Steamboat Willie

Steamboat Willie is a black and white Mickey Mouse animated short. It was released in 1928.

The Story
The film begins with Mickey piloting a steamboat down a river when an angry Captain Pete appears and sends him back down to the deck. After a brief stop to pick up some livestock, the steamboat continues on its way just as Minnie Mouse appears on the scene. Mickey manages to get her safely aboard, but her violin and sheet music get eaten by a goat in the process. However, by using the goat as a phonograph and practically anything he can get his hands on (including other animals) as musical instruments, Mickey performs a lively rendition of the song "Turkey in the Straw." In the end, Captain Pete catches him and sends him below deck to peel potatoes.

Cast of Character

 * Mickey Mouse   
 * Minnie Mouse   
 * Pete  

Facts and Trivia

 * Steamboat Willie is generally considered to be the first popular cartoon with synchronized sound.


 * While it was the third to begin production, Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse short to be released to the public.


 * The film was debuted on November 18, 1928, the day that the Walt Disney Company now recognizes as the official birthday of both Mickey and Minnie.


 * In 1998, the Library of Congress added Steamboat Willie to the National Film Registry.

 
 * Steamboat Willie is the basis of the Timeless River world in Kingdom Hearts II. Other shorts that inspired areas of that world are Gulliver Mickey Building a Building and The Fire Fighters.&#160;