The Animation Pioneer Who Helped Disney Create Mickey Mouse
Ub Iwerks published the first Color-Sound cartoon 84 years ago today, starring Flip the Frog. But chances are, you're much more likely to know him for his other cartoon creation Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks developed Mickey in the 1920s together, with Iwerks designing and often animating the actual cartoons. Iwerks was a dab hand at innovation too, becoming one of Disney's first imagineers while developing the multi-plane camera, salt vapor filming early green screen, and animatronics. Famous animator Chuck Jones once said of Iwekrs "Iwerks spelled backwards is screwy," but maybe you need a screw loose to invent like Iwerks did. ,