Steamboat Willie

Voices of: Walt Disney (uncredited)
Directed by: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney (uncredited)
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Animation, Short, Comedy
Length: 8 minutes
1928

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mickey Mouse makes music with animals onboard a steamboat.

Review:

Tim: If you're looking for iconic movie moments, Mickey Mouse piloting a steamboat, happily whistling away has to be one of the all-time greats. It's a tremendous official debut (he'd appeared earlier in a test screening) of one of the greatest cartoon characters ever created. Steamboat Willie was a landmark film for a number of reasons, but introducing this character ranks #1. It's also the first Disney cartoon synchronized with sound, and one of the first anywhere to be done so. It's a great film, even if there are some troubling aspects by today's standards.

At the time, this achievement must have been stunning. You have this likable mouse moving around a steamboat- whistling while driving, doing chores, and of course, making music and mischief. With the accompanying sounds, most audiences had never seen anything like it before. It's not surprising that the film was a wild success and it launched the meteoric rise of Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. The film is undoubtedly inventive and clever. The most memorable aspect of the film involved Mickey making music using a number of different animals on the steamboat. This is often hilarious and entertaining, and mildly horrific.

I do have to acknowledge that aspect of the short film. 1928 was a totally different world and things have changed in the 90+ years since this movie's release. Some of the ways Mickey plays the animals like instruments are delightful, but several have no aged well. One of the worst involves Mickey grabbing a cat by the tail and swinging him around his head. He proceeds to squeeze the cat's belly to get him to screech in time with the music. It's disturbing. The scene with the sow might be even worse- playing her babies, then flipping her over and playing her teats. Cruelty to animals, for sure. While these scenes are hard to watch, it's an important reminder of how far we've come as a society (sadly, still not far enough). This could never make its way into a children's cartoon today. Even Mickey Mouse- a iconic of childhood and happiness, was originally a reflection of his society.

Regardless of that, Steamboat Willie is a landmark film and a wildly entertaining one. It changed Disney forever and gave the world a iconic animated star. I had a blast watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A



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