History WesternAnimation / SteamboatWillie

* {{Wedgie}}, around three minutes and 35 seconds into the cartoon this is Mickey’s chosen method to lift Minne onto the boat (Using the boat’s hook to pull her up by the waistband of her underpants).

The short was revolutionary for its time, and its copyright status in the US is still up in the air – in 1998, Disney successfully lobbied the U.S. Congress to extend its copyright[[note]] (which was originally set to expire in 2006, upon the 40th anniversary of Walt's death)[[/note]] to 2024 (this is part of the reason that the Copyright Term Extension Act is occasionally derisively called the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act"), though by the original law it should have fallen into the {{public domain|Animation}} years ago. It may in fact already be in the public domain due to errors in the original copyright formulation, but don't let Disney hear you mention that.[[note]] Also don't let Disney hear you mention that even if the copyright for this cartoon expires, they won't lose control of their classic characters, as they are protected by trademarks, which never expire as long as they are kept active. Disney knows this, as at least one Donald Duck short has fallen into the Public Domain (and Mickey short "The Mad Doctor" may have as well).[[/note]] In several other countries, including Canada and Russia, the short has been in the public domain for several years.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Older VHS releases and TV airings of Steamboat Willie tended to edit out the scene where Mickey messes around with a sow and her nursing piglets, but modern releases like the Walt Disney Treasures line and Celebrating Mickey blu-ray reinstates the scene. The Redux version of the cartoon also edits out the pig scene.

The short itself begins with the iconic image of Mickey Mouse at the mast of a steamboat, whistling to himself. The [[DesignatedVillain villain]], WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}, the real captain of the ship, steps in and hassles Mickey for not doing his job. The steamboat docks to pick up a cargo of animals, and WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse rushes to board the ship as it leaves the dock. Mickey manages to get her on board (by using a hook to pick her up by her panties no less), but an ExtremeOmniGoat eats her ukulele and her sheets of music. Somehow Mickey and Minnie are able to make the most of the situation by cranking the goat's tail, which causes it to play music. The ensuing scenes involve Mickey abusing animals in order to add to the music, by swinging a cat by its tail, choking a duck, pulling on the tails of baby pigs and then playing the mother pig's nipples. [[KickTheDog Animal abuse]] aside, this scene readily showed off what adding sound to cartoons could do. Pete gets angry at Mickey for slacking off again and forces him to peel potatoes. The short ends with Mickey throwing a potato at a parrot for laughing at him.

The short itself begins with the iconic image of Mickey Mouse at the mast of a steamboat, whistling to himself. The [[DesignatedVillain villain]], WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}, the real captain of the ship, steps in and hassles Mickey for not doing his job. The steamboat docks to pick up a cargo of animals, and Minnie Mouse rushes to board the ship as it leaves the dock. Mickey manages to get her on board (by using a hook to pick her up by her panties no less), but an ExtremeOmniGoat eats her ukulele and her sheets of music. Somehow Mickey and Minnie are able to make the most of the situation by cranking the goat's tail, which causes it to play music. The ensuing scenes involve Mickey abusing animals in order to add to the music, by swinging a cat by its tail, choking a duck, pulling on the tails of baby pigs and then playing the mother pig's nipples. [[KickTheDog Animal abuse]] aside, this scene readily showed off what adding sound to cartoons could do. Pete gets angry at Mickey for slacking off again and forces him to peel potatoes. The short ends with Mickey throwing a potato at a parrot for laughing at him.

The short itself begins with the iconic image of Mickey Mouse at the mast of a steamboat, whistling to himself. The [[DesignatedVillain villain]], Pete, the real captain of the ship, steps in and hassles Mickey for not doing his job. The steamboat docks to pick up a cargo of animals, and Minnie Mouse rushes to board the ship as it leaves the dock. Mickey manages to get her on board (by using a hook to pick her up by her panties no less), but an ExtremeOmniGoat eats her ukulele and her sheets of music. Somehow Mickey and Minnie are able to make the most of the situation by cranking the goat's tail, which causes it to play music. The ensuing scenes involve Mickey abusing animals in order to add to the music, by swinging a cat by its tail, choking a duck, pulling on the tails of baby pigs and then playing the mother pig's nipples. [[KickTheDog Animal abuse]] aside, this scene readily showed off what adding sound to cartoons could do. Pete gets angry at Mickey for slacking off again and forces him to peel potatoes. The short ends with Mickey throwing a potato at a parrot for laughing at him.

