October 16, 2023 marks the official 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. While many enterprises now make up the conglomerate — from theme parks to sports broadcasting — animation has been at its core since the beginning.
The legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios continues strongly today. 2023 also sees the theatrical debut of "Wish" — the studio's first original fairytale — from the co-director of "Frozen" and starring Ariana DeBose as Asha, the story's protagonist. "Wish" is accompanied in theaters by a new short film, "Once Upon a Studio," starring Mickey Mouse and featuring characters from every feature-length film in the Disney Animation canon.
Even for a studio with such a rich, beloved filmography as Disney's, the past 100 years have been an ebb and flow of highs and lows, hits and bombs, artistic phenomena and creative scarcity. With each generation, Disney Animation must redefine itself for its audience while retaining the signatures that make it iconic.
The legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios continues strongly today. 2023 also sees the theatrical debut of "Wish" — the studio's first original fairytale — from the co-director of "Frozen" and starring Ariana DeBose as Asha, the story's protagonist. "Wish" is accompanied in theaters by a new short film, "Once Upon a Studio," starring Mickey Mouse and featuring characters from every feature-length film in the Disney Animation canon.
Even for a studio with such a rich, beloved filmography as Disney's, the past 100 years have been an ebb and flow of highs and lows, hits and bombs, artistic phenomena and creative scarcity. With each generation, Disney Animation must redefine itself for its audience while retaining the signatures that make it iconic.
- 10/7/2023
- by Blake Taylor
- Slash Film
(Welcome to 100 Years of Disney Magic, a series examining the history, achievements, and legacy of Disney Studios over the last century. Part 3, "Walt Disney Hits The Jackpot With Oswald The Lucky Rabbit" summarized the dramatic rise and fall of Disney's first hit. In Part 4, we look at the creation of an even bigger icon: Mickey Mouse.)
On February 15, Disney100: The Exhibition — the celebration of The Walt Disney Company's history at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia — debuted a lifelike hologram of Walt Disney, fittingly brought to life by none other than Sorcerer Mickey. The video was shared by the D23 Twitter account. Social media took note: Some users made comparisons to imagineers famously "reanimating" assassinated president Abraham Lincoln at the 1964 New York World's Fair; others made jokes about Walt Disney's allegedly frozen corpse. The point is, most people respond by focusing on the hyper-realistic depiction of Uncle Walt...
On February 15, Disney100: The Exhibition — the celebration of The Walt Disney Company's history at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia — debuted a lifelike hologram of Walt Disney, fittingly brought to life by none other than Sorcerer Mickey. The video was shared by the D23 Twitter account. Social media took note: Some users made comparisons to imagineers famously "reanimating" assassinated president Abraham Lincoln at the 1964 New York World's Fair; others made jokes about Walt Disney's allegedly frozen corpse. The point is, most people respond by focusing on the hyper-realistic depiction of Uncle Walt...
- 2/24/2023
- by Sarah Milner
- Slash Film
Get behind these lessons from the man behind the mouse.
What would Walt Disney have thought of the new live-action Beauty and the Beast? What would he have thought of the 1991 animated version? While there are so many questions we’d love to have answered about the man’s take on the modern world, it’s best to look at what we can still learn from such an iconic figure 50 years after his death.
Disney remains an inspiration for students of business in particular, but a lot of his words of wisdom originated with and still speak to the art of filmmaking and creators in general. We highlight six such tips for writers, directors, animators, and more below.
Set Your Goals Early
Disney was still just a child when he figured out what he was good at and what he wanted to do with his life. At 14, he was already in art school. At...
What would Walt Disney have thought of the new live-action Beauty and the Beast? What would he have thought of the 1991 animated version? While there are so many questions we’d love to have answered about the man’s take on the modern world, it’s best to look at what we can still learn from such an iconic figure 50 years after his death.
Disney remains an inspiration for students of business in particular, but a lot of his words of wisdom originated with and still speak to the art of filmmaking and creators in general. We highlight six such tips for writers, directors, animators, and more below.
Set Your Goals Early
Disney was still just a child when he figured out what he was good at and what he wanted to do with his life. At 14, he was already in art school. At...
- 3/15/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
For D23's Disney Fanniversary, Disney reached deep into their vault, way past the old racist stuff, and pulled out "Harem Scarem," a classic Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon. You know... Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney's signature character. Before founding his eponymous animation studio, Disney worked as an animator for Universal. He and Ub Iwerks made 26 Oswald cartoons for Universal in the 1920s and '30s, but his relationship with producer Charles Mintz soured over creative differences. Disney was devastated when he realized that his contract gave Mintz ownership of the character.
