1001 toons you need to watch before you die

Mickey's first appearance

While Steamboat Willie is often credited as Mickey Mouse’s debut, the character actually first appeared in Plane Crazy, which was produced earlier in 1928. It was a silent cartoon created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and it featured Mickey trying to imitate Charles Lindbergh by building his own airplane.

However, Plane Crazy failed to secure a distributor and wasn't released publicly until March 1929, after Steamboat Willie had already become a success. That’s why Steamboat Willie is considered Mickey’s official debut—it was the first cartoon with Mickey that audiences actually saw and the one that launched his popularity.

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