STREAMBOAT WILLIE (1928)
Directed by Walt Disney
Steamboat Willie is noted in the history books as the first animated short feature film with a completely post-produced soundtrack of music, dialogue, and sound effects, although other cartoons with synchronized soundtracks had been exhibited before, notably by Max Fleischer's series Song Car-Tunes. Steamboat Willie was originally completed as a silent cartoon in July of 1928, but was held back, while a soundtrack was created and certain scenes reworked to match the recorded sound effects and music. The film 's title is a parody of the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill Jr. Music for Steamboat Willie was put together by Wilfred Jackson, one of Disney's animators — not, as sometimes reported, by Carl Stalling — and comprises popular melodies including "Steamboat Bill" and "Turkey in the Straw".

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