Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. The Ultimate History 40th Anniversary Edition [Hardcover]

On November 18, 1928, the worlds most famous Mouse made his very first public debut. Today, we celebrate90+ years of Mickeyinone of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Starting with the first sketches of a character who was almost named Mortimer, we trace the career of Walt Disneys and Ub Iwerkss most famous creation, one met with an explosion of worldwide popularity preceded only by the earlier successes of Charlie Chaplin.

Withunlimited access to Disneys vast historical collectionsas well as public and private collections, the authors bring Mickeys success story to life:concept art,story sketches,background paintings, andanimation drawingsas well ashistorical photographstrace the origins and evolution of such timeless favorites asSteamboat Willie,The Band Concert, andBrave Little Tailor. They also follow Mickey as he builds on this legendary library of short cartoons by appearing in two historic feature-length films,FantasiaandFun and Fancy Free.

Extensive archival research shedsnew light on little-known chapters of Mickeys career, the origins of the Mickey Mouse Club, and his use as a patriotic icon during World War II. Along the way, we encounter the work ofall major Mickey artists in both film and comics, including such greats as Ub Iwerks, Win Smith, Ferdinand Horvath, Fred Moore, Floyd Gottfredson, Carl Barks, Manuel Gonzales, Paul Murry, Romano Scarpa, Giorgio Cavazzano, Byron Erickson, and C?sar Ferioli.

Mickey Mouse has left an indelible mark on everyday culture as well as high art, becoming a favored subject for Pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Roy Lichtenstein. As Walt Disney once said:I only hope that we never lose sight of one thingthat it wl£(