The 20s
"Mickey Mouse - Steamboat Willie" 1928
Steamboat Willie was released on November 18, 1928. This cartoon features Mickey and Minnie and is considered mickey Mouse's birthday for being Mickey's debut. The cartoon also features what eventually becomes "Crazy Pete" as Peg Leg Pete as the angry captain.
"Santa's Workshop" 1932
Santa's Workshop was released on December 30, 1932. The cartoon features Santa reads off the list of good or bad boys and girls while the elves go about constructing the toys and making things ready for Santa's trip.
"Silly Symphony - Babes in the woods" 1932
Babes in the woods was released on November 19,1932. The cartoon is a loose musical retelling of Hansel and Gretel, two children, lost in the woods, stumble upon a dwarf village. They're lured into a candy house by a witch with cruel intentions, but are saved by the dwarves and the witch meets her end.
"Silly Symphony - Flowers and Trees" 1932
Flowers and Trees was released in 1932. The cartoon depicts a jealous stump that threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and put out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.
"Silly Symphony - The Pied Piper" 1933
The pied Piper was released on September 16, 1933. This Silly Symphony adapts the tale of the pied piper of the city of Hamelin. The city of Hamelin is overrun by rats and eating the city's food. The Pied Piper shows and offers his services for a bag of gold. The Mayor of Hamelin give the Pied Piper an empty promise to rid the town of rats. After the success, the Pied Piper returns to the city to not receive his reward. The mayor and adults dismiss him, since they locked the town gate after the rats left and no one can get out. However, the Piper not only charms the children into following him but enchants the town gate into ripping itself open and allowing the children to leave, and the Mayor is left to face the wrath of the adults for the loss of their children, much to his horror. The Piper leads the children to the mountains and an enchanted land with fun and games, where they all live happily ever after.
"Mickey Mouse - Ye Olden Days" 1933
Ye Olden Days was released on April 8, 1933. This black and White Mickey cartoon is loosely based on the novel Ivanhoe Walter Scott. This short features Minnie, Minnie, early Goofy(Dippy Dawg) and Clarabelle Cow.
"Silly Symphony - The Little Pigs" 1933
The Three Little Pigs was released on May 27, 1933. This Cartoon is based on the classic tale of the trio of pig brothers (Practical, Fiddler, Fifer Pig) who build their houses out of straw, sticks, and bricks to protect themselves from the Big Bad Wolf.The short won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The original song composed by Frank Churchill for the cartoon, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?", was a best-selling single, mirroring the people's resolve against the "big bad wolf" of The Great Depression; the song actually became something of an anthem of the Great Depression. In 2007, Three Little Pigs was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
"Silly Symphony - The Big Bad Wolf" 1934
The Big Bad Wolf was released on April 13,1934. This cartoon retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood with the addition of the pigs to the story.
"Silly Symphony - The Grasshopper and the Ants" 1934
The Grasshopper and the Ants was released on February 10, 1934. This cartoon is based on the classic fable The Ant and the Grasshopper. The grasshopper is playing his fiddle, dancing and eating leaves. He notices some ants working hard collecting food.He tells the ant that there is food on every tree and he sees no reason to work.The ant notices the queen and immediately goes back to work. The angry queen warns the grasshopper that he will change his tune when winter comes. The grasshopper blithely dismisses the queen's warning, saying that winter is a long way off.Autumn passes and winter arrives. The grasshopper trudges through the snow, cold and hungry. The grasshopper knocks on their door and collapses. The ants carry him inside and warm and feed him. The queen ant approaches him. He begs to be allowed to stay. She tells him that only those who work may stay, and tells him to take his fiddle. Thinking that he is being dismissed, he starts to leave, but the queen tells him to play the fiddle.
"Silly Symphony - The Goddess of Spring" 1934
The Goddess of Spring was released on November 3, 1934. This cartoon is retelling of the Roman myth of Persephone and Pluto explaining why there's a winter season instead of an eternal spring. The cartoon was the first attempt by Disney animators to animate 'realistic' human figures, in preparation for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
"Silly Symphony - The Wise Little Hen" 1934
The Wide Little Hen was released on June 9, 1934. This short depicts the table of the little red hen and marks the debut of Donald Duck.
- This was Donald Duck's only color appearance until the release of The Band Concert in 1935, as Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1928 to 1935 were in black-and-white.
- All of the characters' speeches are hard to interpret due to mixing in animal sounds.
- This was what led to Donald to have his trademark quack-like speech.
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