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* [[Flip the Frog]]
* [[Flip the Frog]]
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| children      = 2, including [[Don Iwerks]]
| children      = 2, including [[Don Iwerks|Don]]
| employer      = {{Plainlist|
| employer      = {{Plainlist|
* [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] (1923–1930, 1940–1964)
* [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] (1923–1930, 1940–1964)
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| signature    = Ub Iwerks Signature.png
| signature    = Ub Iwerks Signature.png
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'''Ubbe Ert''' "'''Ub'''" '''Iwerks''' ({{IPAc-en|ʌ|b|_|ˈ|aɪ|w|ɜr|k|s}} {{respell|ub|_|EYE|wurks}}; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American [[animator]], [[cartoonist]], [[character designer]], [[Invention|inventor]], and [[special effects]] [[technician]], known for his work with [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]] in general, and for having worked on the development of the design of the character of [[Mickey Mouse]], among others. Born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], Iwerks met fellow artist [[Walt Disney]] while working at a Kansas City art studio in 1919.  
'''Ubbe Ert''' "'''Ub'''" '''Iwerks''' ({{IPAc-en|ʌ|b|_|ˈ|aɪ|w|ɜr|k|s}} {{respell|ub|_|EYE|wurks}}; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. He was known for his early work with [[Walt Disney]], especially for having worked on the creation of [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]], among other characters.


After briefly working as illustrators for a local newspaper company, Disney and Iwerks ventured into animation together. Iwerks joined Disney as chief animator on the [[Laugh-O-Gram]] shorts series beginning in 1922, but a studio bankruptcy would cause Disney to relocate to [[Los Angeles]] in 1923. In the new studio, Iwerks continued to work with Disney on the ''[[Alice Comedies]]'' as well as the creation of the [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]] character. Following the first ''Oswald'' short, both Universal Pictures and the Winkler Pictures production company insisted that the Oswald character be redesigned. At the insistence of Disney, Iwerks designed a number of new characters for the studio, including designs that would be used for [[Clarabelle Cow]] and [[Horace Horsecollar]].
Iwerks and Disney met in 1919 while working at an art studio in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]. After briefly working as illustrators for a local newspaper company, they ventured into animation together. Iwerks joined Disney as chief animator on the [[Laugh-O-Gram]] shorts series beginning in 1922, but a studio bankruptcy would cause Disney to relocate to [[Los Angeles]] in 1923. In the new studio, Iwerks continued to work with Disney on the ''[[Alice Comedies]]'' as well as the creation of [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]]. Following the first ''Oswald'' short, both Universal Pictures and the Winkler Pictures production company insisted that the Oswald character be redesigned. At the insistence of Disney, Iwerks designed a number of new characters for the studio, including designs that would be used for [[Clarabelle Cow]] and [[Horace Horsecollar]].


One of Iwerks's most long-lasting contributions to animation was a refined version of a sketch drawn by Disney that would later go on to become [[Mickey Mouse]]. Iwerks was responsible for much of the animation for the early Mickey Mouse and ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' cartoons, including ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', ''[[The Skeleton Dance]]'' and ''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]'', before a falling out with Disney led to Iwerks's resignation from the studio in January 1930. Iwerks's final ''Mickey Mouse'' cartoon was 1930's ''[[The Cactus Kid (1930 film)|The Cactus Kid]]''. Following his separation with Disney, Iwerks, operating under [[Iwerks Studio]], created the characters [[Flip the Frog]] and [[Willie Whopper]] along with the ''[[ComiColor Cartoons]]'' series as part of a contract with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], but the new studio failed to rival its competitors. Iwerks later directed two ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' cartoon shorts for [[Leon Schlesinger Productions]] and several ''[[Color Rhapsody]]'' cartoons for [[Screen Gems]] before joining Disney again in 1940, after which he worked with special visual effects on productions such as 1946's ''[[Song of the South]]''.
One of Iwerks's most long-lasting contributions to animation was a refined version of a sketch drawn by Disney that would later go on to become [[Mickey Mouse]]. Iwerks was responsible for much of the animation for the early Mickey Mouse and ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' cartoons, including ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', ''[[The Skeleton Dance]]'' and ''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]'', before a falling out with Disney led to Iwerks's resignation from the studio in January 1930. Iwerks's final ''Mickey Mouse'' cartoon was 1930's ''[[The Cactus Kid (1930 film)|The Cactus Kid]]''. Following his separation with Disney, Iwerks, operating under [[Iwerks Studio]], created the characters [[Flip the Frog]] and [[Willie Whopper]] along with the ''[[ComiColor Cartoons]]'' series as part of a contract with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], but the new studio failed to rival its competitors. Iwerks later directed two ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' cartoon shorts for [[Leon Schlesinger Productions]] and several ''[[Color Rhapsody]]'' cartoons for [[Screen Gems]] from his studio as contract work before joining Disney again in 1940, after which he worked with special visual effects on productions such as 1946's ''[[Song of the South]]''.


Iwerks had two children, [[Don Iwerks|Donald Warren Iwerks]] and David Lee Iwerks, with his wife Mildred Sarah Henderson. Iwerks died of a heart attack in [[Burbank, California]], in 1971 at age 70. Iwerks was posthumously named a [[Disney Legend]] in 1989. His likeness has been featured in his granddaughter [[Leslie Iwerks]]'s 1999 documentary ''The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story'' as well as the 2014 feature film ''[[Walt Before Mickey]]'', in which he is portrayed by [[Armando Gutierrez]]. Iwerks received three nominations at the [[Academy Awards]], for which he won one. He also posthumously received the [[Winsor McCay Award]] at the 1978 [[Annie Awards]] and the Hall of Fame award at the 2017 [[Visual Effects Society Awards]].
Iwerks had two children, [[Don Iwerks|Donald Warren Iwerks]] and David Lee Iwerks, with his wife Mildred Sarah Henderson. Iwerks died of a heart attack in [[Burbank, California]], in 1971 at age 70. Iwerks was posthumously named a [[Disney Legend]] in 1989. His likeness has been featured in his granddaughter [[Leslie Iwerks]]'s 1999 documentary ''The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story'' as well as the 2014 feature film ''[[Walt Before Mickey]]'', in which he is portrayed by [[Armando Gutierrez]]. Iwerks received three nominations at the [[Academy Awards]], for which he won two. He also posthumously received the [[Winsor McCay Award]] at the 1978 [[Annie Awards]] and the Hall of Fame award at the 2017 [[Visual Effects Society Awards]]. Iwerks is considered one of the greatest animators of all time.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Iwerks was born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/greatcartoondire00lenb/page/24/mode/2up 25]}} His father was born in the village of [[Uttum]] in [[East Frisia]] (northwest Germany, today part of the municipality of [[Krummhörn]]) and emigrated to the United States in 1869 around the age of 14.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ub Iwerks {{!}} American Animator and Special-Effects Technician |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ub-Iwerks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910084220/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ub-Iwerks |archive-date=September 10, 2017 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=[[Britannica.com]] |language=en}}</ref> The elder Iwerks, who worked as a barber, had fathered and abandoned several previous wives and children. When Ub was a teenager, his father abandoned him as well, forcing the boy to drop out of school and work to support his mother. Iwerks despised his father and never spoke of him; upon learning that he had died, he reportedly said, "Throw him in a ditch."{{sfn |Iwerks |Kenworthy |2001 |p=134}} He attended Ashland Grammar School, graduating in 1914.{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/greatcartoondire00lenb/page/24/mode/2up 25]}}  Ub's full name, Ubbe Ert Iwwerks, can be seen on early ''[[Alice Comedies]]'' that he signed. Several years later, he simplified his name to "Ub Iwerks", sometimes written as "U.B. Iwerks".{{efn|For example in the opening credits of ''[[Little Black Sambo (film)|Little Black Sambo]]'' (1935)}}
Iwerks was born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/greatcartoondire00lenb/page/24/mode/2up 25]}} His father was born in the village of [[Uttum]] in [[East Frisia]] (northwest Germany, today part of the municipality of [[Krummhörn]]) and emigrated to the United States in 1869 around the age of 14.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ub Iwerks {{!}} American Animator and Special-Effects Technician |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ub-Iwerks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910084220/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ub-Iwerks |archive-date=September 10, 2017 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=[[Britannica.com]] |language=en}}</ref> The elder Iwerks, who worked as a barber, had abandoned several previous wives and children. When Ub was a teenager, his father abandoned him as well, forcing the boy to drop out of school and work to support his mother. Iwerks despised his father and never spoke of or saw him again; upon learning that he had died, he reportedly said, "Throw him in a ditch."{{sfn |Iwerks |Kenworthy |2001 |p=134}} Years later, when Iwerks's son Don asked about his grandfather, Ub stopped Don, telling him "We don't talk about that."<ref name="Iwerks 1999">{{cite AV media |last=Iwerks |first=Leslie |author-link=Leslie Iwerks |title=Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story (Part 1) |via=Dailymotion |format=video |date=1999 |url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnpkgt |access-date=2025-06-25}}</ref> He attended Ashland Grammar School, graduating in 1914.{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/greatcartoondire00lenb/page/24/mode/2up 25]}}  Ub's full name, Ubbe Ert Iwerks, can be seen on early ''[[Alice Comedies]]'' that he signed. Several years later, he simplified his name to "Ub Iwerks", sometimes written as "U.B. Iwerks".{{efn|For example in the opening credits of ''[[Little Black Sambo (film)|Little Black Sambo]]'' (1935)}}


==Career==
==Career==
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[[File:Excerpt from Steamboat Willie (1928), used as part of Walt Disney Animation Studios Logo.gif|thumb|right|Excerpt of ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'' (1928), one of the first few Mickey Mouse shorts, which was animated almost entirely by Iwerks]]
[[File:Excerpt from Steamboat Willie (1928), used as part of Walt Disney Animation Studios Logo.gif|thumb|right|Excerpt of ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'' (1928), one of the first few Mickey Mouse shorts, which was animated almost entirely by Iwerks]]


