[film projector sounds]
>> Narrator: He’s the world's most popular personality. He’s appeared in 119 cartoons and this year he turned 60 years old,
Mickey Mouse, football star, musician and big dreamer.
And you could say Mickey was born on a train in 1928, his creator was a 26-year-old cartoonist Walt Disney was traveling to
Los Angeles from New York with his wife Lilian. At the time Walt owned a cartoon studio in Hollywood.
He had traveled East seeking financial backing for his Oswald the Lucky Rabbit pictures.
The money man declined, and since the character was copyrighted under their name they took control of it.
Well so much for the lucky rabbit. Disney now had nothing to take home with him.
But the cross country train ride would turn out to be an historical one.
Walt conjured up a concept for a mouse.
He said he had the idea in the back of his head because a mouse is a sort of sympathetic character.
Now before the train chugged into L.A., Disney had sketch several drawings of a little mouse
in red velvet pants, he called him Mortimer, but Lilian didn’t care for that name and suggested Mickey.
>> Roy E. Disney: Well Walt always used to say Mickey was just a nice little guy.
He was like you and me he was every man in a way.
>> Narrator: After returning home, Walt went to work on the very first Mickey Mouse cartoons, Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho.
The animator he put to work on these early shorts was a Ub Iwerks who also
help Walt with Oswald the Lucky rabbit and other animated films and comic strips.
But since the Jazz Singer, the world's first talking picture was recently released and
both Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho were silent, the cartoons were not selling.
It was then, Disney decided that his cartoons needed sound and in the summer of 1928, production
began on the third Mickey Mouse film the first with sound, called Steamboat Willy.
[Mickey Mouse whistling]
Steamboat Willy was coordinated with the music track record in New York.
Walt took the finished product to distributors in Manhattan where he convinced the Manager of the
Colony Theater to show Steamboat Willy for two weeks. It was an immediate success
and on November 18, 1928 the debut of Steamboat Willy, Mickey Mouse began an incredible career.
Sound was then added to the first two cartoons, Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho and sound was also synced up
to the Barn Dance another early film. Mickey Mouse merchandising began almost immediately
Dozens of companies were licensed to use Mickey on their products and on January 13, 1930,
Mickey Mouse comic strips began to appear in newspapers.
And in 1933, those famous watches hit the stores and soon after Mickey was appearing
on virtually everything under the sun. But the focal point was still the theater and
Disney stepped up production on Mickey cartoons. Producing 87 of them in the 1930s.
All of the Disney films were way ahead of their time. They also introduced a variety of new characters
like Clarabelle Cow, that first Disney villain Peg-Leg Pete and the ever-popular Goofy.
[Goofy laughing]
I know you learned to love me. [kissing sounds]
>> Never, never. never.
>> Narrator: From the beginning, Mickey had only one leading lady, Minnie Mouse.
And even though she shared in Mickey's triumphs, the relationship was not always an easy one
Mickey’s first color film was the Band Concert, produced in 1935. Here Mickey play the Band
Leader struggling to conduct the William Tell overture well caught up in a fierce tornado.
[music]
From the beginning, until 1946 Walt Disney himself played the voice of Mickey Mouse.
Walt said he started doing the voice out of necessity to save money but it’s soon became a pleasure.
In 1932, Walt Disney was presented with an honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey.
But Mickey didn’t make his first feature film appearance until 1940,
as the star of the sorcerer's apprentice in Fantasia.
[music]
Now in the decade that followed, the Disney Studios shifted production to training films for the Army.
But it wasn’t long before Mickey reappeared looking better than ever.
>> Roy E. Disney: Well Mickey started out kind of skinny and rubber-limbed.
and he gradually begin to take on a little more human characteristics
as the years went by in about 1939 or 40 I think
I know it was even before that, one of our artist, Freddie Moore sort of redesign Mickey
To the basically the shape he is in now, and he became a little rounder and a little more stocky I think.
But he’s just personality never changed he’s always been, Mickey.
>> Narrator: In 1955, Mickey found a new way to entertain. He took to the smaller
screen television with one of the most popular children’s programs of all time.
>> Mouseketeer's role call, count off now.
>> Cubby.
>> Karen.
>> Narrator: That step into television launched a whole new era for the Disney studio.
TV is where the public first found out about Walt Disney’s plan
to transform 200 acres of orange groves into a world-renowned theme park.
>> Walt Disney: Welcome,
I guess you all know this little fella here.
It's an old partnership.
Mickey and I started out the first time many many years ago
we've had a lot of our dreams come true
now we want you to share with us our latest and greatest dream.
That's it, right here
Disneyland.
>> Narrator: For over 30 years this Magic Kingdom has brought happiness to over 280 million people
and Mickey has been there from day one.
When it opened in 1971,
Mickey became the official host for Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida.
12 years later, Tokyo Disneyland opened and Mickey Mouse continued his role as an ambassador to the world.
>> Michael Eisner: I would say my most special memory is just from two years ago being on the Great Wall of China
with Mickey Mouse who hadn’t been kind of legally in China since the 30s, and we went to the Great Wall and
he was almost stampeded they were so many people wanted to touch Mickey and be with Mickey that
was amazing to me the popularity of a character who hadn't even been there for so long.
>> Narrator: For 60 years, Mickey Mouse has been a logo for the Walt Disney Company
not only on film and television but also in the air.
>> Michael Eisner: Well Mickey Mouse is Disney, I mean he began it,
he is the threshold character of our company and his innocence and vitality kind of defines our company.
>> Narrator: Will after 60 years you might think Mickey is slowing down...
Not a chance, he’s already making plans to open Euro Disneyland in Paris, France and he'll
be appearing in new animations.
>> Roy E. Disney: We're intending to do some animation of Mickey and Donald and Goofy
at our new animation studio in Florida, when it opens next year.
In short subject form, much like the old ones probably 22 to 23 minutes subjects.
We're very excited about that we have a lot of animators they were very excited about doing Mickey again.
>> Narrator: Mickey Mouse, recognized around the world as an international star. In fact, in 1930 Mickey
was even listed in the Hollywood directory of actors.Height 2‘3“, weight 23 pounds, agent, Walt Disney.
>> Walt Disney: During the last few years we ventured into a lot of different fields
and we've had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of wonderful people
I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing... that it was all started by a mouse.