* TheBadGuyWins: And [[LaserGuidedKarma puts a dismayed Mickey to work peeling potatoes]]. Though it should be noted that Pete isn't so much a malicious villain in this case, and more just a grumpy captain fed up with a crewmember who keeps goofing off instead of working.

* {{Wedgie}}, around three minutes and 35 seconds into the cartoon this is Mickey’s chosen method to lift Minne onto the boat. (Using the boat’s hook to pull her up by the waistband of her underpants).

* {{Wedgie}}, around three minutes and 35 seconds into the cartoon this is Mickey’s chosen method to lift Minne onto the boat. (Using the boat’s hook to pull her up by the waistband of her underpants.)

''[[TropeCodifier The]]'' sound cartoon.

[[caption-width-right:300:The mouse that [[HumbleBeginnings started it all.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:The mouse that started it all.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:"…[[Creator/WaltDisney It was all started by a mouse]]."]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[WesternAnimation/RunawayBrain "Oh, that's old!"]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[WesternAnimation/RunawayBrain "Oh]], that's [[ArtEvolution old!"]]]]

* TheBadGuyWins: And [[LaserGuidedKarma puts a dismayed Mickey to work peeling potatoes]]. Though it should be noted that Pete isn't so much a malicious villain in this case, and more just a grumpy captain fed up with a crewmember who keeps goofing off instead of working.

* GenreBusting

The short was revolutionary for its time, and its copyright status in the US is still up in the air – in 1998, Disney successfully lobbied the U.S. Congress to extend its copyright[[note]] (which was originally set to expire in 2006, upon the 40th anniversary of Walt's death)[[/note]] to 2023 (this is part of the reason that the Copyright Term Extension Act is occasionally derisively called the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act"), though by the original law it should have fallen into the {{public domain|Animation}} years ago. It may in fact already be in the public domain due to errors in the original copyright formulation, but don't let Disney hear you mention that.[[note]] Also don't let Disney hear you mention that even if the copyright for this cartoon expires, they won't lose control of their classic characters, as they are protected by trademarks, which never expire as long as they are kept active. Disney knows this, as at least one Donald Duck short has fallen into the Public Domain (and Mickey short "The Mad Doctor" may have as well).[[/note]] In several other countries, including Canada and Russia, the short has been in the public domain for several years.

"Steamboat Willie" is a black-and-white WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse short released on November 18, 1928, and is the cartoon that kicked off what we have come to know as UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation. It is notable not for being the first Mickey Mouse cartoon (that honor goes to ''WesternAnimation/PlaneCrazy''), nor for being the first sound cartoon[[note]] [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Fleischer Studios]]' 1924 ''Song Car-Tune'' "Mother, Mother Pin A Rose On Me" holds that honor, and [[Creator/TerryToons Paul Terry's]] 1928 short "Dinnertime" was released just a month before Willie hit the theaters[[/note]], but for being the first cartoon with a completely post-produced soundtrack of music, dialogue, and sound effects. Namely, it was the first cartoon to get it right, bringing UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfAnimation to an end.

* TheUnintelligible: Due to the quality of the recording, it is hard to tell that the parrot is actually saying words. But thanks to extensive research, and listening very closely, he is actually saying, "Hope you don't feel hurt, big boy! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!", and when Mickey harms the parrot, you can hear him say, "Help! Help! Man overboard!"

[[caption-width-right:300:The [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse mouse]] that started it all.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[WesternAnimation/RunawayBrain "Oh]], [[ArtEvolution that's old!"]]]]

* PantyShot: A very extended one at that.

* MoralDissonance and NoAnimalsWereHarmed: It's not okay to abuse animals just so you can make music anymore. Granted, [[PeelingPotatoes it wasn't exactly OK for Mickey either]].