The first few Mickey Mouse and ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' cartoons were animated almost entirely by Iwerks, including ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', ''[[The Skeleton Dance]]'' and ''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]''.{{sfn |Maltin |1987 |p=189}} However, as Iwerks began to animate more and more cartoons on a daily basis, he chafed under Disney's leadership.{{sfn |Gabler |2006 |p=143}} Iwerks also felt he was not getting the credit he deserved for drawing all of Disney's successful cartoons.{{sfn |Gabler |2006 |p=144}} Eventually, Iwerks and Disney had a falling out; their friendship and working partnership were severed in January 1930. According to an unconfirmed account, a child approached Disney and Iwerks at a party and asked for a picture of Mickey to be drawn on a napkin, to which Disney handed the pen and paper to Iwerks and stated, "Why don't you draw Mickey and I'll sign it." Iwerks became furious and threw the pen and paper, storming out.{{sfn |Iwerks |Kenworthy |2001 |pp=83-84}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Not! |first=Ripley's Believe It or |title=Wonderfully Weird Facts You Want To Know About Walt Disney |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2020/08/18/wonderfully-weird-facts-you-want-to-know-about-walt-disney/ |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=Lethbridge News Now |language=en}}</ref> Iwerks accepted a contract with Disney's former distributor, [[Pat Powers (businessman)|Pat Powers]], to leave Disney and start an animation studio under his own name.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kaufman |first1=J.B. |title=Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History |last2=Gerstein |first2=David |date=2018 |publisher=Taschen |isbn=978-3-8365-5284-4 |location=Cologne |page=53}}</ref> His last Mickey Mouse cartoon was ''[[Wild Waves]]'' (1929) and final Disney film was the Silly Symphony ''[[Autumn (1930 film)|Autumn]]'' (1930).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ryan, Jeff |title=A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten, and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt |publisher=Post Hill Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-68261-628-4 |pages=181, 184}}</ref> (Powers and Disney had an earlier falling-out over Disney's use of the Powers Cinephone [[sound-on-film]] system—actually copied by Powers from [[Lee de Forest|DeForest]] [[Phonofilm]] without credit—in early Disney cartoons.){{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
The first few Mickey Mouse and ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' cartoons were animated almost entirely by Iwerks, including ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', ''[[The Skeleton Dance]]'' and ''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]''.{{sfn |Maltin |1987 |p=189}} However, as Iwerks began to animate more and more cartoons on a daily basis, he grew increasingly resentful of Disney's leadership{{sfn |Gabler |2006 |p=143}} and felt his contributions were underappreciated.{{sfn |Gabler |2006 |p=144}} Iwerks and Disney's partnership ultimately splintered in January 1930. At a party, a child requested that Disney draw Mickey Mouse on a napkin, and Disney handed the pen to Iwerks, saying, "Why don't you draw Mickey and I'll sign it." Iwerks was enraged and stormed off.{{sfn |Iwerks |Kenworthy |2001 |pp=83-84}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Not! |first=Ripley's Believe It or |title=Wonderfully Weird Facts You Want To Know About Walt Disney |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2020/08/18/wonderfully-weird-facts-you-want-to-know-about-walt-disney/ |access-date=May 7, 2023 |website=Lethbridge News Now |language=en}}</ref>
 
Iwerks accepted a contract with Disney's former distributor, [[Pat Powers (businessman)|Pat Powers]], to leave Disney and start an animation studio under his own name.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kaufman |first1=J.B. |title=Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History |last2=Gerstein |first2=David |date=2018 |publisher=Taschen |isbn=978-3-8365-5284-4 |location=Cologne |page=53}}</ref> His last Mickey Mouse cartoon was ''[[Wild Waves]]'' (1929) and final Disney film was the Silly Symphony ''[[Autumn (1930 film)|Autumn]]'' (1930).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ryan, Jeff |title=A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten, and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt |publisher=Post Hill Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-68261-628-4 |pages=181, 184}}</ref> (Powers and Disney had an earlier falling-out over Disney's use of the Powers Cinephone [[sound-on-film]] system—actually copied by Powers from [[Lee de Forest|DeForest]] [[Phonofilm]] without credit—in early Disney cartoons.){{citation needed|date=December 2022}} He also penciled the first strips of the [[Mickey Mouse (comic strip)|Mickey Mouse comic strip]].<ref>[https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/01/13/90-years-ago-mickey-mouse-comic-strip-debuts/ 90 Years Ago – Mickey Mouse Comic Strip Debuts]</ref>


=== After Disney (1930–1940) ===
=== After Disney (1930–1940) ===
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====Contract work====
====Contract work====
In 1937, [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] contracted Iwerks to produce four ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' shorts starring [[Porky Pig]] and [[Gabby Goat]]. Iwerks directed the first two shorts, while former Schlesinger animator [[Robert Clampett]] was promoted to director and helmed the other two shorts before he and his unit returned to the main Schlesinger lot. Iwerks then did contract work for [[Screen Gems]] (then [[Columbia Pictures]]' cartoon division)  where he was the director of several of the ''[[Color Rhapsody]]'' shorts before returning to work for Disney in 1940.
In 1937, [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] contracted Iwerks to produce four ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' shorts starring [[Porky Pig]] and [[Gabby Goat]]. Iwerks directed the first two shorts, while former Schlesinger animator [[Robert Clampett]] was promoted to director and helmed the other two shorts before he and his unit returned to the main Schlesinger lot. Iwerks also did contract work for [[Screen Gems]] (then [[Columbia Pictures]]' cartoon division)  where he was the director of several of the ''[[Color Rhapsody]]'' shorts from 1936-1940 returning to work for Disney in 1940.


=== Return to Disney (1940–1964) ===
=== Return to Disney (1940–1964) ===
After his return to the Disney studio, Iwerks mainly worked on developing [[special effects|special visual effects]]. He is credited as developing the processes for combining live-action and animation used in ''[[Song of the South]]'' (1946), as well as the [[Xerography|xerographic]] process adapted for cel animation, which was used in ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians|101 Dalmatians]]'' (1961).<ref name=korkis/> He also worked at WED Enterprises, now [[Walt Disney Imagineering]], helping to develop many Disney theme park attractions during the 1960s. Iwerks did special effects work outside the studio as well, including the birds for his [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominated achievement for [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963).<ref name="Cinefantastique-Counts-Birds">{{Cite news |last1=Counts |first1=Kyle B. |last2=Rubin |first2=Steve |date=Fall 1980 |title=The Making of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds |volume=10 |work=[[Cinefantastique]] |issue=2 |url=https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Cinemafantastique_(1980)_-_The_Making_of_Alfred_Hitchcock's_The_Birds |url-status=live |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307154006/https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Cinemafantastique_%281980%29_-_The_Making_of_Alfred_Hitchcock%27s_The_Birds |archive-date=March 7, 2022}}</ref> Iwerks's last credit for Disney was for perfecting the travel matte system for the ''Mary Poppins'' sequence "Feed the Birds"<ref name=korkis/> Iwerks's most famous work,<ref name=korkis/> outside animating Mickey Mouse, was Flip the Frog from his own studio.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Scott |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Fiddlesticks Flips Flip in First Color Cartoon |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/may/19/screen-fiddlesticks-flips-flip-first-color-cartoon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502182312/https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/may/19/screen-fiddlesticks-flips-flip-first-color-cartoon/ |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=San Diego Reader}}</ref> While he was at Disney, he developed a variety of patents for applying [[Xerography]] for  [[Xerography#Uses in animation|use in animation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=USPTO Search Results for Iwerks and Xerographic. |url=https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html}}</ref>
After his return to the Disney studio, Iwerks mainly worked on developing [[special effects|special visual effects]]. He is credited as developing the processes for combining live-action and animation used in ''[[Song of the South]]'' (1946), as well as the [[Xerography|xerographic]] process adapted for cel animation, which was used in ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians|101 Dalmatians]]'' (1961).<ref name=korkis/> He also worked at WED Enterprises, now [[Walt Disney Imagineering]], helping to develop many Disney theme park attractions during the 1960s. Iwerks did special effects work outside the studio as well, including the birds for his [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominated achievement for [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' (1963).<ref name="Cinefantastique-Counts-Birds">{{Cite news |last1=Counts |first1=Kyle B. |last2=Rubin |first2=Steve |date=Fall 1980 |title=The Making of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds |volume=10 |work=[[Cinefantastique]] |issue=2 |url=https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Cinemafantastique_(1980)_-_The_Making_of_Alfred_Hitchcock's_The_Birds |url-status=live |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307154006/https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Cinemafantastique_%281980%29_-_The_Making_of_Alfred_Hitchcock%27s_The_Birds |archive-date=March 7, 2022}}</ref> Iwerks's last credit for Disney was for perfecting the travel matte system for the ''Mary Poppins'' sequence "Feed the Birds"<ref name=korkis/> Iwerks's most famous work,<ref name=korkis/> outside animating Mickey Mouse, was Flip the Frog from his own studio.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Scott |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Fiddlesticks Flips Flip in First Color Cartoon |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/may/19/screen-fiddlesticks-flips-flip-first-color-cartoon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502182312/https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/may/19/screen-fiddlesticks-flips-flip-first-color-cartoon/ |archive-date=May 2, 2022 |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=San Diego Reader}}</ref> While he was at Disney, he developed a variety of patents for applying [[Xerography]] for  [[Xerography#Uses in animation|use in animation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=USPTO Search Results for Iwerks and Xerographic. |url=https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life and death ==
Iwerks had two children with his wife, Mildred (née Henderson): [[Don Iwerks|Donald]] and David.  Donald went on to work for the Walt Disney company and to found [[SimEx-Iwerks|Iwerks Entertainment]]. His granddaughter is documentary film producer [[Leslie Iwerks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fAv0NL2Ezc|title=Untold with Leslie Iwerks|publisher=[[Disney]]|via=[[YouTube]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=May 12, 2020|access-date=July 22, 2023|archive-date=July 22, 2023|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/1fAv0NL2Ezc}}</ref>  David Iwerks became a portrait photographer.<ref name="hollywood-studio-magazine-1966-11">{{Cite web |date=November 1966 |title=Dave Iwerks Catches Great in the Eye of His Perceptive Camera |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywood-studio-magazine-1966-11 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=Hollywood Studio Magazine |publisher=San Fernando Valley Pub. Co. |quote=via: archive.org |location=Sherman Oaks, CA}}</ref><ref name="loc-93511088">{{Cite web |last=Iwerks |first=David Lee |title=John F. Kennedy, Head-and-Shoulders Portrait, Facing Slightly Left |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/93511088/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307135004/https://www.loc.gov/item/93511088/ |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref>
Iwerks had two children with his wife, Mildred (née Henderson): [[Don Iwerks|Donald]] and David.  Donald went on to work for the Walt Disney company and to found [[SimEx-Iwerks|Iwerks Entertainment]]. His granddaughter is documentary film producer [[Leslie Iwerks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fAv0NL2Ezc|title=Untold with Leslie Iwerks|publisher=[[Disney]]|via=[[YouTube]]|language=en-US|url-status=bot: unknown|date=May 12, 2020|access-date=July 22, 2023|archive-date=July 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722134724/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fAv0NL2Ezc}}</ref>  David Iwerks became a portrait photographer.<ref name="hollywood-studio-magazine-1966-11">{{Cite web |date=November 1966 |title=Dave Iwerks Catches Great in the Eye of His Perceptive Camera |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywood-studio-magazine-1966-11 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=Hollywood Studio Magazine |publisher=San Fernando Valley Pub. Co. |quote=via: archive.org |location=Sherman Oaks, CA}}</ref><ref name="loc-93511088">{{Cite web |last=Iwerks |first=David Lee |title=John F. Kennedy, Head-and-Shoulders Portrait, Facing Slightly Left |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/93511088/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307135004/https://www.loc.gov/item/93511088/ |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref>


