Ub Iwerks - Animation Pioneer-Innovator

Born March 24, 1901, Ub Iwerks would be 109 years old today!

Ub Iwerks met Walt Disney in Kansas City in 1919 and there they formed a friendship and business relationship that would last for 47 years. Ub was still working at the Disney studios in 1966 when Walt passed away.

When all of Walt's animators jumped ship in 1927 to take his character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal, Ub was the only one to remain at his old friends side. Single handedly animating the first 3 Mickey Mouse cartoons ("Plane Crazy", "Gallopin' Gaucho" and "Steamboat Willie"), Ub was clearly the artistic and technical force behind the birth of Walt's empire.

Ub also was instrumental (along with musical director Carl Stalling) in the Silly Symphony series, again single handedly animating the first one, "The Skeleton Dance".

Ub separated from Walt as well in the early 1930's, beginning his own animation shop which supplied cartoons to MGM and Columbia as well as other clients, but by the 1940's he was back home with Disney.

Ub was a technically brilliant man who also invented the multi-plane camera, which he built out of old Chevrolet parts, and brought that innovation back to Disney with him. He became the director of special optical effects or something similarly titled, and designed all the special effects used in Disney's live action films. Everything from the visual magic tricks used from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" to "The Shaggy Dog", from "The Absent-Minded Professor" to "Mary Poppins" sprang from the mind and hand of this man.

Enough blathering about what so many of you already know, let's watch some cartoons!

An early Silly Symphony by Ub:

One of my favorite Comi-Color cartoons he did. The Pincushion Man villain in "Balloon Land" is an all time favorite of mine:

Finally, for those who want to know more about this man (and you should) here's a documentary all about him called "The Man Behind the Mouse". Part one is posted here and you can just click through the YouTube links at the end to see the entire thing. This is also available on the "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD devoted to Oswald the Rabbit, something that's well worth owning!

Thanks Ub, for all your art and you ability to bring others artistic vision to life!

Mickey Mouse Squeaks!

Today is the 81st anniversary of the release of "Steamboat Willie".

At New York's 79th Street Theatre on today's date in 1928, the first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound opened the bill for the film "Gang War" and took the nation by storm.

Remember "Gang War"? Me neither, and I remember EVERYTHING! Know who Mickey Mouse is? Yep!

I wonder though, how many of you have ever seen the entire cartoon? Every one's seen snippets of it, but I'll bet most have never seen it soup to nuts.

Don't worry, that's what I'm here for.

Enjoy:




Thanks Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks!

You created a legacy and a masterpiece, by just doing what you were going to do anyway, even if no one had been looking. Thankfully, we WERE looking.

Good stuff!!!

Carl Stalling: Maestro of Symphonies, Melodies and Tunes

Born this date in 1891, Carl Stalling would be 118 years old today.

The musical heart and genius behind 100's of cartoons, Carl taught us about the rhythm and timing of good comedy.

He first befriended a young Walt Disney back in Kansas City, where Walt was producing his "Laugh-O-Gram" and "Alice" cartoons and Carl was a movie house organist. After the success of "Steamboat Willie" and Walt's foray into "sound cartoons", Walt sent for Carl to join his new crew in Hollywood.

Front row above: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Carl Stalling

Carl did indeed join up and added much to the effort. It was Carl who first suggested the "Silly Symphonies" series.

Above: Carl and Ub seated with Walt standing directly over them.

When Ub Iwerks and Walt had their falling out, Carl went with Ub and worked at his studio, creating music for "Flip the Frog", "Willie Whopper" and Ub's "Comi-Color" series'.

After Ub's failure to compete with Disney, Carl made his last move. He joined the team at Warner Brothers, where 3 other Disney confederates had established a real cartoonists haven in the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series, Hugh Harman, Rudoph Ising and Friz Freleng.

This is where Carl truly blossomed and left us with a legacy of sounds and music that has become a part of all of us.

Carl's training as a movie theatre pianist/organist had ingrained in him such a library of classical music, and adding to that Warner Music Publishing's vast library which was easily stamped on his grey matter he created a whole new way of cartoon and film storytelling.



...and the "kids" still rock it today!

How boring would life be without the creativity and musical ability of this man running through the backs of our heads?

Very!

Thanks Carl!