Steamboat Willie (1928)

In early 1928, Walt Disney traveled to New York City, New York, to negotiate an increase in pay for the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series with Universal’s distributor, Charles Mintz. Mintz offered Walt less money than he expected, and Walt learned that Universal, not Disney, owned the rights to Oswald. Walt would also learned that Mintz had hired away many of his animators. So Walt left New York City without a new deal, without Oswald and without most of his animators. 

Walt was no doubt devastated, but also determined to be a success, and upon returning to California, he went to work immediately creating a new animated character. Along with Ub Iwerks, a new character was born, Mickey Mouse. 

Mickey Mouse’s first animated short film to be released was Steamboat Willie. The film premiered on November 18, 1928, at Universal’s Colony Theatre in New York City, New York. The Colony Theatre is now known as the Broadway Theatre. During its initial run it was played five times daily for two weeks. Disney was paid $500 per week. It played ahead of the independent feature film Gang War, which is considered to be a lost film. Two weeks later the film was re-released at the Roxy Theatre in New York City, New York, the largest theater in the world at the time. Produced by Walt Disney Studio (1926-1929) and distributed by Pat Powers (Celebrity Productions.) It marks the first appearance of Mickey Mouse as well as Minnie Mouse. The film title is a play on the Buster Keaton film title, Steamboat Bill, Jr., which was released on May 12, 1928. Steamboat Willie was the third Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon to be produced after Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Goucho, but the first to be released to the public and the first Disney film with synchronized sound. Walt Disney was inspired to produce a fully synchronized sound cartoon after seeing The Jazz Singer (1927.) According to Roy O. Disney’s personal handwritten ledgers, Steamboat Willie cost $4,968.69 to produce. 

In Steamboat Willie, as a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat, Mickey, to Minnie’s delight, plays “Turkey in the Straw” utilizing an animal menagerie as his instruments. The tyrannical Captain Pete is not amused, and Mickey ends up peeling potatoes in the galley. 

The soundtrack for the film was arranged by Wilfred Jackson and Bert Lewis, and it included the songs “Stramboat Bill,” performed by Arthur Collins in the 1910s and a popular 19th century folk song “Turkey in the Straw.”

First available for home media on VHS in May 1984 on Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Limited Gold Editions - Mickey Mouse. The release also contained Mickey’s Grand Opera (1936), The Worm Turns (1937), Mickey’s Parrot (1938), Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip (1940), Symphony Hour (1942) and The Simple Things (1953).

Other home media releases:

VHS

• The Spirit of Mickey (July 14, 1998)

Laserdisc 

• Mickey Mouse: The Black and White Years - Volume 1 (1997)
• The Spirit of Mickey (July 14, 1998)

DVD

• Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume 1 (December 3, 2002)
• Vintage Mickey (July 12, 2005)
• Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (December 11, 2007)
• Celebrating Mickey (October 23, 2018)
• Mickey and Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 (January 31, 2023)

Blu-ray

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition (October 6, 2009) (Bonus Features)
• Celebrating Mickey (October 23, 2018)
• Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 (January 31, 2023)

On November 16, 1998, Steamboat Willie was recognized as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. 

Showcased in the Main Street Cinema on Main Street, U.S.A. at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is a staple in the theater’s repertoire, and plays on a continuous loop throughout the day with other classic Disney Shorts. 

The film was made available on Disney+ on November 12, 2019. 

Steamboat Willie entered the public domain on January 1, 2024.

Cast and Crew

Director(s): Walt Disney (uncredited), Ub Iwerks

Writer(s): Walt Disney (uncredited), Ub Iwerks (uncredited). Producer(s): Roy O. Disney (uncredited), Walt Disney (uncredited). Cast: Walt Disney (voice of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Captain Pete, Parrot, uncredited). Music Composer(s): Wilfred Jackson (uncredited), Bert Lewis (uncredited). Sound Department: Johnny Cannon (Sound Effects, uncredited), George Lowerre (Sound Engineer, uncredited). Animation Department: Johnny Cannon (Animator, uncredited), Les Clark (Background Artist / Inbetween Artist, uncredited), Ub Iwerks (Animator / Background Artist / Layout Artist, uncredited), Wilfred Jackson (Animator / Background Artist, uncredited), Dick Lundy (Animator / Background Artist, uncredited)

Technical Specifications

MPAA Rating: N/A. Runtime: 7:47 Minutes. Animation Type: Standard. Sound Mix: Cinephone, Mono. Color: Black and White . Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1. Genre: Animation, Short

Have you seen Steamboat Willie? Share your thoughts and comments below. 

Source(s)

Grob, Gijs (2018). Mickey’s Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse. Theme Park Press. 

Internet Movie Database. IMDb. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019422/

Merritt, R., & Kaufman, J. (2000). Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Smith, D., & Vagnini, S. (2023). Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia (6th ed., p. 834). Disney Editions.

Great care has been taken to be as accurate as possible when it comes to details in each entry I post. As with anything, mistakes can happen, dates can be wrong, information not readily available, etc. If you see a mistake, information that is wrong, inaccurate or missing information please contact me at disneymovieandfilmencyclopedia@gmail.com so I can make corrections.