Mickey Mouse (film series)
The name "Mickey Mouse" was first used in the films' title sequences to refer specifically to the character, but was used from 1935 to 1953 to refer to the series itself as in "Walt Disney presents a Mickey Mouse." In this sense "a Mickey Mouse" was a shortened form of "a Mickey Mouse sound cartoon" which was used in the earliest films. Films from 1929 to 1935 which were re-released during this time also used this naming convention, but it was not used for the three shorts released between 1983 and 1995 ("Mickey's Christmas Carol", "The Prince and the Pauper", and "Runaway Brain"). Mickey's name was also used occasionally to market other films which were formally part of other series. Examples of this include several "Silly Symphonies", "Don Donald" (1937), and "Goofy and Wilbur" (1939).
"Mickey Mouse" began production in April 1928 after the Disney studio lost the license to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The first two films, "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho", were previewed in theaters but failed to pick up a distributor. For the third film, Disney added synchronized sound, a technology that was still in its early stages at the time. "Steamboat Willie" debuted in New York in November 1928 and was an instant success. The revenues from the film provided the studio with much needed resources, and the studio quickly began to produce new cartoons as well as releasing sound versions of the first two.
Mickey's Surprise Party
Mickey's Surprise Party is a 1939 American animated short film directed by Hamilton Luske, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Nabisco. The 105th short to feature Mickey Mouse, "Mickey's Surprise Party" is the first cartoon with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in their current designs. This is notable for being the first Disney commercial short sponsored by a company, and one of a few Disney cartoons to be in the public domain. Walt Disney hated the idea of public commercials, and swore he would not do one until then. The cartoon was shown at the 1939 New York World's Fair. This cartoon was included in the VHS release "The Spirit of Mickey", with all the Nabisco packaging replaced by generic products, and all of Mickey and Minnie's lines referencing the names of the products overdubbed by Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor. However, most DVD versions of the short contain the original uncut version, replete with the Nabisco references. Milk Bone Dog Biscuits, referenced in the original version of the film, made by Nabisco at the time of the short's production, have since been acquired by Del Monte's pet food division.This cartoon was included in the VHS release "The Spirit of Mickey", with all the Nabisco packaging replaced by generic products, and all of Mickey and Minnie's lines referencing the names of the products overdubbed by Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor. However, most DVD versions of the short contain the original uncut version, replete with the Nabisco references. Milk Bone Dog Biscuits, referenced in the original version of the film, made by Nabisco at the time of the short's production, have since been acquired by Del Monte's pet food division.