through the decades: a deep dive into Disney

this fun side-project will allow me to start with disney’s earliest productions in the 1920s and get a sense of the history behind some of pop culture’s most iconic characters.

where this all started

I’ve always enjoyed the magic that Disney brings to the big screen, from it’s classic animations to it’s most recent Marvel films. Ignoring the tragic direction the new Star Wars trilogy was taken, there’s a ridiculous amount of excitement that everyone at Disney brings to the table when a new film is released.

When Disney+ was first released, I knew that I would have to lunge on the opportunity to watch some films that I had never seen before. Upon noticing that they had curated a gallery sorted by each decade, and idea started to form. What if I decided to watch everything on Disney+?

Now let’s be clear. I recognize this sounds like a colossal waste of time. But I don’t really care. I’m going to do it anyway.

For some clarification, here’s exactly what I did: I saw that the globally recognized title, Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first animated short available on Disney+. But to my dismay, I realize that Steamboat Willie (1928) wasn’t the first project that Walt Disney had produced. This is when I ventured onto Wikipedia and found a long list of shorts — animated, live-action, and hybrid — that were produced between 1921-1928. At this point, I decided to make a long spreadsheet with every film and short title produced by Walt Disney Studios that I could find. I excluded TV shows because those would take me FOREVER to watch with the movies.

Below, you’ll find any notes I want to share about what I watch and my ratings for the feature-length films. Please enjoy. I know I did (for the most part).

1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Coming Soon.

1932-1937

enter, technicolor!

Now we’re cooking with gas! People, you’re looking at a list of a whopping 98 short films in this era of Disney cartoons, prior to the release of the studios first feature-length production. Now, I have to mention that I watched half of this list by December 2020, but had to take a yearlong hiatus before I was able to return to this project—and so I decided I would start this list over to do this review some justice. I know…I’m a lunatic. Let’s move on.

I would be remiss not to mention Disney’s knack for anthropomorphizing nature in incredibly creative ways right off the bat with Flowers and Trees (1932). This first piece also felt symbolic of a new era of exquisite, colored films; the opening scene painting a picture of a forest awakening.

And then there’s Mickey. At first, I found him to be an adorable, yet negligent nag—his adoration of Minnie blinding him from the attention Pluto deserves from him. But eventually I realized that Mickey is honestly just trying to get through the episode in one piece, and after 2+ years of this pandemic, I think I can completely understand that.

I think it’s also important to note that not all of these films were in color. Although you can find some colorized versions online, Mickey didn’t actually appear in color until the Parade of the Award Nominees (1932).

The questionable content also makes a comeback, which shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. We’re talking anywhere from racist renditions of people meant to be interpreted as inferior—Trader Mickey (1932)—to animated blackface in Mickey’s Mellerdrammer (1933). What gets me though is that there was so much effort and intention put into making these offensive depictions. Mickey is a mouse, right? Why not just work with animals entirely? Why bring people into at all? I’m sure there’s an obvious answer for that one, and I suppose working entirely with animals wouldn’t prevent racist content. Just the ramblings of someone watch 1930s content almost a century later. Moving on…

There were many fascinating and impressive improvements in this era, though. For starters, the attention to detail in the animation was truly mind-blowing. I particularly noticed the shadowing of objects becoming better. But of course, there was the music. Each and every film had a uniquely exciting score matching the high-levels of energy of its characters that kept my eye on the screen at all times. Also, I learned that the beloved Goofy made his debut as “Dippy Dawg” in this era.

With there being almost 100 films to watch in this set, I could offer a ton of favorites. But if I had to mention my “can’t misses” from 1932-1937, they would be: King Neptune (1933)—see if you can make any connections to The Little Mermaid (1989); Touchdown Mickey (1932); The Klondike Kid (1932)—the music, the shootout at the bar, the cabin getting avalanched down a mountain…just a sight to witness; Babes in the Woods (1932); The Mad Doctor (1933). You can definitely find all of these on YouTube, and some on Disney+ in excellent quality. The only one I couldn’t track down was Building a Building (1933).

But now comes the moment I had been waiting for since I started this insane journey—my first-feature length film. You’re gonna want to see this one.

