Steamboat Willie Research Paper

1449 Words3 Pages

What if I told you that one less than 10-minute cartoon from 1928 would revolutionize the entire animation industry going forward? Steamboat Willie didn't just introduce synchronized sound, but it launched a figure that would completely change the industry. On that note, Steamboat Willie would go on to push the norms of entertainment and make a big impact on 1920s society. All in all, Walt Disney's innovative nature and business sense changed the entertainment industry with the introduction of synchronized sound, boosting iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and shaping the landscape of the era. To understand the full impact of Steamboat Willie, we have to first point out why the technological advancements of the cartoon were so revolutionary. …show more content…

After viewing The Jazz Singer, the first film with sound in late 1928, Walt Disney implemented this technology for Steamboat Willie. This meant that Steamboat Willie was not only a cartoon, but it was the first cartoon with talking and a background score. This transformed animation by replacing the use of speech bubbles or intertitles in the Pre-Silent Era with the emotion of the human voice and sound. With this innovation, entertainment could be diversified and people could find more engagement with film through the combination of sound and animation. A quote that furthers this idea from the Twenties in America is "Disney's transition from silent cartoons to synchronized sound with 'Steamboat Willie' epitomizes his pioneering spirit and visionary approach to animation. Rollyson 823-824. This begs the question “What was the technology that made this innovation possible?”. The technology used to create synchronized sound is known as “Cinephone”. After two failed films with Mickey, Walt sought out synchronized sound tech for his next cartoon. Pat Powers approached Walt about a system he developed that was a “cloned version" of the Phonofilm system which he renamed "Powers Cinephone.". With

Open Document