Of course, our boy Walt left Universal and went on to create his own animation empire, built on the back of Mickey Mouse, who seems to share some similarities with Oswald. The lucky rabbit languished forgotten at Universal until 2006, when Disney CEO traded sportscaster Al Michaels in exchange for the rights to Oswald. This year is Oswald's 85th birthday,...
- 6/21/2012
- by milykane
- GeekTyrant
One would think that of all the major conglomerates in the world, The Walt Disney Company would have the greatest empathy and respect for creators who have made bad deals that resulted in their characters being torn from them. Disney, in fact owes its own success to its founder’s resolution resulting from having his creation hijacked by corporate greed.
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks
In 1927, Walt Disney and his chief animator Ub Iwerks signed a deal with producer Charles Mintz to create a character so they could sell animated shorts to Universal Studios. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit became Disney’s first major success. Walt Disney, always striving for quality, saw his budgets becoming more costly and approached Mintz for more money. To Disney’s surprise Mintz outlined a plan where Walt would receive 20% less and was informed that Mintz contractually controlled the rights to the character and could produce cartoons without Disney.
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks
In 1927, Walt Disney and his chief animator Ub Iwerks signed a deal with producer Charles Mintz to create a character so they could sell animated shorts to Universal Studios. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit became Disney’s first major success. Walt Disney, always striving for quality, saw his budgets becoming more costly and approached Mintz for more money. To Disney’s surprise Mintz outlined a plan where Walt would receive 20% less and was informed that Mintz contractually controlled the rights to the character and could produce cartoons without Disney.
- 5/5/2012
- by Gerry Giovinco
- Comicmix.com
A Long-lost Disney movie featuring the prototype of Mickey Mouse has been found in a British company's archives.
The black and white cartoon, called Hungry Hobos, was released in 1928. The original print has been missing since before the Second World War and was thought to have been lost forever.
The only known copy has now been discovered in Huntley Film Archives in Herefordshire, UK, and will go under the hammer at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction in Los Angeles on December 14, 2011.
The film features Oswald The Lucky Rabbit - who later evolved into Mickey Mouse - and Peg Leg Pete and is expected to fetch $30,000 to $40,000.
Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a series of cartoons introduced in 1927. Disney had signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a new series for George Winkler and Charles Mintz but the first production featuring Oswald, Poor Papa, was rejected...
The black and white cartoon, called Hungry Hobos, was released in 1928. The original print has been missing since before the Second World War and was thought to have been lost forever.
The only known copy has now been discovered in Huntley Film Archives in Herefordshire, UK, and will go under the hammer at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction in Los Angeles on December 14, 2011.
The film features Oswald The Lucky Rabbit - who later evolved into Mickey Mouse - and Peg Leg Pete and is expected to fetch $30,000 to $40,000.
Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a series of cartoons introduced in 1927. Disney had signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a new series for George Winkler and Charles Mintz but the first production featuring Oswald, Poor Papa, was rejected...
- 11/28/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Hungry Hobos. Features Oswald The Rabbit -
The Prototype For Mickey Mouse
The only known copy of the Disney film Hungry Hobos, which was previously recorded as lost, has been found in a social history film archive in Herefordshire, UK and is to feature in the Entertainment Memorabilia auction on 14th December 2011 at Bonhams in Los Angeles, USA. The film features Oswald The Lucky Rabbit and Peg Leg Pete and is estimated to sell for $30,000-40,000.
The character of Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a series of cartoons introduced in 1927. After the “Alice Comedies” were finished, Disney signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a new series for George Winkler and Charles Mintz. The first production featuring Oswald, “Poor Papa,” was rejected by Universal as the production and look of Oswald was deemed unsatisfactory. The second, “Trolley Troubles,” with a younger-looking Oswald, effectively began...
The Prototype For Mickey Mouse
The only known copy of the Disney film Hungry Hobos, which was previously recorded as lost, has been found in a social history film archive in Herefordshire, UK and is to feature in the Entertainment Memorabilia auction on 14th December 2011 at Bonhams in Los Angeles, USA. The film features Oswald The Lucky Rabbit and Peg Leg Pete and is estimated to sell for $30,000-40,000.
The character of Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for a series of cartoons introduced in 1927. After the “Alice Comedies” were finished, Disney signed a contract with Universal Studios to produce a new series for George Winkler and Charles Mintz. The first production featuring Oswald, “Poor Papa,” was rejected by Universal as the production and look of Oswald was deemed unsatisfactory. The second, “Trolley Troubles,” with a younger-looking Oswald, effectively began...
- 11/28/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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