but other then that it is looking great.
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