Of course we all know that Disney is one of the leading forces in the world of animation. For 90 years now it has delivered a massive library of memorable characters and stories that we all have become accustomed to. But did you also know of the many things that happened for the past 9 decades? Read on and discover!
Chapter 1- Early Years
Walt Disney Animation Studios (formerly Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Productions) began its life in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, founded by Walt Disney and his elder brother Roy O. Disney, both Kansas City natives. Following a failed series of Laugh-O-Grams, the two brothers partnered together to produce the Alice Comedies, a series of silent short films that featured a live-action child actress in a world of cartoon characters. These were Walt's first successes in animation being distributed by Margaret J. Winkler's company, Winkler Pictures. Disney would also later make its first all-animated short film series, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, beginning in 1927. The studio was initially based in downtown Los Angeles in Kingswell Avenue storefront offices until it moved to a new building on a lot at 2719 Hyperion Avenue in 1926.
Walt Disney's first huge success came when following the end of the Oswald cartoons, he secretly teamed with animator Ub Iwerks to produce a series of cartoons starring a new character, Mickey Mouse. Steamboat Willie, which is known as Mickey's first well-known appearance wasn't the first cartoon to star Mickey Mouse. In 1928, Mickey made his debut in both Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho, both of which, I'm sorry to say, garnered only moderate impressions upon initial release. However, for Mickey's third cartoon, the aforementioned Steamboat Willie, Disney decided to use a sound track, with the help from musician Carl Stalling (who would later become one of the musical directors for Warner Bros.'s Classic Cartoon department) and businessman Pat Powers. As a result, it was the studio's first cartoon with sound, and it was an enormous immediate success when it opened in November 1928 at New York City's West 57th Theater. After Steamboat Willie, Mickey's series of sound cartoons immediately rose to popularity, which prompted disney to produce a second short series, Silly Symphonies, which started with 1929's The Skeleton Dance. Each Silly Symphony short was a one-shot centering around music or other particular themes. But for Walt and Roy, their success with shorts was only the beginning...
To be Continued....
Chapter 1- Early Years
Walt Disney Animation Studios (formerly Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Productions) began its life in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, founded by Walt Disney and his elder brother Roy O. Disney, both Kansas City natives. Following a failed series of Laugh-O-Grams, the two brothers partnered together to produce the Alice Comedies, a series of silent short films that featured a live-action child actress in a world of cartoon characters. These were Walt's first successes in animation being distributed by Margaret J. Winkler's company, Winkler Pictures. Disney would also later make its first all-animated short film series, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, beginning in 1927. The studio was initially based in downtown Los Angeles in Kingswell Avenue storefront offices until it moved to a new building on a lot at 2719 Hyperion Avenue in 1926.
Walt Disney's first huge success came when following the end of the Oswald cartoons, he secretly teamed with animator Ub Iwerks to produce a series of cartoons starring a new character, Mickey Mouse. Steamboat Willie, which is known as Mickey's first well-known appearance wasn't the first cartoon to star Mickey Mouse. In 1928, Mickey made his debut in both Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho, both of which, I'm sorry to say, garnered only moderate impressions upon initial release. However, for Mickey's third cartoon, the aforementioned Steamboat Willie, Disney decided to use a sound track, with the help from musician Carl Stalling (who would later become one of the musical directors for Warner Bros.'s Classic Cartoon department) and businessman Pat Powers. As a result, it was the studio's first cartoon with sound, and it was an enormous immediate success when it opened in November 1928 at New York City's West 57th Theater. After Steamboat Willie, Mickey's series of sound cartoons immediately rose to popularity, which prompted disney to produce a second short series, Silly Symphonies, which started with 1929's The Skeleton Dance. Each Silly Symphony short was a one-shot centering around music or other particular themes. But for Walt and Roy, their success with shorts was only the beginning...
To be Continued....
RSS Feed