Iwerks died in 1971 from a [[heart attack]] in [[Burbank, California]], aged 70, and his ashes are interred in a niche in the Columbarium of Remembrance at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills Cemetery]]. The last project he worked on was the [[Hall of Presidents]].<ref name=korkis/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Spry |first=Jeff |date=February 1, 2020 |title=The Son of Mickey Mouse's Co-Creator Opens Up the Book on Disney Classics |work=[[Syfy Wire]] |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-son-of-mickey-mouses-co-creator-opens-up-the-book-on-disney-classics |url-status=live |access-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502180710/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-son-of-mickey-mouses-co-creator-opens-up-the-book-on-disney-classics |archive-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref>
Iwerks died in 1971 from a [[heart attack]] in [[Burbank, California]], aged 70, and his ashes are interred in a niche in the Columbarium of Remembrance at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills Cemetery]]. The last project he worked on was the [[Hall of Presidents]].<ref name=korkis/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Spry |first=Jeff |date=February 1, 2020 |title=The Son of Mickey Mouse's Co-Creator Opens Up the Book on Disney Classics |work=[[Syfy Wire]] |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-son-of-mickey-mouses-co-creator-opens-up-the-book-on-disney-classics |url-status=live |access-date=May 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502180710/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-son-of-mickey-mouses-co-creator-opens-up-the-book-on-disney-classics |archive-date=May 2, 2022}}</ref>
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|
|
|-
|-
|''Jack and the Beanstalk''
|''Jack and the Beanstalk''
|September 4
|September 4
|Laugh-O-Grams
|
|
|-
|-
|''Jack the Giant Killer''
|''Jack the Giant Killer''
|September 12
|September 12
|Laugh-O-Grams
|
|
|-
|-
|''Goldie Locks and the Three Bears''
|''Goldie Locks and the Three Bears''
|October 4
|October 4
|Laugh-O-Grams
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Puss in Boots (1922 film)|Puss in Boots]]''
|''[[Puss in Boots (1922 film)|Puss in Boots]]''
|November 3
|November 3
|Laugh-O-Grams
|
|
|-
|-
|''Cinderella''
|''Cinderella''
|December 6
|December 6
|Laugh-O-Grams
|
|
|}
|}
Line 165: Line 161:
|''[[Alice's Day at Sea]]''
|''[[Alice's Day at Sea]]''
|March 1
|March 1
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="10" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Alice's Spooky Adventure]]''
|''[[Alice's Spooky Adventure]]''
|April 1
|April 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Wild West Show''  
|''Alice's Wild West Show''  
|May 1
|May 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Fishy Story''
|''Alice's Fishy Story''
|June 1
|June 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice and the Dog Catcher''
|''Alice and the Dog Catcher''
|July 1
|July 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Peacemaker''
|''Alice the Peacemaker''
|August 1
|August 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Gets in Dutch''
|''Alice Gets in Dutch''
|November 1
|November 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Hunting in Africa''
|''Alice Hunting in Africa''
|November 15
|November 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice and the Three Bears''
|''Alice and the Three Bears''
|December 1
|December 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Piper''  
|''Alice the Piper''  
|December 15
|December 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 224: Line 211:
|''Alice Cans the Cannibals''
|''Alice Cans the Cannibals''
|January 1
|January 1
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="15" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Alice the Toreador]]''
|''[[Alice the Toreador]]''
|January 15
|January 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Alice Gets Stung]]''
|''[[Alice Gets Stung]]''
|February 1  
|February 1  
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Alice Solves the Puzzle]]''
|''[[Alice Solves the Puzzle]]''
|February 15
|February 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Egg Plant''
|''Alice's Egg Plant''
|May 17
|May 17
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Loses Out''
|''Alice Loses Out''
|June 15
|June 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Is Stage Struck''
|''Alice Is Stage Struck''
|June 23  
|June 23  
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Wins the Derby''  
|''Alice Wins the Derby''  
|July 12
|July 12
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Picks the Champ''
|''Alice Picks the Champ''
|July 30
|July 30
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Tin Pony''  
|''Alice's Tin Pony''  
|August 15
|August 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Chops the Suey''  
|''Alice Chops the Suey''  
|August 30
|August 30
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Jail Bird''
|''Alice the Jail Bird''
|September 15
|September 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Plays Cupid''
|''Alice Plays Cupid''
|October 15
|October 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Rattled by Rats''
|''Alice Rattled by Rats''
|November 15
|November 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice in the Jungle''  
|''Alice in the Jungle''  
|December 15
|December 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 308: Line 281:
|''Alice on the Farm''
|''Alice on the Farm''
|January 1
|January 1
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="15" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Balloon Race''
|''Alice's Balloon Race''
|January 15
|January 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Alice's Orphan]]''  
|''[[Alice's Orphan]]''  
|January 15
|January 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Little Parade''
|''Alice's Little Parade''
|February 1
|February 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Mysterious Mystery''
|''Alice's Mysterious Mystery''
|February 15
|February 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Charms the Fish''
|''Alice Charms the Fish''
|September 6
|September 6
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Monkey Business''
|''Alice's Monkey Business''
|September 20
|September 20
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice in Slumberland''
|''Alice in Slumberland''
|September 29
|September 29
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice in the Wooly West''
|''Alice in the Wooly West''
|October 4
|October 4
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Fire Fighter''
|''Alice the Fire Fighter''
|October 18
|October 18
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Cuts the Ice''  
|''Alice Cuts the Ice''  
|November 1
|November 1
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Helps the Romance''
|''Alice Helps the Romance''
|November 15
|November 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Spanish Guitar''
|''Alice's Spanish Guitar''
|November 29
|November 29
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Brown Derby''  
|''Alice's Brown Derby''  
|December 13
|December 13
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Lumberjack''
|''Alice the Lumberjack''
|December 27
|December 27
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 392: Line 351:
|''Alice the Golf Bug''
|''Alice the Golf Bug''
|January 10
|January 10
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="25" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice Foils the Pirates''
|''Alice Foils the Pirates''
|January 24
|January 24
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice at the Carnival''  
|''Alice at the Carnival''  
|February 7
|February 7
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice at the Rodeo''
|''Alice at the Rodeo''
|February 21
|February 21
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Collegiate''
|''Alice the Collegiate''
|March 7
|March 7
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice in the Alps''
|''Alice in the Alps''
|March 21
|March 21
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Auto Race''
|''Alice's Auto Race''
|April 4
|April 4
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Circus Daze''
|''Alice's Circus Daze''
|April 18
|April 18
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Knaughty Knights''
|''Alice's Knaughty Knights''
|May 2
|May 2
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Three Bad Eggs''
|''Alice's Three Bad Eggs''
|May 15
|May 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Poor Papa]]''
|''[[Poor Papa]]''
|May 15
|May 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
* The first Oswald The Rabbit short produced by Walt Disney and distributed by Universal Studios.
* The first Oswald The Rabbit short produced by Walt Disney and distributed by Universal Studios.
Line 448: Line 397:
|''Alice's Picnic''
|''Alice's Picnic''
|May 30
|May 30
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Channel Swim''
|''Alice's Channel Swim''
|June 13
|June 13
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice in the Klondike''  
|''Alice in the Klondike''  
|June 27
|June 27
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice's Medicine Show''
|''Alice's Medicine Show''
|July 11
|July 11
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Whaler''
|''Alice the Whaler''
|July 25
|July 25
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Alice the Beach Nut''
|''Alice the Beach Nut''
|August 8
|August 8
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Trolley Troubles]]''
|''[[Trolley Troubles]]''
|September 5
|September 5
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Oh Teacher (film)|Oh Teacher]]''  
|''[[Oh Teacher (film)|Oh Teacher]]''  
|September 19
|September 19
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Mechanical Cow]]''
|''[[The Mechanical Cow]]''
|October 3
|October 3
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Great Guns!]]''
|''[[Great Guns!]]''
|October 17
|October 17
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[All Wet (1927 film)|All Wet]]''
|''[[All Wet (1927 film)|All Wet]]''
|October 31
|October 31
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Ocean Hop]]''
|''[[The Ocean Hop]]''
|November 14
|November 14
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''The Banker's Daughter''
|''The Banker's Daughter''
|November 28
|November 28
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Rickety Gin''
|''Rickety Gin''
|December 26
|December 26
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 527: Line 462:
|''The Ol' Swimming Hole''
|''The Ol' Swimming Hole''
|February 6
|February 6
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="18" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Africa Before Dark]]''
|''[[Africa Before Dark]]''
|February 20
|February 20
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Rival Romeos''
|''Rival Romeos''
|March 5
|March 5
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Bright Lights (1928 film)|Bright Lights]]''
|''[[Bright Lights (1928 film)|Bright Lights]]''
|March 19
|March 19
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Sagebrush Sadie''
|''Sagebrush Sadie''
|April 2
|April 2
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Ride 'Em Plowboy''
|''Ride 'Em Plowboy''
|April 16
|April 16
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Ozzy of the Mounted''  
|''Ozzy of the Mounted''  
|April 30
|April 30
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Hungry Hobos]]''
|''[[Hungry Hobos]]''
|May 14
|May 14
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Plane Crazy]]''
|''[[Plane Crazy]]''
|May 15
|May 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
* First Mickey Mouse cartoon ever produced.
* First Mickey Mouse cartoon ever produced.
Line 573: Line 500:
|''[[Oh What a Knight]]''
|''[[Oh What a Knight]]''
|May 28
|May 28
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Fox Chase]]''
|''[[The Fox Chase]]''
|June 25
|June 25
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Tall Timber (1928 film)|Tall Timber]]''
|''[[Tall Timber (1928 film)|Tall Timber]]''
|July 9
|July 9
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Sleigh Bells (film)|Sleigh Bells]]''
|''[[Sleigh Bells (film)|Sleigh Bells]]''
|July 23
|July 23
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''High Up''
|''High Up''
|August 6
|August 6
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Gallopin' Gaucho]]''
|''[[The Gallopin' Gaucho]]''
|August 7
|August 7
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Hot Dogs''
|''Hot Dogs''
|August 20
|August 20
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''Sky Scrapper''
|''Sky Scrapper''
|September 23
|September 23
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Steamboat Willie]]''  
|''[[Steamboat Willie]]''  
|November 18
|November 18
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 627: Line 545:
|''[[The Barn Dance]]''
|''[[The Barn Dance]]''
|March 14
|March 14
|Walt Disney Productions
| rowspan="17" |Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Opry House]]''
|''[[The Opry House]]''
|March 28
|March 28
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[When the Cat's Away (1929 film)|When the Cat's Away]]''
|''[[When the Cat's Away (1929 film)|When the Cat's Away]]''
|April 11
|April 11
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Barnyard Battle]]''  
|''[[The Barnyard Battle]]''  
|April 25
|April 25
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Karnival Kid]]''
|''[[The Karnival Kid]]''
|May 23
|May 23
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Mickey's Choo-Choo]]''
|''[[Mickey's Choo-Choo]]''
|June 20
|June 20
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Mickey's Follies]]''
|''[[Mickey's Follies]]''
|June 26
|June 26
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Plowboy]]''
|''[[The Plowboy]]''
|June 28
|June 28
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Jazz Fool]]''
|''[[The Jazz Fool]]''
|July 5
|July 5
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Wild Waves]]''
|''[[Wild Waves]]''
|August 15
|August 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Skeleton Dance]]''
|''[[The Skeleton Dance]]''
|August 29
|August 29
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
* The first "[[Silly Symphony]]"
* The first "[[Silly Symphony]]"
Line 683: Line 591:
|''[[El Terrible Toreador]]''
|''[[El Terrible Toreador]]''
|September 26
|September 26
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Springtime (1929 film)|Springtime]]''
|''[[Springtime (1929 film)|Springtime]]''
|October 24
|October 24
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Jungle Rhythm]]''
|''[[Jungle Rhythm]]''
|November 15
|November 15
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[Hell's Bells (film)|Hell's Bells]]''
|''[[Hell's Bells (film)|Hell's Bells]]''
|November 21
|November 21
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]''
|''[[The Haunted House (1929 film)|The Haunted House]]''
|December 2
|December 2
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|-
|-
|''[[The Merry Dwarfs]]''  
|''[[The Merry Dwarfs]]''  
|December 19
|December 19
|Walt Disney Productions
|
|
|}
|}
Line 722: Line 624:
|''[[Fiddlesticks (1930 film)|Fiddlesticks]]''
|''[[Fiddlesticks (1930 film)|Fiddlesticks]]''
|August 16
|August 16
|[[Flip the Frog]]
| rowspan="6" |[[Flip the Frog]]
|
|
* First Flip the Frog cartoon
* First Flip the Frog cartoon
Line 729: Line 631:
|''Little Orphan Willie''
|''Little Orphan Willie''
|October 18
|October 18
|Flip the Frog
| rowspan="2" |Filmed in both two-strip Harriscolor, but only intact in B/W
|Filmed in both two-strip Harriscolor, but only intact in B/W
|-
|-
|''Flying Fists''
|''Flying Fists''
|September 6
|September 6
|Flip the Frog
|Filmed in both two-strip Harriscolor, but only intact in B/W
|-
|-
|''The Village Barber''
|''The Village Barber''
|September 27
|September 27
|Flip the Frog
|First non-woodland cartoon
|First non-woodland cartoon
|-
|-
|''The Cuckoo Murder Case''
|''The Cuckoo Murder Case''
|October 18
|October 18
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* First Halloween-themed cartoon
* First Halloween-themed cartoon
Line 750: Line 647:
|''Puddle Pranks''
|''Puddle Pranks''
|December
|December
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* Final woodland-themed cartoon
* Final woodland-themed cartoon
Line 767: Line 663:
|''The Village Smitty''
|''The Village Smitty''
|January 31
|January 31
|Flip the Frog
| rowspan="10" |Flip the Frog
|First appearances of Flip's cat girlfriend and [[Orace]]
|First appearances of Flip's cat girlfriend and [[Orace]]
|-
|-
|''The Soup Song''
|''The Soup Song''
|January 31
|January 31
|Flip the Frog
|Bandmaster [[Paul Whiteman]] is caricatured
|Bandmaster [[Paul Whiteman]] is caricatured
|-
|-
|''Laughing Gas''
|''Laughing Gas''
|March 14
|March 14
|Flip the Frog
|Only appearance of the walrus
|Only appearance of the walrus
|-
|-
|''Ragtime Romeo''
|''Ragtime Romeo''
|May 2
|May 2
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* First time Flip wears a hat
* First time Flip wears a hat
Line 788: Line 681:
|''The New Car''
|''The New Car''
|July 25
|July 25
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* Starting with this cartoon, Flip's design slowly changes
* Starting with this cartoon, Flip's design slowly changes
Line 795: Line 687:
|''Movie Mad''
|''Movie Mad''
|August 29
|August 29
|Flip the Frog
|Caricatures include [[Laurel and Hardy]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]]
|Caricatures include [[Laurel and Hardy]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]]
|-
|-
|''The Village Specialist''
|''The Village Specialist''
|September 12
|September 12
|Flip the Frog
|Only appearance of Mrs Pig
|Only appearance of Mrs Pig
|-
|-
|''Jail Birds''
|''Jail Birds''
|September 26
|September 26
|Flip the Frog
|First time Orace is Flip's horse
|First time Orace is Flip's horse
|-
|-
|''Africa Squeaks''
|''Africa Squeaks''
|October 17
|October 17
|Flip the Frog
|No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
|No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
|-
|-
|''Spooks''
|''Spooks''
|September 21
|September 21
|Flip the Frog
|Second Halloween-themed cartoon
|Second Halloween-themed cartoon
|}
|}
Line 829: Line 716:
|''The Milkman''
|''The Milkman''
|February 20
|February 20
|Flip the Frog
| rowspan="15" |Flip the Frog
|
|
* First appearance of the orphan boy
* First appearance of the orphan boy
Line 835: Line 722:
|''Fire! Fire!''
|''Fire! Fire!''
|March 5
|March 5
|Flip the Frog
|
|
|-
|-
|''What a Life''
|''What a Life''
|March 26
|March 26
|Flip the Frog
|First time Flip interacts with humans
|First time Flip interacts with humans
|-
|-
|''Puppy Love''
|''Puppy Love''
|April 30
|April 30
|Flip the Frog
|First appearance of Flip's dog
|First appearance of Flip's dog
|-
|-
|''School Days''
|''School Days''
|May 14
|May 14
|Flip the Frog
|First appearance of the spinster
|First appearance of the spinster
|-
|-
|''The Bully''
|''The Bully''
|June 18
|June 18
|Flip the Frog
|Final appearance of the orphan boy
|Final appearance of the orphan boy
|-
|-
|''The Office Boy''
|''The Office Boy''
|July 16
|July 16
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* The secretary is a caricature of [[Joan Crawford]]
* The secretary is a caricature of [[Joan Crawford]]
Line 867: Line 748:
|''Room Runners''
|''Room Runners''
|August 13
|August 13
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* Contains inappropriate content
* Contains inappropriate content
Line 873: Line 753:
|''Stormy Seas''
|''Stormy Seas''
|August 22
|August 22
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* Possibly a withheld 1931 release
* Possibly a withheld 1931 release
Line 880: Line 759:
|''Circus''
|''Circus''
|August 27
|August 27
|Flip the Frog
|Copyrighted on September 7, 1932
|Copyrighted on September 7, 1932
|-
|-
|''The Goal Rush''
|''The Goal Rush''
|October 3
|October 3
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* In the beginning, there is a scene considered inappropriate where the bandmaster shoots the clarinet player just for playing wrong
* In the beginning, there is a scene considered inappropriate where the bandmaster shoots the clarinet player just for playing wrong
Line 892: Line 769:
|''The Phoney Express''
|''The Phoney Express''
|October 27
|October 27
|Flip the Frog
|First "official" appearance of Flip's human girlfriend. She bears a strong resemblance to [[Fleischer Studios]]'s [[Betty Boop]]. The original title for the cartoon was "The Pony Express", but later changed to "The Phoney Express" by Pat Powers
|First "official" appearance of Flip's human girlfriend. She bears a strong resemblance to [[Fleischer Studios]]'s [[Betty Boop]]. The original title for the cartoon was "The Pony Express", but later changed to "The Phoney Express" by Pat Powers
|-
|-
|''The Music Lesson''
|''The Music Lesson''
|October 29
|October 29
|Flip the Frog
|Only appearance of Flip's friends
|Only appearance of Flip's friends
|-
|-
|''The Nurse Maid''
|''The Nurse Maid''
|November 26
|November 26
|Flip the Frog
|This cartoon has two racist scenes that do not appear on TV. There is an angry "Chinaman–Fu Man Chu" type with long fingernails trying to scratch the eyes out of Flip. Later, a cigar store Indian has gags with runaway animals.
|This cartoon has two racist scenes that do not appear on TV. There is an angry "Chinaman–Fu Man Chu" type with long fingernails trying to scratch the eyes out of Flip. Later, a cigar store Indian has gags with runaway animals.
|-
|-
|''Funny Face''
|''Funny Face''
|December 24
|December 24
|Flip the Frog
|In the public domain
|In the public domain
|}
|}
Line 921: Line 794:
|''Coo Coo, the Magician''
|''Coo Coo, the Magician''
|January 21
|January 21
|Flip the Frog
| rowspan="6" |Flip the Frog
|Cameo of the spinster at the beginning
|Cameo of the spinster at the beginning
|-
|-
|''Flip's Lunchroom''
|''Flip's Lunchroom''
|March 4
|March 4
|Flip the Frog
|Only ''Flip the Frog'' cartoon to have Flip's name in the title
|Only ''Flip the Frog'' cartoon to have Flip's name in the title
|-
|-
|''[[Techno-Cracked|Technocracked]]''
|''[[Techno-Cracked|Technocracked]]''
|May 8
|May 8
|Flip the Frog
| Possibly filmed in two-strip Technicolor or cinecolor
| Possibly filmed in two-strip Technicolor or cinecolor
|-
|-
|''Bulloney''
|''Bulloney''
|May 30
|May 30
|Flip the Frog
|
|
|-
|-
|''A Chinaman's Chance''
|''A Chinaman's Chance''
|June 24
|June 24
|Flip the Frog
|
|
* No longer shown on American television due to offensive Chinese stereotypes
* No longer shown on American television due to offensive Chinese stereotypes
Line 948: Line 817:
|''Paleface''
|''Paleface''
|August 12
|August 12
|Flip the Frog
|Final appearances of Orace, Flip's girlfriend, and the spinster
|Final appearances of Orace, Flip's girlfriend, and the spinster
|-
|-
|''The Air Race''
|''The Air Race''
|n/a
|n/a
|[[Willie Whopper]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Willie Whopper]]
|The first Willie Whopper cartoon, though it was never released due to a plot hole. A remake, ''Spite Flight'', was released.
|The first Willie Whopper cartoon, though it was never released due to a plot hole. A remake, ''Spite Flight'', was released.
|-
|-
|''Play Ball''
|''Play Ball''
|September 16
|September 16
|Willie Whopper
|The first official Willie Whopper cartoon
|The first official Willie Whopper cartoon
|-
|-
Line 970: Line 837:
|''Spite Flight''
|''Spite Flight''
|October 14
|October 14
|Willie Whopper
| rowspan="2" |Willie Whopper
|A remake of the unreleased Willie Whopper cartoon, 'The Air Race''
|A remake of the unreleased Willie Whopper cartoon, ''The Air Race''
|-
|-
|''Stratos Fear''
|''Stratos Fear''
|November 11
|November 11
|Willie Whopper
|
|
|-
|-
Line 1,004: Line 870:
|''Hell's Fire''
|''Hell's Fire''
|February 17
|February 17
|Willie Whopper
| rowspan="2" |Willie Whopper
|The only cartoon made by Ub Iwerks to have a curse word in the title. This is the last of the two Willie Whopper cartoons filmed in Cinecolor.
|The only cartoon made by Ub Iwerks to have a curse word in the title. This is the last of the two Willie Whopper cartoons filmed in Cinecolor.
|-
|-
|''Robin Hood, Jr.''
|''Robin Hood, Jr.''
|March 10
|March 10
|Willie Whopper
|
|
|-
|-
Line 1,029: Line 894:
|''Reducing Creme''
|''Reducing Creme''
|May 19
|May 19
|Willie Whopper
| rowspan="2" |Willie Whopper
|
|
|-
|-
|''Rasslin' Round''
|''Rasslin' Round''
|June 1
|June 1
|Willie Whopper
|Working title: ''Rasslin' Around''
|Working title: ''Rasslin' Around''
|-
|-
Line 1,044: Line 908:
|''Cave Man''
|''Cave Man''
|July 6
|July 6
|Willie Whopper
| rowspan="2" |Willie Whopper
|Music composed by Bennie Moten and his orchestra
|Music composed by Bennie Moten and his orchestra
|-
|-
|''Jungle Jitters''
|''Jungle Jitters''
|July 24
|July 24
|Willie Whopper
|No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
|No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
|-
|-
|''Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp''
|''[[Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1934 film)|Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp]]''
|August 10
|August 10
|ComiColor
|ComiColor
Line 1,059: Line 922:
|''Good Scout''
|''Good Scout''
|September 1
|September 1
|Willie Whopper
| rowspan="2" |Willie Whopper
|
|
* Music composed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers
* Music composed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers
Line 1,066: Line 929:
|''Viva Willie''
|''Viva Willie''
|September 20
|September 20
|Willie Whopper
|Final Willie Whopper cartoon. After this cartoon, the rest are Comicolor cartoons.
|Final Willie Whopper cartoon. After this cartoon, the rest are Comicolor cartoons.
|-
|-
|''[[The Headless Horseman (1934 film)|The Headless Horseman]]''
|''[[The Headless Horseman (1934 film)|The Headless Horseman]]''
|October 1
|October 1
|Comicolor
| rowspan="4" |Comicolor
|
|
|-
|-
|''The Valiant Tailor''
|''The Valiant Tailor''
|October 29
|October 29
|Comicolor
|
|
|-
|-
|''Don Quixote''
|''Don Quixote''
|November 26
|November 26
|Comicolor
|Preserved by the [[Academy Film Archive]] in 1998<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preserved Projects |url=https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=don+quixote&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506011802/https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=don+quixote&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=Academy Film Archive |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>
|Preserved by the [[Academy Film Archive]] in 1998<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preserved Projects |url=https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=don+quixote&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506011802/https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=don+quixote&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=May 20, 2020 |website=Academy Film Archive |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>
|-
|-
|''[[Jack Frost (1934 film)|Jack Frost]]''
|''[[Jack Frost (1934 film)|Jack Frost]]''
|December 24
|December 24
|Comicolor
|
|
|}
|}
Line 1,168: Line 1,027:
|}
|}


