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.
Donald Duck
Donald Duck rose to fame with his comedic roles in animated cartoons. Donald's first appearance was in 1934 in "The Wise Little Hen", but it was his second appearance in "Orphan's Benefit" which introduced him as a temperamental comic foil to Mickey Mouse. Throughout the next two decades, Donald appeared in over 150 theatrical films, several of which were recognized at the Academy Awards. In the 1930s, he typically appeared as part of a comic trio with Mickey and Goofy and was given his own film series in 1937 starting with "Don Donald". These films introduced Donald's love interest Daisy Duck and often included his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. After the 1956 film "Chips Ahoy", Donald appeared primarily in educational films before eventually returning to theatrical animation in "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983). His most recent appearance in a theatrical film was 1999's "Fantasia 2000". Donald has also appeared in direct-to-video features such as "" (2004), television series such as "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (2006–2016), and video games such as "QuackShot" (1991).