Happy Halloween!

1936 - Mortimer Mouse

Mickey Mouse was originally going to be called Mortimer Mouse, but the name was rejected by Lillian Disney in favor of Mickey. Eight years later the name would be used for Mickey's rival. He continues to be used today.

1935 - Adriana Caselotti

In 1935, production began on a project that Hollywood would call "Disney's Folly"- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt Disney would cast his first princess- Adriana Caselotti- as Snow White. Movie history was on the verge of being created.

1934 - Donald Duck!

Donald Duck joined the Disney Family in 1934's The Wise Little Hen, a mere co-star. He wouldn't remain an also-ran for long; the world would soon embrace him, making him an instant star.

1933 - The Three Little Pigs

In 1933, The Walt Disney Studios would have its biggest non-Mickey Mouse hit- The Three Little Pigs. The film struck a chord with weary depression-era audiences, attracting millions of moviegoers to their local theaters. The film would bring in a ton of money, but not as much as it would have brought in had it been the feature. Walt would become inspired to produce a feature length film of his own.

1932 - Flowers & Trees

In 1932, Walt Disney decided to try out a cartoon filmed entirely in color. With Mickey Mouse's huge popularity, he didn't necessarily need a gimmick to get audiences to see his films. The lesser known Silly Symphonies could not only use the extra attention that color would bring, but could also benefit from the added beauty and artistry that color would provide. So Mr. Disney put Flowers & Trees into production- winning an Oscar as a result.

1931 - The First Ugly Duckling

In 1931, Walt Disney took a first pass at an Ugly Duckling short. This version was in black and white and featured cruder animation than would be used later in the color version released in 1939.

1930 - Ub Iwerks Leaves

In 1930, Disney's second distributor sought to take Mickey Mouse as Universal had taken Oswald. Walt's careful insistence on protecting Mickey Mouse made this impossible. So the distributor decided to take Ub Iwerks, Walt's top animator instead.

Ub held a twenty percent stake in the studio and was insisting that he be paid out even though the studio could ill afford to do so. Roy Disney found the money and paid Ub for his shares- $5000 ($79,000 in today's money.) Ub took the money and setup his new studio, which eventually failed. If Ub had retained his twenty percent ownership in the company, it would be worth $30 Billion today.

1929 - Skeleton Dance

Walt Disney wasted no time in taking advantage of Mickey Mouse's success to begin diversifying things at his studio. He envisioned a new series of cartoons that would mix music and animated visuals- Silly Symphonies.

 

The first film released under the new banner was Skeleton Dance. While the film looks primitive these days, it was revolutionary for its time.

Building the Dream...