=== 1937–1940 ===
=== 1936-1940 ===
*Contract work to Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures – 16 cartoons (Iwerks was only personally involved with 15 of the [[Color Rhapsody]] series, the last cartoon in the deal was completed by Paul Fennell after Iwerks had left his own studio)
*Contract work to  Leon Schlesinger Productions – two cartoons
*Contract work to  Leon Schlesinger Productions – two cartoons
*Contract work to Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures – 17 cartoons (Iwerks was only personally involved with 16 of the [[Color Rhapsody]] series, the last cartoon in the deal was completed by Paul Fennell after Iwerks had left his own studio)
* In 1938, Iwerks produced his last series, ''Gran'pop Monkey'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=The Film Daily | title=The Film Daily (Oct-Dec 1938) | date=December 1938 | publisher=Wid's Films and Film Folk |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdail74wids/page/n556/mode/1up?q=Iwerks#:~:text=Three%20%20of%20%20the%20%20series%20%20have%20%20been%20completed%20%20under%20%20the%20%20direction%20%20of%20UB%20%20Iwerks%20%20and%20%20the%20%20first%20%20subject%20%20will%20be%20%20ready%20%20for%20%20distribution%20%20shortly%20%20after%20Jan.%20%201.}}</ref> featuring the art of British illustrator [[Lawson Wood]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stanchfield |first=Steve |date=March 20, 2014 |title='Beauty Shoppe' (1940) with Gran' Pop Monkey |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116061705/http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/ |archive-date=January 16, 2019 |access-date=June 10, 2020 |website=Cartoon Research}}</ref> There were three cartoons produced: "A Busy Day", "Beauty Shoppe" and "Baby Checkers".{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/88/mode/2up 88]}} All three were released theatrically by [[Monogram Pictures]] at some point in 1940.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Beauty Shoppe" (1940) with Gran' Pop Monkey {{!}} |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/#:~:text=All%20three%20films%20were%20shown%20theatrically%20in%201940%20(released%20by%20Monogram%20Pictures),%20and%20later%20sold%20to%20Official%20Films%20and%20released%20in%20both%20black%20and%20white%20and%20color%20versions. |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref>
* In 1940, Iwerks produced his last series, ''Gran'pop Monkey'', featuring the art of British illustrator [[Lawson Wood]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stanchfield |first=Steve |date=March 20, 2014 |title='Beauty Shoppe' (1940) with Gran' Pop Monkey |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116061705/http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/ |archive-date=January 16, 2019 |access-date=June 10, 2020 |website=Cartoon Research}}</ref> Three cartoons were made: "A Busy Day", "Beauty Shoppe" and "Baby Checkers".{{sfn |Lenburg |1993 |p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/88/mode/2up 88]}}
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
Line 1,177: Line 1,036:
!Release date
!Release date
!Notes
!Notes
|-
|''Two Lazy Crows''
|November 26, 1936
|A Color Rhapsody cartoon; First Color Rhapsody directed by Iwerks
|-
|-
|''Skeleton Frolic''
|''Skeleton Frolic''
|January 29, 1937
|January 29, 1937
|Color Rhapsody; remake of Iwerk's earlier ''The Skeleton Dance''
|A Color Rhapsody cartoon; remake of Iwerk's earlier ''The Skeleton Dance''
|-
|''Merry Mannequins''
|March 19, 1937
|A Color Rhapsody cartoon
|-
|-
|''[[Porky and Gabby]]''
|''[[Porky and Gabby]]''
|May 15, 1937
|May 15, 1937
|
|A Looney Tunes cartoon; First Looney Tune by Iwerks and debut of Gabby Goat
|-
|''The Foxy Pup''
|May 21, 1937
|A Color Rhapsody cartoon
|-
|-
|''[[Porky's Super Service]]''
|''[[Porky's Super Service]]''
|July 3, 1937
|July 3, 1937
|
|A Looney Tunes cartoon; Last Looney Tune by Iwerks
|-
|''The Horse on the Merry-Go-Round''
|February 17, 1938
|rowspan="10"| A Color Rhapsody cartoon
|-
|''Snow Time''
|April 14, 1938
|-
|''The Frog Pond''
|August 12, 1938
|-
|''Midnight Frolics''
|November 24, 1938
|-
|''The Gorilla Hunt''
|February 24, 1939
|-
|''Nell’s Yells''
|June 30, 1939
|-
|''Crop Chasers''
|September 22, 1939
|-
|''Blackboard Revue''
|March 15, 1940
|-
|''The Egg Hunt''
|May 31, 1940
|-
|''Ye Olde Swap Shoppe''
|June 28, 1940
|-
|-
|''Baby Checkers''
|''Wise Owl''
|1940 (exact date unknown)
|December 5, 1940
|
|A Color Rhpsody; Last Color Rhapsody directed by Iwerks, Last cartoon Iwerks directed before returning to Disney
|-
|-
|''Beauty Shoppe''
|''Beauty Shoppe''
|November 13, 1940
|rowspan="3"| 1940 (exact date unknown)
|
|rowspan="3"| A Gran'pop Monkey cartoon; possibly directed by Paul Fennell<ref>{{Cite web |title="Beauty Shoppe" (1940) with Gran' Pop Monkey {{!}} |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/beauty-shoppe-gran-pop-monkey-and-cartoon-films-ltd/#:~:text=Animator%20Paul%20Fennell%20took%20over%20role%20as%20the%20main%20director%20of%20the%20studio%20by%201939,%20and%20despite%20what%20it%20says%20in%20the%20trade%20ad%20above%20likely%20directed%20all%20three%20of%20the%20Gran%E2%80%99%20Pops. |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref>
|-
|-
|''A Busy Day''
|''A Busy Day''
|1940 (exact date unknown)
|-
|Last Iwerks directed cartoon prior returning to Disney
|''Baby Checkers''
|-
|''The Carpenters''
|March 14, 1941
|A Color Rhapsody; Directed by Paul Fennell, Iwerks was not involved in the creation of this cartoon (as he had returned to Disney) but it was made as part of his contract with Screen Gems
|-
|-
|}
|}
Line 1,271: Line 1,177:


