Critical Studies: Ub Iwerks.

Ub Iwerks turned upside down the world of animation as we know it. Not only by introducing the immortal Mickey Mouse to us but also inventing a technology that has revolutionized feature animation. The development of his multiplane camera that gave animators the chance to saturate their cartoons with greater depth.


One of his first Iwerk's animations with Disney for Universal Pictures was "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit"which was a big success. It encouraged Disney to push the boundaries and make films more technologically advanced. The whole cartoon was animated entirely by Ub.

After "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" became a big hit Disney and Iwerks came up with a new character - Mickey Mouse. Together they developed the idea and personality of Mickey and Ub was given a task to bring him to life. That's when a new chapter was added to animation history. 

Iwerks became Disney's right hand man. As an animator Ub was dedicated to work and produced animation at a record-breaking speed. He animated the first Mickey Mouse silent cartoon  entirely by himself within a three-week period, completing as many as 700 drawings a day.


Additional: "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" a documentary film from Leslie Iwerks.