MICKEY MOUSE AND SILLY SYMPHONIES

  • Flowers and Trees (1932)

  • Mickey's Nightmare (1932)

  • Trader Mickey (1932)

  • King Neptune (1932)

  • The Whoopee Party (1932)

  • Bugs in Love (1932)

  • Touchdown Mickey (1932)

  • The Klondike Kid (1932)

  • The Wayward Canary (1932)

  • Parade of the Award Nominees (1932)

  • Babes in the Woods (1932)

  • Santa's Workshop (1932)

  • Mickey's Good Deed (1932)

  • The Mad Doctor (1933)

  • Mickey's Pal Pluto (1933)

  • Birds in the Spring (1933)

  • Mickey's Mellerdrammer (1933)

  • Ye Olden Days (1933)

  • Father Noah's Ark (1933)

  • Three Little Pigs (1933)

  • The Mail Pilot (1933)

  • Mickey's Mechanical Man (1933)

  • Mickey's Gala Premier (1933)

  • Old King Cole (1933)

  • Lullaby Land (1933)

  • Puppy Love (1933)

  • The Pied Piper (1933)

  • The Steeplechase (1933)

  • The Pet Store (1933)

  • Giantland (1933)

  • The Night Before Christmas (1933)

  • The China Shop (1934)

  • Shanghaied (1934)

  • The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934)

  • Camping Out (1934)

  • Playful Pluto (1934)

  • Funny Little Bunnies (1934)

  • The Big Bad Wolf (1934)

  • Gulliver Mickey (1934)

  • The Hot Choc-late Soldiers (1934)

  • The Wise Little Hen (1934)

  • Mickey's Steam Roller (1934)

  • The Flying Mouse (1934)

  • Orphan's Benefit (1934)

  • Peculiar Penguins (1934)

  • Mickey Plays Papa (1934)

  • The Goddess of Spring (1934)

  • The Dognapper (1934)

  • Two-Gun Mickey (1934)

  • The Tortoise and the Hare (1935)

  • Mickey's Man Friday (1935)

  • The Band Concert (1935)

  • Mickey's Service Station (1935)

  • The Golden Touch (1935)

  • Mickey's Kangaroo (1935)

  • The Robber Kitten (1935)

  • Water Babies (1935)

  • The Cookie Carnival (1935)

  • Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935)

  • Mickey's Garden (1935)

  • Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935)

  • Pluto's Judgement Day (1935)

  • On Ice (1935)

  • Music Land (1935)

  • Three Orphan Kittens (1935)

  • Cock o' the Walk (1935)

  • Broken Toys (1935)

  • Mickey's Polo Team (1935)

  • Orphan's Picnic (1936)

  • Mickey's Grand Opera (1936)

  • Elmer Elephant (1936)

  • Three Little Wolves (1936)

  • Thru the Mirror (1936)

  • Mickey's Rival (1936)

  • Moving Day (1936)

  • Alpine Climbers (1936)

  • Mickey's Circus (1936)

  • Toby Tortoise Returns (1936)

  • Donald and Pluto (1936)

  • Three Blind Mouseketeers (1936)

  • Mickey's Elephant (1936)

  • The Country Cousin (1936)

  • Mother Pluto (1936)

  • More Kittens (1936)

  • The Worm Turns (1937)

  • Don Donald (1937)

  • Magician Mickey (1937)

  • Moose Hunters (1937)

  • Woodland Café (1937)

  • Mickey's Amateurs (1937)

  • Little Hiawatha (1937)

  • Modern Inventions (1937)

  • Hawaiian Holiday (1937)

  • Clock Cleaners (1937)

  • The Old Mill (1937)

  • Pluto's Quin-puplets (1937)

  • Donald's Ostrich (1937)

  • Lonesome Ghosts (1937; after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

1928-1932

making way for mickey mouse

On November 8, 1928 arrived the first Disney cartoon to be produced with synchronized sound, the famous Steamboat Willie. Along with this cartoon came the first released appearance of the iconic and timeless Mickey Mouse. It’s funny, I remember randomly thinking while watching one of the cartoons, “hey, Mickey has to be short for Michael, right?” Sure enough, Mickey’s full name is Michael Theodore Mouse. That’s something I just won’t forget.

