Walt Disney Productions

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit works backstage at a theater trying to keep the show going amid chaotic animal acts and a runaway skeleton dance. A Walt Disney-directed Oswald short from the Winkler era. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Animation · Comedy

A swaggering Spanish toreador squares off against a mischievous bull in a bullring full of sight gags and musical flourishes. An early Walt Disney Silly Symphony. The 1929 film entered the public domain on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Comedy · Music

An educational Walt Disney short produced for the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, contrasting two families to teach children in the Americas the importance of personal hygiene and sanitation. The film entered the public domain as a U.S. government work.

Animation · Educational · Family

Satan presides over a hellish jazz concert where demons and imps dance to a fiendish orchestra, until one rebellious devil challenges the boss. A Ub Iwerks-directed Disney Silly Symphony. The 1929 film entered the public domain on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Comedy · Horror · Music

A 1929 Mickey Mouse short directed by Walt Disney, structured as a vaudeville-style revue hosted by Mickey. The cartoon features a parade of animal performers dancing, singing, and doing acrobatics, culminating in Mickey performing the song "Minnie's Yoo Hoo," the first original song written for a Disney cartoon. The short is a snapshot of the early Mickey Mouse era, when the character was more mischievous and the cartoons were essentially animated variety shows. Published in 1929, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Short · Comedy · Music

Oh Teacher is a 1927 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon directed by Walt Disney. Oswald competes with a rival for the affections of a female rabbit in this early silent short. The cartoon was produced during Disney's brief but influential period with the Oswald character, before he lost the rights to Universal and created Mickey Mouse. As a 1927 work, the film is in the public domain.

Animation · Comedy

Oh What a Knight is a 1928 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon directed by Walt Disney. Oswald is a knight who must rescue a princess from a castle, with plenty of gags along the way. The short features medieval fantasy settings and the distinctive animation style of Disney's Oswald period. As a 1928 work, the film entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2024.

Animation · Comedy · Fantasy

Ozzie of the Mounted is a 1928 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon directed by Walt Disney. Oswald appears as a Canadian Mountie on patrol, pursuing a wanted outlaw through the wilderness. The short features the slapstick humor and visual gags characteristic of Disney's Oswald period. As a 1928 work, the film entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2024.

Animation · Comedy · Adventure

Pioneer Days is a 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoon directed by Burt Gillett for Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures. Mickey and Minnie travel west in a covered wagon as part of a pioneer wagon train. When Minnie is captured by Native Americans, Mickey must rescue her, eventually frightening off the attackers by pretending to be an entire army of soldiers. The short features Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow in supporting roles. As a 1930 work, the film is in the public domain.

Animation · Comedy · Western

Rival Romeos is a 1928 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon directed by Walt Disney. Oswald and a rival suitor compete for the affections of a female rabbit, with each attempting to outdo the other in a series of romantic and slapstick gags. The short is a classic example of the competitive courtship formula common in silent animation. As a 1928 work, the film entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2024.

Animation · Comedy · Romance

Springtime is a 1929 Silly Symphony cartoon directed by Walt Disney for Walt Disney Productions, distributed by Columbia Pictures. The first Silly Symphony to use synchronized sound throughout, the short depicts the awakening of spring in the natural world, with flowers dancing, frogs performing, and spiders spinning webs in time to the music. The cartoon was an important technical milestone for Disney, demonstrating that animation could be synchronized to music without a central character. As a 1929 work, the film is in the public domain.

Animation · Musical

The short that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, and the first cartoon with fully synchronized sound. Walt Disney directed and voiced Mickey, with Ub Iwerks handling the animation at a furious pace to get the film finished. The plot is simple: Mickey pilots a steamboat, torments a parrot, and plays the animals like instruments to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw." What made it a sensation was the sound. Audiences had never seen a cartoon whose movements locked to a soundtrack that precisely, and it landed only a year after The Jazz Singer proved synchronized sound was viable for live action. Steamboat Willie's success bankrolled the Disney studio and set the course of animation for the next decade. The 1928 short entered the United States public domain on January 1, 2024.

