Mickey Mouse makes his public debut in Steamboat Willie.
An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1928.
Theatrical releases[]
Shorts[]
- January 9 - Harem Scarem
- January 23 - Neck 'n' Neck
- February 6 - The Ol' Swimmin' Hole
- February 20 - Africa Before Dark
- March 5 - Rival Romeos
- March 19 - Bright Lights
- April 1 - Sagebrush Sadie
- April 15 - Ride 'Em Plowboy
- April 30 - Ozzie of the Mounted
- May 14 - Hungry Hobos
- May 28 - Oh What a Knight
- June 11 - Poor Papa
- June 25 - The Fox Chase
- July 9 - Tall Timber
- July 23 - Sleigh Bells
- August 6 - High Up
- August 20 - Hot Dogs
- September 3 - The Sky Scrapper
- November 18 - Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon short with sound released to theaters in the United States. Plane Crazy had actually been produced first, but it only played in a few local California theaters on May 15 and was quickly pulled. November 18 is considered Mickey's "birthday" by The Walt Disney company.
- December 30 - The Gallopin' Gaucho is widely released with sound after the success of Steamboat Willie. A silent version was given a limited release on August 2, but it failed to pick up a distributor.
Business[]
- January - Ub Iwerks warns Walt Disney that several of the animators at his studio have signed contracts with Winkler Pictures. George Winkler, one of the Winkler heads, had been talking with the animators during pick-up runs of the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. Walt shows no concern.
- February - Winkler signs a contract with Universal Pictures guaranteeing three more years worth of Oswald cartoons.[1][2]
- Walt arrives in New York the 3rd week of February to renegotiate his contract with Charles Mintz, hoping for a better deal. Mintz offers a worse deal and Walt leaves the meeting upset.
- March 1 - Walt wires Roy "to have an attorney draw up 'ironclad' year-long contracts with two option years" and "to be held in readiness until he gave the word."
- March 2 - Walt and Lillian have lunch with Mintz and his wife at Hotel Astor. Mintz refuses to talk business at the lunch, but Walt says to Roy, "I could see that he had something up his sleeve." At this time, Walt tells Roy to have his employees sign the contracts, "MAKE THEM SIGN OR KNOW [sic] REASON BEFORE ALLOWING THEM TO LEAVE" before Mintz could get the opportunity to do the same.
- March 3 - Walt attempts another deal with Mintz.
- March 4 - Mintz's final offer for Disney is to have Walt and Roy become his employees and be paid $200 per week. This offer is turned down and the Disney Studio's contract with Winkler is set to end after three more Oswald cartoons are finished.
- March 13 - Walt heads from New York to Los Angeles by train, and comes up with the idea of a new character he would have sole ownership of. Cartoons starring the character would be developed in secret while Disney finished the remaining Oswald cartoons he was contractually obligated to finish.
Character debuts[]
- November 18 - Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Parrot
- December 30 - Rhea, Guitarron Guy
People[]
Births[]
- February 19 - Mike Sammes † (vocal arranger and session musician/singer)
- February 22 - Paul Dooley † (actor, voice actor, writer, comedian)
- March 19 - Patrick McGoohan † (actor, director, screenwriter, and producer)
- April 7 - James Garner † (actor, voice actor, and producer)
- April 22 - Estelle Harris † (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- April 23 - Shirley Temple † (actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former United States ambassador)
- June 2 - Bob Amsberry † (actor)
- June 10 - Maurice Sendak † (artist, author, illustrator, and writer)
- June 12 - Richard M. Sherman † (composer, lyricist, screenwriter, publisher, and songwriter)
- June 20 - Martin Landau † (actor, voice actor, and producer)
- July 14 - Nancy Olson (actress)
- August 20 - Harriet Burns † (artist and designer)
- August 31 - James Coburn † (actor and voice actor)
- September 17 - Roddy McDowall † (actor, film director, photographer, and voice artist)
- September 19 - Adam West † (actor and voice actor)
- November 10 - Ennio Morricone † (composer)
- November 17 - Rance Howard † (actor)
- December 9 - Dick Van Patten † (actor)
- December 17 - George Lindsey † (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
References[]
1928