== Further reading ==
== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal |last=Boje |first=David M. |date=August 1995 |title=Stories of the Storytelling Organization: A Postmodern Analysis of Disney As "Tamara -Land" |url=https://davidboje.com/vita/paper_pdfs/AMJ_Disney.pdf |journal=Academy of Management Journal |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=997–1035 |doi=10.5465/256618 |doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Boje |first=David M. |date=August 1995 |title=Stories of the Storytelling Organization: A Postmodern Analysis of Disney As "Tamara -Land" |url=https://davidboje.com/vita/paper_pdfs/AMJ_Disney.pdf |journal=Academy of Management Journal |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=997–1035 |doi=10.5465/256618 |doi-broken-date=July 12, 2025 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Iwerks |first1=Don |author-link=Don Iwerks |last2=Maltin |first2=Leonard |author2-link=Leonard Maltin |title=Walt Disney's Ultimate Inventor: the Genius of Ub Iwerks |publisher=Disney Editions |publication-place=Los Angeles |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4847-4337-9 |oclc=1133108493 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Iwerks |first1=Don |author-link=Don Iwerks |last2=Maltin |first2=Leonard |author2-link=Leonard Maltin |title=Walt Disney's Ultimate Inventor: the Genius of Ub Iwerks |publisher=Disney Editions |publication-place=Los Angeles |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4847-4337-9 |oclc=1133108493 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite web |last=Iwerks |first=Leslie |author-link=Leslie Iwerks |date=December 17, 2008 |title=The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/529899/the-hand-behind-the-mouse-the-ub-iwerks-story |website=via: TCM |publisher=Leslie Iwerks Productions, Walt Disney Pictures}}
* {{Cite web |last=Iwerks |first=Leslie |author-link=Leslie Iwerks |date=December 17, 2008 |title=The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/529899/the-hand-behind-the-mouse-the-ub-iwerks-story |website=via: TCM |publisher=Leslie Iwerks Productions, Walt Disney Pictures}}
Line 1,299: Line 1,205:
[[Category:Recipients of the Scientific and Technical Academy Award of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Scientific and Technical Academy Award of Merit]]
[[Category:American comic strip cartoonists]]
[[Category:American comic strip cartoonists]]
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American people of Frisian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Frisian descent]]
[[Category:American animated film directors]]
[[Category:American animated film directors]]
Line 1,314: Line 1,219:
[[Category:Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners]]
[[Category:Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners]]
[[Category:Laugh-O-Gram Studio people]]
[[Category:Laugh-O-Gram Studio people]]
[[Category:Disney Legends]]
[[Category:American character designers]]
[[Category:American character designers]]

