Cartoon Music Part 1

Last week I did a top ten list of musical numbers in animated features, and it reminded me that one of my favorite aspects of cartoons is the use of music. So I decided to do a week-long tribute to music in cartoons.

Today, we'll start at the beginning. Picture it, the years is 1928, Walt Disney was in the process of bouncing back from a harsh business failure. His business partner Charles Mintz, in an attempt to take over the Disney Brothers' business, had signed over all of Disney's animators and snatched the popular character Oswald the Luck Rabbit. Mintz believed that he had Disney over a barrel and that Disney would be forced to come and work for him. However, he didn't count on Walt's drive and stubborness.

Walt along with his one loyal animator Ub Iwerks sat down to create a new character one that could replace Oswald. What they came up with was one of the most iconic characters of all time: Mickey Mouse. While the rest of the Disney studio ran out the Charles Mintz contract by work on the last few Oswald cartoons that Disney was contractually obligated to produce, Ub worked in a secret locked room on the new character. Ub had created the first two Mickey Mouse cartoons, when something happened to change the face of the entertainment medium. A film called The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson was released.

While many studios believed that synchronized sound was a novelty and a fad that would pass, Walt decided that this was a huge opportunity to make his new character stand out. So the third Mickey Mouse cartoon was to be made with synchronized music and sound. After developing the process and finding a distributor, Mickey Mouse made his big screen debut on November 18, 1928 in Steamboat Willie.



The other silent Mickey Mouse cartoons Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho were fitted with the new technology, and became a sensation. Since then music and sound have become an integral, if not crucial, part of cartoons, but this is the musical cartoon that started it all.

I would also like to remind you as you watch this of the genius of Ub Iwerks. This entire cartoon is drawn by Ub. Every. Single. Drawing. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Check back in tomorrow as we continue the discussion of music in cartoons.

CG