Not only did Walt Disney produce Mickey Mouse cartoons, but I also watched several of the “Silly Symphony” cartoons, featuring primarily animals and insects in short musical films.

Throughout this era of Disney cartoons, I can say the best part has definitely been seeing the animation drastically get more complicated and emotive. My friends keep asking me if I’m getting bored of this little side project, and I’m honestly not. I’ve been able to see a Mickey Mouse quite different than the one I’m familiar with in more present-day iterations of the character. His “to-die-for” feelings for Minnie Mouse never fail to create a humorous plot.

One thing I can’t get over is the considerably racist portrayals of foreign groups in some of the episodes such as Mickey in Arabia (1932) and The China Plate (1931). I can tell why these titles aren’t available on Disney+. They reflect a message that Disney has long moved away from. But if you want to see some impressive animation or comedic storytelling, I would check out some of my favorite cartoons from this era: Steamboat Willie (1928), The Skeleton Dance (1929), The Chain Gang (1930), The Gorilla Mystery (1930), Egyptian Melodies (1931), The Spider and the Fly (1931), Mickey’s Orphans (1931), and Mickey’s Revue (1932).

You’ll notice the appearance of some characters that have evolved a little bit over time, including, of course, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, but also Pluto the Pup, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Peg-Leg Pete, and Goofy!

The following era will contain the same characters and Silly Symphonies; however, the next released short film was the first released Disney film in 3-strip technicolor…

MICKEY MOUSE AND SILLY SYMPHONIES

  • Steamboat Willie (1929)

  • The Gallopin' Gaucho (1929)

  • The Barn Dance (1929)

  • Plane Crazy (1929)

  • The Opry House (1929)

  • When the Cat's Away (1929)

  • The Barnyard Battle (1929)

  • The Plow Boy (1929)

  • The Karnival Kid (1929)

  • The Skeleton Dance (1929)

  • Mickey's Follies (1929)

  • El Terrible Toreador (1929)

  • Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)

  • The Jazz Fool Springtime (1929)

  • Hell's Bells (1929)

  • Jungle Rhythm (1929)

  • The Haunted House (1929)

  • The Merry Dwarfs (1929)

  • Wild Waves (1929)

  • Summer (1930)

  • Autumn (1930)

  • Cannibal Capers (1930)

  • Fiddling Around (1930)

  • The Barnyard Concert (1930)

  • Night (1930)

  • Frolicking Fish (1930)

  • The Cactus Kid (1930)

  • Arctic Antics (1930)

  • The Fire Fighters (1930)

  • The Shindig (1930)

  • Midnight in a Toy Shop (1930)

  • The Chain Gang (1930)

  • Monkey Melodies (1930)

  • The Gorilla Mystery (1930)

  • The Picnic (1930)

  • Winter (1930)

  • Pioneer Days (1930)

  • Playful Pan (1930)

  • Minnie's Yoo Hoo (1930)

  • The Birthday Party (1931)

  • Birds of a Feather (1931)

  • Traffic Troubles (1931)

  • The Castaway (1931)

  • Mother Goose Melodies (1931)

  • The Moose Hunt (1931)

  • The China Plate (1931)

  • The Delivery Boy (1931)

  • The Busy Beavers (1931)

  • Mickey Steps Out (1931)

  • The Cat's Out (1931)

  • Blue Rhythm (1931)

  • Egyptian Melodies (1931)

  • Fishin' Around (1931)

  • The Clock Store (1931)

  • The Barnyard Broadcast (1931)

  • The Spider and the Fly (1931)

  • The Beach Party (1931)

  • The Fox Hunt (1931)

  • Mickey Cuts Up (1931)

  • Mickey's Orphans (1931)

  • The Ugly Duckling (1931)

  • The Bird Store (1932)

  • The Duck Hunt (1932)

  • The Grocery Boy (1932)

  • The Mad Dog (1932)

  • Barnyard Olympics (1932)

  • Mickey's Revue (1932)

  • Musical Farmer (1932)

  • The Bears and the Bees (1932)

  • Mickey in Arabia (1932)

  • Just Dogs (1932)

1921-1928

alice and oswald’s spotlight

From 1921-1922 came a series of shorts serialized as Newman Laugh-O-Grams, Laugh-O-Grams, and Lafflets. Although the Lafflets are lost cartoons, I was able to find most of the other titles on YouTube. Silent, and in poor quality for the most part, watching these was an interesting experience… I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened in any of them.

