WALT DISNEY, when describing Disneyland on his first television show, said, "I hope we never lose sight of one fact... that this was all started by a Mouse."
Mickey Mouse made his screen debut on November 18, 1928 in Steamboat Willie, Disney's first sound cartoon.
It has been recorded that, some months previously, when returning by train with his wife to Los Angeles from a meeting in New York, Disney spent much of the time thinking up possibilities for a new cartoon character and eventually settled on a mouse in red velvet pants. Although Disney originally called it 'Mortimer', his wife, Lillian, thought the name to be 'too pompous' and suggested 'Mickey' as an alternative.The new name stuck, soon to become known world-wide!
Two silent films starring Mickey (the) Mouse failed to sell, but with the advent of talkies in 1927, Disney set about making a Mickey Mouse film with a sound track entitled 'Steamboat Willie'. Disney provided the voice of Mickey (and continued to do so until 1946 when Jim Macdonald and later, in 1974, Wayne Allbright took over the part). Sound was also added to the two hitherto unsold silent films, 'Plane Crazy' and 'Gallopin' Gaucho'.
When 'Steamboat Willie' was released in 1928 it was an immediate success and Disney became a household name.
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