A lthough animated shorts were produced a decade and a half before the first Disney production, Walt Disney is universally recognized as the pioneer of classic American animation. Disney began creating animated characters as early as 1923, however his first Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts were not created until 1928. These shorts, 'Plane Crazy' and 'Gallopin' Gaucho', were silent and filmed in black and white. The first sound cartoon starring Mickey Mouse, 'Steamboat Willie', followed later in 1928.

T alent, ingenuity, and hard work allowed Disney and his lengendary team to develop techniques which would define the future of animation. Within a span of just twelve years, audiences were introduced to a fun-spirited black and white talking Mickey Mouse, enchanted by the first full length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and dazzled by Fantasia's vibrant synthesis of animation, exquisite choreography and classical music.

D isney's revolutionary animation accomplishment, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was recognized at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1937 when Shirley Temple presented Disney with a special Oscar: one large statuette flanked by seven smaller ones. Snow White serves as an animation milestone, marking the beginning of the Golden Age of animation.

F or five decades, Disney continued to create new levels of animation achievements by introducing new techniques to the art of animation. The most notable innovations of this period include the use of live action and animated characters in the same scene, the advent of stereophonic sound, and the development of the xerographic line inking process which advanced the studios ability to produce complex films in less time. Many of Walt's contributions to the field of animation are still used today - more than twenty years after his death - a fact which underscores both his pervasive influence and his tremendous ingenuity.

D uring his lifetime, Disney remained personally involved with the conception and direction of all feature-length animated films. Released, in 1967, one year after his death, The Jungle Book, was Disney's last personally supervised animated feature. Walt's legacy and dreams continue to thrive to this day: With the release of feature length animated films such as Toy Story, Pocahontas, and James and The Giant Peach, Walt Disney Studios continues to pioneer and develop ground-breaking animation techniques utilizing the latest in technology.

Chronology of Disney's Animated Feature Films