Walt Disney and the mouse that was born of betrayal
He lost the character, the animators and the contract — and on the train to Hollywood he dreamed up a hero who changed the history of entertainment forever.
In February 1928 Walt Disney came back from New York with catastrophic news — the distributor had stolen the rights to his character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and taken most of his animators with him. Walt was on the brink of bankruptcy. On the train to Hollywood — as he recalled — a new hero “popped into his head.” His wife Lillian talked him out of the name “Mortimer” and suggested “Mickey.” On 18 November 1928 Mickey Mouse debuted in Steamboat Willie — one of the first animated films with synchronised sound.
Walt was born in Chicago in 1901, raised in Missouri, and drew from childhood. After returning from the First World War he founded one animation studio after another, each of which went bankrupt in turn; only Disney Brothers Studio, founded in 1923 with his brother Roy, survived. Walt voiced Mickey Mouse himself until 1947 and won 22 Oscars — a record unbeaten to this day. He died in 1966, shortly before the opening of Walt Disney World.
Ub Iwerks
Mickey Mouse isn’t Walt’s work alone — the co-creator is Ub Iwerks, an animator and friend of Disney’s who drew the character’s final look. Iwerks was one of the few who stayed with Walt after the distributor’s betrayal. It was he who designed the round ears, the red shorts and the white gloves — three circles, one of the most recognisable silhouettes in history.
From cartoon to empire
From a single mouse an empire grew: Snow White (1937), Fantasia (1940), Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959) — every film was a technical breakthrough. Disney was the first to synchronise sound and to introduce Technicolor and stereo to cinema. Today The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world, with Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and National Geographic in its portfolio. Collectible figures and blind boxes of Disney characters are one of the biggest markets — the editions for the brand’s 100th birthday (2023) and the collaborations with BE@RBRICK and KAWS are especially hot.
His wife said: “not Mortimer, name him Mickey.” The mouse whistled in synchronised sound — and the world of entertainment was never the same again.
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