Steamboat Willie, only a short but what an historic film it is

Steamboat Willie is a Disney short, released in 1928 and obviously in black and white.

Just 7 minutes 45 seconds long, it is a classic film.

Although Mickey Mouse had already featured in a Disney film, this was the first one available for distribution i.e. public viewing.

In addition, it was one of the first movies to use synchronised sound.

From where we are now, it’s quite hard to imagine that many animators at the time thought that accompanying sound wouldn’t be accepted by the public.

Remember, this was the period of transition from ‘silents’ to ‘talkies’.