Latest revision as of 15:48, 19 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Ubbe Ert "Ub" Iwerks (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. He was known for his early work with Walt Disney, especially for having worked on the creation of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, among other characters.

Iwerks and Disney met in 1919 while working at an art studio in Kansas City. After briefly working as illustrators for a local newspaper company, they ventured into animation together. Iwerks joined Disney as chief animator on the Laugh-O-Gram shorts series beginning in 1922, but a studio bankruptcy would cause Disney to relocate to Los Angeles in 1923. In the new studio, Iwerks continued to work with Disney on the Alice Comedies as well as the creation of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Following the first Oswald short, both Universal Pictures and the Winkler Pictures production company insisted that the Oswald character be redesigned. At the insistence of Disney, Iwerks designed a number of new characters for the studio, including designs that would be used for Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar.

One of Iwerks's most long-lasting contributions to animation was a refined version of a sketch drawn by Disney that would later go on to become Mickey Mouse. Iwerks was responsible for much of the animation for the early Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons, including Steamboat Willie, The Skeleton Dance and The Haunted House, before a falling out with Disney led to Iwerks's resignation from the studio in January 1930. Iwerks's final Mickey Mouse cartoon was 1930's The Cactus Kid. Following his separation with Disney, Iwerks, operating under Iwerks Studio, created the characters Flip the Frog and Willie Whopper along with the ComiColor Cartoons series as part of a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but the new studio failed to rival its competitors. Iwerks later directed two Looney Tunes cartoon shorts for Leon Schlesinger Productions and several Color Rhapsody cartoons for Screen Gems from his studio as contract work before joining Disney again in 1940, after which he worked with special visual effects on productions such as 1946's Song of the South.

Iwerks had two children, Donald Warren Iwerks and David Lee Iwerks, with his wife Mildred Sarah Henderson. Iwerks died of a heart attack in Burbank, California, in 1971 at age 70. Iwerks was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 1989. His likeness has been featured in his granddaughter Leslie Iwerks's 1999 documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story as well as the 2014 feature film Walt Before Mickey, in which he is portrayed by Armando Gutierrez. Iwerks received three nominations at the Academy Awards, for which he won two. He also posthumously received the Winsor McCay Award at the 1978 Annie Awards and the Hall of Fame award at the 2017 Visual Effects Society Awards. Iwerks is considered one of the greatest animators of all time.

Early life

Iwerks was born in Kansas City, Missouri.Template:Sfn His father was born in the village of Uttum in East Frisia (northwest Germany, today part of the municipality of Krummhörn) and emigrated to the United States in 1869 around the age of 14.[1] The elder Iwerks, who worked as a barber, had abandoned several previous wives and children. When Ub was a teenager, his father abandoned him as well, forcing the boy to drop out of school and work to support his mother. Iwerks despised his father and never spoke of or saw him again; upon learning that he had died, he reportedly said, "Throw him in a ditch."Template:Sfn Years later, when Iwerks's son Don asked about his grandfather, Ub stopped Don, telling him "We don't talk about that."[2] He attended Ashland Grammar School, graduating in 1914.Template:Sfn Ub's full name, Ubbe Ert Iwerks, can be seen on early Alice Comedies that he signed. Several years later, he simplified his name to "Ub Iwerks", sometimes written as "U.B. Iwerks".Template:Efn

Career

Disney work (1919–1929)

Iwerks spent most of his career with Disney. The two met in 1919 while working for the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio in Kansas City,Template:Sfn and eventually started their own commercial art business together.Template:Sfn Disney and Iwerks then found work as illustrators for the Kansas City Slide Newspaper CompanyTemplate:Sfn (which was later named The Kansas City Film Ad Company).Template:Sfn While working for the Kansas City Film Ad Company, Disney decided to take up work in animation,Template:Sfn and Iwerks soon joined him. There heScript error: No such module "Unsubst". attached a motor drive to the camera with a switch that resembled a telegraph key, reducing the number of people needed to animate from two to just one.Template:How[3]

File:Trolley Troubles (1927) Title Card.jpg
The title card for Trolley Troubles (1927), animated by Iwerks

Iwerks was responsible for the distinctive style of the earliest Disney animated cartoons, and was also responsible for designing Mickey Mouse.Template:Sfn In 1922, when Disney began his Laugh-O-Gram cartoon series, Iwerks joined him as chief animator. The studio went bankrupt, however, and in 1923 Iwerks followed Disney's move to Los Angeles to work on a new series of cartoons known as "the Alice Comedies" which had live-action mixed with animation. After the end of this series, Disney asked Iwerks to design a character that became Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.Template:Sfn The first cartoon Oswald starred in was animated entirely by Iwerks. Following the first cartoon, Oswald was redesigned on the insistence of Oswald's owner and the distributor of the cartoons, Universal Pictures. The production company at the time, Winkler Pictures, gave additional input on the character's design.

