Mickey Mouse
Created as a replacement for a prior Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey first appeared in the short "Plane Crazy", debuting publicly in the short film "Steamboat Willie" (1928), one of the first sound cartoons. He went on to appear in over 130 films, including "The Band Concert" (1935), "Brave Little Tailor" (1938), and "Fantasia" (1940). Mickey appeared primarily in short films, but also occasionally in feature-length films. Ten of Mickey's cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, one of which, "Lend a Paw", won the award in 1942. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Donovan Cook
Cook then returned to Disney in 1997, where he developed and produced the series "Nightmare Ned". In 1998, he returned to feature animation when he co-directed "Return to Never Land" for Disney. In 2001, he took on the challenge of directing the first feature-length film of "Mickey Mouse" series characters Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck (Goofy had previously appeared in "A Goofy Movie" and its sequel). The film, "", premiered worldwide on DVD in 2004. He also served as a director for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "The Adventures of Kid Danger".