Steamboat Willie (1928)

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is supposedly the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, released in July 1928 and animated in black and white (the silent version of the cartoon Plane Crazy, starring Mickey and Minnie, was released in May 1928). Mickey's first appearance ever is piloting a steamboat, while trying to entertain his passenger, Minnie Mouse. He does so by using stuff from the boat as instruments - very clever and witty.This is definitely not one of the more funny, magical or exciting cartoons you've come to expect from Mickey. This is more of a musical short with no dialog. Thrown into the mix is the mean Captain Pete the Cat, the annoying parrot and the cranky goat.Though not one of the best Mickey cartoons I've seen, it does deserve praise for its clever sound effects, charming animation and characters and catchy music. It's a good beginning to a long list of Disney cartoons, animated films and television programs.Grade B

Before I review this cartoon, I'd like to make clear that this was neither the first sound cartoon (Max Fleischer did that a few years before) nor the initial one starring Mickey Mouse (that would be Plane Crazy earlier in the year). It was, however, the first audio recorded one by Walt Disney and his associate, Ub Iwerks. Now if you're expecting the good guy/bland Mickey of the later years, you'll either be very disappointed or maybe very glad this Mouse has a more mischievous side. And how bad Mickey could truly be: In playing "Turkey in the Straw", he pulls a cat's tail and throws him off with it, pulls a goose's neck, pulls little piglet's by the tails, and turns their mother upside down and pushes her teats on her body's front! Since this was just a cartoon, I laughed at many of these gags not to mention at Minnie's cranking a goat's tail with music coming out of his mouth after that goat ate her music sheets and her bass. Oh, and I also laughed at a pre-Code gag of a boat pulley lifting Minnie's skirt and lifting her by her panty! What I just described is a loose account of the plot which also involves a large humanized cat as the captain who may have later become Peg Leg Pete in other Mickey Mouse cartoons. Okay, I don't really consider this a great cartoon but it's still a very entertaining one so on that note, Steamboat Willie is still highly worth seeing.

While it's popularly thought and Disney propaganda, that Steamboat Willie is the first Mickey Mouse cartoon; the truth is that Plane Crazy is when Mickey made his first appearance. All one would have to do to check this is to look at the release dates. Plane Crazy was released before Steamboat Willie. My thought is that because Mickey attempts to have his way with Minnie in a not so very nice way in Plane Crazy, Disney has made a concerted effort to promote Steamboat Willie as Mickey's debut but that's not the truth. I love both of these shorts, but Plane Crazy gets the short end of the stick in Mickey Mouse/Disney Studios history.

It's the 1920s. And a man named Walt Disney was on a mission: to satisfy the families and children all over the world with one thing: entertainment. What did he do? He made cartoons! Whoo!!!!! And he made a character that is as great as a mouse...Mickey Mouse. Ha ha! Oh boy!Two films were drawn out by Mr. Disney himself: "Plane Crazy" and "Steamboat Willie." This review will focus on the 1928 feature, "Steamboat Willie."Ever since I learned about this movie as a little boy, I've always wanted to see this movie. Well, in 1997, I rented an ancient VHS that had lots of old Disney cartoons on them, starring the Mouse!!!!! Mickey Mouse!!!!! And guess what? That short was on there, and I loved it!!!!! Shortly after I took the tape back, this was playing on the old Disney Channel (note: the "Old" Disney Channel) early one Saturday Morning.Yes, this is a great cartoon; this paved the way for more great Disney stuff from 1928 to 2002!10 stars, indeed!!!!!