Steamboat Willie

"Steamboat Willie" was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, and the first cartoon with synchronized sound. Mickey was born out of necessity when Walt discovered he had lost the rights to his previous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Refusing to work with the Oswald character for less money, he instead teamed up with Ub Iwerks to create Mickey Mouse. In "Steamboat Willie," Mickey plays a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat, who, to Minnie's delight, plays "Turkey in the Straw" utilizing an animal menagerie as his instruments. The tyrannical Captain Pete, however, is not amused, and Mickey ends up peeling potatoes in the galley. Directed by Walt Disney. After unsuccessfully trying to make a deal to record through RCA or Western Electric, Walt contracted with the bootleg Powers Cinephone process and, after an initial disastrous recording session, finally recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey. Released at the Colony Theater in New York on November 18, 1928, the date used for the birth of Mickey Mouse.