He Mickey Mouse is synonymous with Disney, as well as Disney is synonymous with Mickey Mouse. It is almost impossible to conceive of one without the other, since this beloved and popular character was the one who marked the beginning of the story for this company, and either the complete mouse or his simple ears are part of the brand of walt disney. However, its history and -especially- its creation is a story marked by betrayals, jealousy and what. In addition, it has another unfairly forgotten character.
And it is that it was always recognized walt disney as the creator of this stupendous and imposing empire, which includes a whole brand in the film industry, as well as in the world of entertainment with parks in America and Europe. However, at least during the first years, there was a character who remained anonymous and who, in reality, was the true creator and cartoonist of Mickey. And no, it wasn’t. walt disney.
The sad story of the true creator of Mickey Mouse and how Disney hid him at first
The manner in which the birth of the Mickey Mouse inside the universe Disney It is a truly captivating story worthy of a film or literary novel. In fact, in The Simpsons (which have already done everything), there is an episode tribute to the true story of how the most famous mouse in the world was born. And it is the chapter in which it is shown that the true creator of the cartoon “Tommy & Dally” is not the one who got fame and fortune.
Back to the story of Mickey Mouse and the origin of the industry Disneyyou have to go back to the year 1928. And here there are two actors: Walt Disney himself and who, at that time, was his friend, Ub Iwerks. According to the book “A Mouse Divided” by Jeff Ryan, Disney and Iwerks were friends and had worked together creating animations to screen after movies. This is how the need to create a character that would catapult them to fame arose. They thought of different animals (horse, frog, dog and cow), but Disney was the one who came up with the idea.
and although walt disney was the creator Ub Iwerks was the one who drew it (drawing 6 versions, and Disney chose the final one). From then on, as fame and popularity grew, the egos faced these two men, who were no longer friends. Iwerks sold his shares and resigned from the company, while Disney he kept the credit and the profits. Some time later, the cartoonist of the Mickey Mouse Return to Disneyalbeit as an employee. Disney He died in 1965, while Iwerks did so in 1971. And although they worked together again, they never recovered their friendship.
Some time later, thanks to books like Ryan’s and others like “The Hand Behind the Mouse”, the credits were given to the true cartoonist of Mickey, Ub Iwerks.