Who Is Responsible For Mickey Mouse?

TheBeatles

TheBeatles

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I've read Walt came up with the name and that UB Iwerks was responsible for the final look of Mickey Mouse. However, I don't believe everything I read and I would love some clarification of how Mickey Mouse was created.
 
Connor002

Connor002

Active Member
Ub could draw.
Walt, basically, could not.
So, if you'd want to give credit to the person who actually drew the basic "Mickey" as we know him, that would probably be Ub.
 
Swamp Fox

Swamp Fox

New Member
UB gave Mickey his more defined look. Lillian suggested the name change from Mortimer to Mickey. I believe Walt voiced Mickey at one point. And the rest is history.

Swamp Fox
 
frankd1962

frankd1962

Member
The real person who is responsible is the one who took Oswald the Rabbit from Walt. He was mad and depressed then started to doodle out this little mouse figure. It was almost called Mortimer but Lillian said Mickey sounded a lot better. Walt did the voice from the start up to around Fantasia and Ub refined Walt's doodle.
 
slappy magoo

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Coincidentally, I was watching the first half of the Walt: the Man and the Myth DVD this morning, and what other people said is the basic gist. Walt, with Ub, produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts that were distributed by Universal for about three years. When contract renewal time came around, Univerasl basically stole the character from Walt. According to one interviewee on the disc, this was standard practice at the time. On the way back from that fateful meeting, Walt was brainstorming other characters he could animate, and thought of a mouse called Mortimer. Walt's wife said Mortimer wasn't a good name for a mouse, Mickey was. Walt sketched the basic idea for Mickey, and Ub went on to refine the character further. First couple of shorts didn't exactly set the world on fire, but when Walt decided to make one a "talkie" picture, everything changed. When discussion and auditioning people to do the voice for Mickey, Walt knew what he wanted and no one else was delivering, so the other people involved said he should do the voice himself.

Don't remember every particular detail but those are the basics.
 
KeithVH

KeithVH

Well-Known Member
In fact, here is a historical recreation of the fateful moment when Walt first hired Ub (notice Ub kissing up by wearing Mickey ears):

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