Animation · Comedy

Mickey Mouse plays fiddle and dances with Minnie at a lively barn dance, competing with Pete for her affections. A Walt Disney-directed Mickey Mouse short, the third in the series. The 1929 film entered the public domain on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Comedy · Music

Mickey Mouse is a convict on a chain gang who escapes with the help of a pair of bloodhounds, marking the first appearance of Pluto. A Burt Gillett-directed Mickey Mouse short. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Animation · Comedy

A 1929 Mickey Mouse short directed by Walt Disney. Mickey takes shelter from a storm in a haunted house, where he encounters skeletons, ghosts, and a menacing figure who forces him to play the organ. The cartoon blends comedy with Gothic atmosphere, with the skeletons dancing to Mickey's music in a sequence that echoes Disney's own Skeleton Dance, released the same year. The short is a fine example of the early, spookier Mickey Mouse cartoons, before the character was softened into a more wholesome figure. Published in 1929, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Short · Comedy · Horror

A 1929 Mickey Mouse short notable as the first cartoon in which Mickey speaks, with Walt Disney providing the voice. Mickey works at a carnival, selling hot dogs and dancing with a pair of cats who perform a shimmy routine. The hot dogs, animated with a life of their own, are the highlight: Mickey spanks one into submission when it refuses to be eaten. The short is a landmark in the series, marking the transition from purely physical comedy to the character-driven humor that would define Mickey Mouse for decades. Published in 1929, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Short · Comedy

A colony of merry dwarfs celebrates with music and dancing in a forest clearing, in this early Silly Symphony short. A Ub Iwerks-directed Disney cartoon. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Animation · Comedy · Music

Mickey Mouse takes Minnie on a picnic, but their outing is disrupted by a mischievous Pluto making his first animated appearance. A Burt Gillett-directed Mickey Mouse short. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Animation · Comedy · Family

Mickey Mouse plows a field with the help of his animals, turning farm work into a musical comedy of errors. A Ub Iwerks-directed Mickey Mouse short. The film entered the public domain through non-renewal.

Animation · Comedy · Music

The first Silly Symphony, and the short that proved Walt Disney's studio could do more than Mickey Mouse. Animated almost entirely by Ub Iwerks, it shows four skeletons rising from their graves in a graveyard at midnight and dancing to Carl Stalling's score, itself inspired by Saint-Saëns's Danse Macabre. There is no story and no dialogue, just movement cut to music, and the timing is so sure that the gags still land nearly a century later. The picture was a hard sell at first, exhibitors balked at the "gruesome" subject, but it became a hit and launched the Silly Symphony series, which the studio used as a laboratory for the techniques that would eventually make Snow White possible. Published in 1929, it entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Short · Horror

Donald Duck faces a wartime dilemma: spend his paycheck on fun, or save it to pay his income taxes and fund the fight against the Axis. A thrifty Scotsman and a lavish spendthrift battle for his wallet in this Disney propaganda short made for the U.S. Treasury Department, which helped convince millions of Americans to pay their income tax for the first time. Clarence Nash voices Donald; Jack King directs. As a work made for the U.S. federal government, the film is in the public domain.

Animation · Comedy · War

The sixth Mickey Mouse cartoon, and a curious one: Mickey and Minnie are depicted as actual mouse-sized mice, while Tom Cat is the size of a person. When Tom Cat staggers out hunting, Mickey, Minnie, and a swarm of mice break into his house and throw a musical party, playing the piano and turning household objects into instruments. The short is a loose remake of Disney's 1925 Alice Comedy, Alice Rattled by Rats, and the last time Mickey was portrayed at real mouse scale. Animated by Ub Iwerks and Ben Sharpsteen with a Carl Stalling score. Published in 1929, it entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Animation · Short · Comedy

Donald Duck faces a wartime dilemma: spend his paycheck on fun, or save it to pay his income taxes and fund the fight against the Axis. A thrifty Scotsman and a lavish spendthrift battle for his wallet in this Disney propaganda short made for the U.S. Treasury Department, which helped convince millions of Americans to pay their income tax for the first time. Clarence Nash voices Donald; Jack King directs. As a work made for the U.S. federal government, the film is in the public domain.

Animation · Comedy · War