Disney traded a sportscaster for a cartoon rabbit in 2006. But do you know how Walt Disney lost that rabbit in 1928?
It cost him half his animators. It also gave him Mickey Mouse.
In February 1928 Walt was 26 and ran a small cartoon studio in California with his brother Roy. Their star was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but Universal owned the rights. Walt went to New York to ask the distributor, Charles Mintz, for a better contract. Mintz offered him 20% less money instead. By March, the Walt Disney Family Museum writes, Mintz had taken the character and half of Walt's animators.
Before the train home, Walt wired Roy: "Don't worry everything OK." Twenty years later he said disaster had seemed "right around the corner." On that train he came up with a mouse, and this time he meant to keep the rights. The first two Mickey films found no distributor. He added sound and sold his car to pay for a second recording. Steamboat Willie opened on 18 November 1928 at Universal's Colony Theatre in New York.
The Walt Disney Company reported $94.4 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025. In 2006 it let one of its sportscasters move to NBCUniversal and got Oswald back.
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What the captions say
- Disney traded a sportscaster for a cartoon rabbit in 2006. But do you know how Walt Disney lost that rabbit, and found Mickey Mouse?
- In 1928, Walt was 26. With his brother Roy he ran a small cartoon studio in California. Their star was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
- But Universal owned the rights. Walt worked for a distributor, Charles Mintz, and in February he went to New York to ask for more money.
- Mintz offered him a 20% cut instead, and half his animators were leaving for Mintz.
- Walt quit working on the Oswald cartoons.
- Before boarding the train home, he sent Roy a telegram. He wrote: "Don't worry, everything OK."
- It was not OK. Twenty years later, Walt said disaster had seemed right around the corner.
- On the train ride home, Walt came up with a new character. It was a mouse, and this time he planned to keep the rights.
- The first two Mickey films found no distributor. Walt added sound, and sold his car to pay for a second recording.
- On November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie, Mickey's first film with sound, opened at Universal's own Colony Theatre in New York. It was a hit.
- From that one mouse grew The Walt Disney Company. In 2025, the company had $94.4 billion in revenue.
- In 2006, Disney let one of its sportscasters move to Universal's parent company, and got Oswald back.
- In 1954, Walt said on television: "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it all started with a mouse."
