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.
Hazel Sewell
After losing Oswald, Disney created the idea for a cartoon character known as Mickey Mouse. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon was created by a small group of Disney employees. Sewell, Bounds, and Edna Disney were responsible for inking and painting the cels used for the first Mickey Mouse cartoon ever created. The cartoon was titled "Plane Crazy" and it was released in 1928. While "Plane Crazy" struggled to achieve success, the creation of Mickey Mouse led to the release of more cartoons, such as "Steamboat Willie", that performed successfully.