1923 marked the arrival of Virginia Davis’s portrayal of Alice in the Alice Comedies series. A few years later the role was passed on to Margie Gay but, unfortunately, many of those shorts are lost. Although these were also silent, they were way more engaging than the shorts that proceeded them. Something about Davis’s live-action portrayal of Alice and the crazy adventures she has in her simple, comical, animated world with characters such as Julius the Cat remind me of my sister when she was younger. I quickly learned that watching silent films requires a lot more patience, but ultimately I’m glad I took the time to watch these. If you have time to watch one of them, I would recommend watching Alice’s Wild West Show (1924); it was one of my favorites.

From 1927-1928, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit dominated the scene. It’s crazy to think that this character was essentially Mickey Mouse…before Mickey Mouse. Oswald’s escapades had a very comedic and exaggerated vibe that I couldn’t help but feel was similar to some older Tom & Jerry cartoons. I also had my mind-blown discovering that Peg-Leg Pete, a character prevalent in the Mickey Mouse cartoons today, found his origin before Mickey himself in this time period.

All in all, this was, at times, a tedious experience due to the silent nature of these shorts. However, seeing the animation style improve in technique over the course of less than a decade really spoke to me about how much Walt Disney’s animations would change in the coming era.

Some titles are omitted from the following list. These titles are either currently lost or I just couldn’t find them anywhere on the internet. Regardless, these are all of the titles that I watched.

NEWMAN LAUGH-O-GRAMS

  • Cleaning Up!!? (1921)

  • "Kansas City Girls Are Rolling Their Own Now" (1921)

  • "Did You Ever Take a Ride over Kansas City Street 'in a Fliver' " (1921)

  • Kansas City's Spring Clean-up (1921)

LAUGH-O-GRAMS

  • Little Red Riding Hood (1922)

  • The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922)

  • Jack the Giant Killer (1922)

  • Puss in Boots (1922)

  • Cinderella (1922)

  • Tommy Tucker's Tooth (1922)

ALICE COMEDIES

  • Alice's Wonderland (1923)

  • Alice's Day at Sea (1924)

  • Alice's Spooky Adventure (1924)

  • Alice's Wild West Show (1924)

  • Alice's Fishy Story (1924)

  • Alice and the Dog Catcher (1924)

  • Alice Gets in Dutch (1924)

  • Alice and the Three Bears (1924)

  • Alice Cans the Cannibals (1925)

  • Alice the Toreador (1925)

  • Alice Gets Stung (1925)

  • Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925)

  • Alice's Egg Plant (1925)

  • Alice Loses Out (1925)

  • Alice Gets Stage Struck (1925)

  • Alice Wins the Derby (1925)

  • Alice Picks the Champ (1925)

  • Alice's Tin Pony (1925)

ALICE COMEDIES (CONTINUED)

  • Alice Chops the Suey (1925)

  • Alice the Jail Bird (1925)

  • Alice Rattled by Rats (1925)

  • Alice in the Jungle (1925)

  • Alice on the Farm (1926)

  • Alice's Balloon Race (1926)

  • Alice's Orphan (1926)

  • Alice's Little Parade (1926)

  • Alice's Mysterious Mystery (1926)

  • Alice in the Wooly West (1926)

  • Alice the Fire Fighter (1926)

  • Alice's Circus Daze (1927)

  • Alice the Whaler (1927)

OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT

  • Trolley Troubles (1927)

  • Oh Teacher (1927)

  • The Mechanical Cow (1927)

  • Great Guns! (1927)

  • All Wet (1927)

  • The Ocean Hop (1927)

  • Neck 'n' Neck (1928)

  • Africa Before Dark (1928)

  • Rival Romeos (1928)

  • Bright Lights (1928)

  • Ozzie of the Mounted (1928)

  • Hungry Hoboes (1928)

  • Oh, What a Knight (1928)

  • Poor Papa (1928)

  • The Fox Chase (1928)

  • Tall Timber (1928)

  • The Sky Scrapper (1928)