.....There are a select few cartoon characters who are universally recognizable and loved: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, the Road Runner, Snoopy, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse. Created in 1928 by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse became an overnight success upon the release of his first animated short, "Steamboat Willie". What set that short apart from other cartoons of the time (and from the first two Mickey Mouse shorts produced, "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho") was that it was the first cartoon with fully synchronized sound (the Fleischer studio had been experimenting with sound since 1925). Produced without a distributor, Walt was able to convince a theatre in New York to play the short, and the rest is history. "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho" were released with sound, and soon afterwards, Iwerks and Disney began producing the series with Celebrity Pictures as their distributor.
.....As popular as Mickey was, he soon proved to be difficult to write for: while pleasant, Mickey was never inherently funny. To compensate, the Disney staff created a supporting cast for Mickey, which, in addition to Minnie Mouse and Pete (who predated Mickey by three years), included Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Pluto, Goofy, Clara Cluck, and Donald Duck. Following the move to color in 1935, Mickey was soon passed over by his funnier co-stars, many of whom eventually received their own theatrical series.
.....However, this was not the end for Mickey Mouse. 1940 saw Mickey's greatest performance, a role in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", one of the segments of Fantasia, and Mickey shorts continued production through 1953. In 1955, The Mickey Mouse Club hit television, and Mickey moved into a role as corporate symbol for The Walt Disney Company, and as the Official Host of Disneyland. In 1983, Mickey appeared as Bob Cratchit in Disney's re-telling of Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol. The short received an Academy Award nomination, and was a great return to the silver screen for the Mouse. Two more shorts were released in the 1990s ("The Prince and the Pauper" and "Runaway Brain"), as well as two TV series, Mickey MouseWorks and Disney's House of Mouse, which revived the tradition of shorts starring the classic Disney characters.
.....Today, Mickey remains as popular as ever, as merchandise and home video releases continue to keep Mickey in the public spotlight. However, it is the original Mickey Mouse series, which has earned Mickey a handful of Oscar nominations (and a Special Achievement Oscar in 1932 for his contribution to the animation industry) as well as fame for generations to come, that continues to be the root of his success.
.....Cartoons are presented here in chronological order of theatrical release.