In spring 1928, Disney was removed from the Oswald series, and much of his staff was hired away to Winkler Pictures. He promised to never again work with a character he did not own.Template:Sfn Disney asked Iwerks, who stayed on, to start drawing up new character ideas. Iwerks tried sketches of frogs, dogs, and cats, but none of these appealed to Disney. A female cow and male horse were created at this time by Iwerks, but were also rejected. They later turned up as Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar.Template:Sfn Ub Iwerks eventually got inspiration from an old drawing. In 1925, Hugh Harman drew some sketches of mice around a photograph of Walt Disney. Then, on a train ride back from a failed business meeting, Walt Disney came up with the original sketch for the character that was eventually called Mickey Mouse.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Afterward, Disney took the sketch to Iwerks. In turn, he drew a more clean-cut and refined version of Mickey, but one that still followed the original sketch.Template:Sfn

File:Excerpt from Steamboat Willie (1928), used as part of Walt Disney Animation Studios Logo.gif
Excerpt of Steamboat Willie (1928), one of the first few Mickey Mouse shorts, which was animated almost entirely by Iwerks

The first few Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons were animated almost entirely by Iwerks, including Steamboat Willie, The Skeleton Dance and The Haunted House.Template:Sfn However, as Iwerks began to animate more and more cartoons on a daily basis, he grew increasingly resentful of Disney's leadershipTemplate:Sfn and felt his contributions were underappreciated.Template:Sfn Iwerks and Disney's partnership ultimately splintered in January 1930. At a party, a child requested that Disney draw Mickey Mouse on a napkin, and Disney handed the pen to Iwerks, saying, "Why don't you draw Mickey and I'll sign it." Iwerks was enraged and stormed off.Template:Sfn[4]

Iwerks accepted a contract with Disney's former distributor, Pat Powers, to leave Disney and start an animation studio under his own name.[5] His last Mickey Mouse cartoon was Wild Waves (1929) and final Disney film was the Silly Symphony Autumn (1930).[6] (Powers and Disney had an earlier falling-out over Disney's use of the Powers Cinephone sound-on-film system—actually copied by Powers from DeForest Phonofilm without credit—in early Disney cartoons.)Script error: No such module "Unsubst". He also penciled the first strips of the Mickey Mouse comic strip.[7]

After Disney (1930–1940)

Iwerks Studio

Template:Main article The Iwerks Studio opened in 1930. Financial backers led by Pat Powers suspected that Iwerks was responsible for much of Disney's early success. However, while animation for a time suffered at Disney from Iwerks's departure, it soon rebounded as Disney brought in talented new young animators.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Despite a contract with MGM to distribute his cartoons, and the introduction of a new character named Flip the Frog and later Willie Whopper, the Iwerks Studio was never a major commercial success and failed to rival either Disney or Fleischer Studios. Newly hired animator Fred Kopietz recommended that Iwerks employ a friend from Chouinard Art School, Chuck Jones, who was hired and put to work as a cel washer.Template:Sfn The Flip and Willie cartoons were later distributed on the home-movie marketTemplate:Clarification needed by Official Films in the 1940s.

File:Sinbadthesailor01.jpg
Sinbad the Sailor, a 1935 ComiColor cartoon

From 1933 to 1936, he produced a series of shorts (independently distributed, not part of the MGM deal) in Cinecolor, named ComiColor Cartoons. The ComiColor series mostly focused on fairy tales with no continuing character or star. Later in the 1940s, this series received home-movie distribution by Castle Films. Cinecolor produced the 16 mm prints for Castle Films with red emulsion on one side and blue emulsion on the other. Later in the 1970s Blackhawk Films released these for home use, but this time using conventional Eastmancolor film stock. They are now in the public domain and are available on VHS and DVD. He also experimented with stop-motion animation in combination with the multiplane camera, and made a short called The Toy Parade, which was never released in public.[8] In 1936, backers withdrew financial support from the Iwerks Studio, and it folded soon after.

Contract work

In 1937, Leon Schlesinger Productions contracted Iwerks to produce four Looney Tunes shorts starring Porky Pig and Gabby Goat. Iwerks directed the first two shorts, while former Schlesinger animator Robert Clampett was promoted to director and helmed the other two shorts before he and his unit returned to the main Schlesinger lot. Iwerks also did contract work for Screen Gems (then Columbia Pictures' cartoon division) where he was the director of several of the Color Rhapsody shorts from 1936-1940 returning to work for Disney in 1940.

Return to Disney (1940–1964)

After his return to the Disney studio, Iwerks mainly worked on developing special visual effects. He is credited as developing the processes for combining live-action and animation used in Song of the South (1946), as well as the xerographic process adapted for cel animation, which was used in 101 Dalmatians (1961).[9] He also worked at WED Enterprises, now Walt Disney Imagineering, helping to develop many Disney theme park attractions during the 1960s. Iwerks did special effects work outside the studio as well, including the birds for his Academy Award nominated achievement for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963).[10] Iwerks's last credit for Disney was for perfecting the travel matte system for the Mary Poppins sequence "Feed the Birds"[9] Iwerks's most famous work,[9] outside animating Mickey Mouse, was Flip the Frog from his own studio.[11] While he was at Disney, he developed a variety of patents for applying Xerography for use in animation.[12]

Personal life and death

Iwerks had two children with his wife, Mildred (née Henderson): Donald and David. Donald went on to work for the Walt Disney company and to found Iwerks Entertainment. His granddaughter is documentary film producer Leslie Iwerks.[13] David Iwerks became a portrait photographer.[14][15]

Iwerks died in 1971 from a heart attack in Burbank, California, aged 70, and his ashes are interred in a niche in the Columbarium of Remembrance at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills Cemetery. The last project he worked on was the Hall of Presidents.[9][16]

Influence and tributes

The Ub Iwerks Award for Technical Achievement, as part of the Annie Awards, is named in his honour.

A rare self-portrait of Iwerks was found in a garbage bin at an animation studio in Burbank. The portrait was saved and is now part of the Animation Archives in Burbank, California.

After World War II, much of Iwerks's early animation style was imitated by legendary manga artists Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In 1989, Iwerks was named a Disney legend.

In the 1996 The Simpsons episode "The Day the Violence Died", a relationship similar to Iwerks's early relationship with Walt Disney is used as the main plot.

A documentary film, The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, was released in 1999, followed by a book written by Iwerks's granddaughter Leslie Iwerks and John Kenworthy in 2001. The documentary, created by Leslie Iwerks, was released as part of The Walt Disney Treasures, Wave VII series (disc two of The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit collection).[17][18]

A feature film released in 2014, Walt Before Mickey, showed how Ub Iwerks, portrayed by Armando Gutierrez, and Walt Disney, portrayed by Thomas Ian Nicholas, co-created Mickey Mouse.

The sixth episode from the second season of Drunk History ("Hollywood") tells about Ub's work relationship with Disney, with stress on the creation of Mickey Mouse. Iwerks was portrayed in the episode by Tony Hale.

Filmography

1922

Title Release date Company Notes
Little Red Riding Hood July 29 Laugh-O-Grams
The Four Musicians of Bremen August 1
Jack and the Beanstalk September 4
Jack the Giant Killer September 12
Goldie Locks and the Three Bears October 4
Puss in Boots November 3
Cinderella December 6

1923

Title Release date Company Notes
Alice's Wonderland October 16 Laugh-O-Grams

1924

Title Release date Company Notes
Alice's Day at Sea March 1 Walt Disney Productions
Alice's Spooky Adventure April 1
Alice's Wild West Show May 1
Alice's Fishy Story June 1
Alice and the Dog Catcher July 1
Alice the Peacemaker August 1
Alice Gets in Dutch November 1
Alice Hunting in Africa November 15
Alice and the Three Bears December 1
Alice the Piper December 15

1925

Title Release date Company Notes
Alice Cans the Cannibals January 1 Walt Disney Productions
Alice the Toreador January 15
Alice Gets Stung February 1
Alice Solves the Puzzle February 15
Alice's Egg Plant May 17
Alice Loses Out June 15
Alice Is Stage Struck June 23
Alice Wins the Derby July 12
Alice Picks the Champ July 30
Alice's Tin Pony August 15
Alice Chops the Suey August 30
Alice the Jail Bird September 15
Alice Plays Cupid October 15
Alice Rattled by Rats November 15
Alice in the Jungle December 15

1926

Title Release date Company Notes
Alice on the Farm January 1 Walt Disney Productions
Alice's Balloon Race January 15
Alice's Orphan January 15
Alice's Little Parade February 1
Alice's Mysterious Mystery February 15
Alice Charms the Fish September 6
Alice's Monkey Business September 20
Alice in Slumberland September 29
Alice in the Wooly West October 4
Alice the Fire Fighter October 18
Alice Cuts the Ice November 1
Alice Helps the Romance November 15
Alice's Spanish Guitar November 29
Alice's Brown Derby December 13
Alice the Lumberjack December 27

1927

Title Release date Company Notes
Alice the Golf Bug January 10 Walt Disney Productions
Alice Foils the Pirates January 24
Alice at the Carnival February 7
Alice at the Rodeo February 21
Alice the Collegiate March 7
Alice in the Alps March 21
Alice's Auto Race April 4
Alice's Circus Daze April 18
Alice's Knaughty Knights May 2
Alice's Three Bad Eggs May 15
Poor Papa May 15
  • The first Oswald The Rabbit short produced by Walt Disney and distributed by Universal Studios.
Alice's Picnic May 30
Alice's Channel Swim June 13
Alice in the Klondike June 27
Alice's Medicine Show July 11
Alice the Whaler July 25
Alice the Beach Nut August 8
Trolley Troubles September 5
Oh Teacher September 19
The Mechanical Cow October 3
Great Guns! October 17
All Wet October 31
The Ocean Hop November 14
The Banker's Daughter November 28
Rickety Gin December 26

1928

Title Release date Company Notes
The Ol' Swimming Hole February 6 Walt Disney Productions
Africa Before Dark February 20
Rival Romeos March 5
Bright Lights March 19
Sagebrush Sadie April 2
Ride 'Em Plowboy April 16
Ozzy of the Mounted April 30
Hungry Hobos May 14
Plane Crazy May 15
  • First Mickey Mouse cartoon ever produced.
Oh What a Knight May 28
The Fox Chase June 25
Tall Timber July 9
Sleigh Bells July 23
High Up August 6
The Gallopin' Gaucho August 7
Hot Dogs August 20
Sky Scrapper September 23
Steamboat Willie November 18

1929

Title Release date Company Notes
The Barn Dance March 14 Walt Disney Productions
The Opry House March 28
When the Cat's Away April 11
The Barnyard Battle April 25
The Karnival Kid May 23
Mickey's Choo-Choo June 20
Mickey's Follies June 26
The Plowboy June 28
The Jazz Fool July 5
Wild Waves August 15
The Skeleton Dance August 29
El Terrible Toreador September 26
Springtime October 24
Jungle Rhythm November 15
Hell's Bells November 21
The Haunted House December 2
The Merry Dwarfs December 19

1930

Title Release date Series Notes
Fiddlesticks August 16 Flip the Frog
  • First Flip the Frog cartoon
  • Filmed in both two-strip Harriscolor, but widely released in B/W
Little Orphan Willie October 18 Filmed in both two-strip Harriscolor, but only intact in B/W
Flying Fists September 6
The Village Barber September 27 First non-woodland cartoon
The Cuckoo Murder Case October 18
  • First Halloween-themed cartoon
Puddle Pranks December
  • Final woodland-themed cartoon
  • This and Little Orphan Willie were never copyrighted
  • Only appearance of Flip's frog girlfriend

1931

Title Release date Series Notes
The Village Smitty January 31 Flip the Frog First appearances of Flip's cat girlfriend and Orace
The Soup Song January 31 Bandmaster Paul Whiteman is caricatured
Laughing Gas March 14 Only appearance of the walrus
Ragtime Romeo May 2
  • First time Flip wears a hat
The New Car July 25
  • Starting with this cartoon, Flip's design slowly changes
  • Some plot elements in this cartoon are reused from a Disney Oswald cartoon, Trolley Troubles
Movie Mad August 29 Caricatures include Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin
The Village Specialist September 12 Only appearance of Mrs Pig
Jail Birds September 26 First time Orace is Flip's horse
Africa Squeaks October 17 No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
Spooks September 21 Second Halloween-themed cartoon

1932

Title Release date Series Notes
The Milkman February 20 Flip the Frog
  • First appearance of the orphan boy
Fire! Fire! March 5
What a Life March 26 First time Flip interacts with humans
Puppy Love April 30 First appearance of Flip's dog
School Days May 14 First appearance of the spinster
The Bully June 18 Final appearance of the orphan boy
The Office Boy July 16
  • The secretary is a caricature of Joan Crawford
  • Contains inappropriate content
Room Runners August 13
  • Contains inappropriate content
Stormy Seas August 22
  • Possibly a withheld 1931 release
  • Final appearance of Flip's cat girlfriend
Circus August 27 Copyrighted on September 7, 1932
The Goal Rush October 3
  • In the beginning, there is a scene considered inappropriate where the bandmaster shoots the clarinet player just for playing wrong
  • First appearance of Flip's human girlfriend
The Phoney Express October 27 First "official" appearance of Flip's human girlfriend. She bears a strong resemblance to Fleischer Studios's Betty Boop. The original title for the cartoon was "The Pony Express", but later changed to "The Phoney Express" by Pat Powers
The Music Lesson October 29 Only appearance of Flip's friends
The Nurse Maid November 26 This cartoon has two racist scenes that do not appear on TV. There is an angry "Chinaman–Fu Man Chu" type with long fingernails trying to scratch the eyes out of Flip. Later, a cigar store Indian has gags with runaway animals.
Funny Face December 24 In the public domain

1933

Title Release date Series Notes
Coo Coo, the Magician January 21 Flip the Frog Cameo of the spinster at the beginning
Flip's Lunchroom March 4 Only Flip the Frog cartoon to have Flip's name in the title
Technocracked May 8 Possibly filmed in two-strip Technicolor or cinecolor
Bulloney May 30
A Chinaman's Chance June 24
  • No longer shown on American television due to offensive Chinese stereotypes
  • Final appearance of Flip's dog
Paleface August 12 Final appearances of Orace, Flip's girlfriend, and the spinster
The Air Race n/a Willie Whopper The first Willie Whopper cartoon, though it was never released due to a plot hole. A remake, Spite Flight, was released.
Play Ball September 16 The first official Willie Whopper cartoon
Soda Squirt October 12 Flip the Frog
Spite Flight October 14 Willie Whopper A remake of the unreleased Willie Whopper cartoon, The Air Race
Stratos Fear November 11
Jack and the Beanstalk December 23 Comicolor First Comicolor cartoon

1934

Title Release date Series Notes
Davy Jones Locker January 13 Willie Whopper The first of two Willie Whopper cartoons to be filmed in Cinecolor
The Little Red Hen February 16 Comicolor
Hell's Fire February 17 Willie Whopper The only cartoon made by Ub Iwerks to have a curse word in the title. This is the last of the two Willie Whopper cartoons filmed in Cinecolor.
Robin Hood, Jr. March 10
The Brave Tin Soldier April 7 Comicolor
Insultin' the Sultan April 14 Willie Whopper
Puss in Boots May 17 Comicolor Two other prints exist.
Reducing Creme May 19 Willie Whopper
Rasslin' Round June 1 Working title: Rasslin' Around
The Queen of Hearts June 25 Comicolor
Cave Man July 6 Willie Whopper Music composed by Bennie Moten and his orchestra
Jungle Jitters July 24 No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp August 10 ComiColor
Good Scout September 1 Willie Whopper
  • Music composed by McKinney's Cotton Pickers
  • Stereotypes of ethnic (Chinese, Jewish, Black) boy scouts
Viva Willie September 20 Final Willie Whopper cartoon. After this cartoon, the rest are Comicolor cartoons.
The Headless Horseman October 1 Comicolor
The Valiant Tailor October 29
Don Quixote November 26 Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1998[19]
Jack Frost December 24

1935

All Comicolor shorts

Title Release date Notes
Little Black Sambo February 6 No longer shown on American television due to offensive black stereotypes
Brementown Musicians March 6
Old Mother Hubbard April 3
Mary's Little Lamb May 1
Summertime June 15
Sinbad the Sailor July 30
The Three Bears August 30
Balloonland (aka The Pincushion Man) September 30 This is known as both Balloonland and The Pincushion Man
Simple Simon November 15
Humpty Dumpty December 30

1936

All Comicolor shorts

Title Release date Notes
Ali Baba January 30
Tom Thumb March 30
Dick Whittington's Cat May 30
Little Boy Blue (aka The Big Bad Wolf) July 30 This cartoon is variously known both as Little Boy Blue and The Big Bad Wolf.
Happy Days September 30 Last of the Comicolor cartoons, based on the comic strip Reg'lar Fellers. The last cartoon made prior to reorganizing the studio.

1936-1940

  • Contract work to Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures – 16 cartoons (Iwerks was only personally involved with 15 of the Color Rhapsody series, the last cartoon in the deal was completed by Paul Fennell after Iwerks had left his own studio)
  • Contract work to Leon Schlesinger Productions – two cartoons
  • In 1938, Iwerks produced his last series, Gran'pop Monkey,[20] featuring the art of British illustrator Lawson Wood.[21] There were three cartoons produced: "A Busy Day", "Beauty Shoppe" and "Baby Checkers".Template:Sfn All three were released theatrically by Monogram Pictures at some point in 1940.[22]
Title Release date Notes
Two Lazy Crows November 26, 1936 A Color Rhapsody cartoon; First Color Rhapsody directed by Iwerks
Skeleton Frolic January 29, 1937 A Color Rhapsody cartoon; remake of Iwerk's earlier The Skeleton Dance
Merry Mannequins March 19, 1937 A Color Rhapsody cartoon
Porky and Gabby May 15, 1937 A Looney Tunes cartoon; First Looney Tune by Iwerks and debut of Gabby Goat
The Foxy Pup May 21, 1937 A Color Rhapsody cartoon
Porky's Super Service July 3, 1937 A Looney Tunes cartoon; Last Looney Tune by Iwerks
The Horse on the Merry-Go-Round February 17, 1938 A Color Rhapsody cartoon
Snow Time April 14, 1938
The Frog Pond August 12, 1938
Midnight Frolics November 24, 1938
The Gorilla Hunt February 24, 1939
Nell’s Yells June 30, 1939
Crop Chasers September 22, 1939
Blackboard Revue March 15, 1940
The Egg Hunt May 31, 1940
Ye Olde Swap Shoppe June 28, 1940
Wise Owl December 5, 1940 A Color Rhpsody; Last Color Rhapsody directed by Iwerks, Last cartoon Iwerks directed before returning to Disney
Beauty Shoppe 1940 (exact date unknown) A Gran'pop Monkey cartoon; possibly directed by Paul Fennell[23]
A Busy Day
Baby Checkers
The Carpenters March 14, 1941 A Color Rhapsody; Directed by Paul Fennell, Iwerks was not involved in the creation of this cartoon (as he had returned to Disney) but it was made as part of his contract with Screen Gems

Accolades

Year Award Category Recognition Shared with Result
Template:Dts Academy Awards Technical Achievement Award For the design of an improved optical printer for special effects and matte shots. — Template:Won
Template:Dts Best Effects, Special Visual Effects The Birds — Template:Nom
Academy Award of Merit For the conception and perfection of techniques for Color Traveling Matte Composite Cinematography. Petro Vlahos and Wadsworth E. Pohl Template:Won
Template:Dts Annie Awards Winsor McCay Award — — Template:Won
Template:Dts Visual Effects Society Awards Hall of Fame — — Template:Won

See also

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Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

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Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  7. ↑ 90 Years Ago – Mickey Mouse Comic Strip Debuts
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  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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