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- HELLO, TODAY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UB IWERKS,
THE CREATOR OF MICKEY MOUSE.
SO OUR STORY STARTS IN 1919 IN KANSAS CITY, USA.
WALT DISNEY WAS A DRAFTSMAN. UB IWERKS WAS AN ANIMATOR.
UB GOES, HEY WALT, WHAT IF WE WERE
TO PUT A LIVE ACTION PERSON INTO AN ANIMATED FRAME?
YES, THAT'S IT.
THEY CREATE SOMETHING CALLED THE ALICE COMEDIES,
BUT THERE'S NO MONEY IN IT. AND WALT, THOUGH, IS AMBITIOUS.
HE GOES OFF TO CALIFORNIA AND HE GOES TO THE HEAD
OF UNIVERSAL ANIMATION, CHARLES MINTZ.
AND HE WAS LIKE, THIS IS AMAZING, I CAN USE THIS,
BUT THE QUALITY HAS TO BE AS GOOD.
WALT'S LIKE, UB, GET OUT HERE, ASAP.
YO, THIS IS BETTER THAN BEING IN KANSAS CITY,
'CAUSE KANSAS CITY IS LIKE YOU
COULD LIKE GIVE ME THE DEED TO THE CITY
AND I STILL WOULDN'T EVEN STAY THERE.
AND HE DRIVES THE SEVEN DAYS TO CALIFORNIA.
HE TAKES THESE--OH NO, LET ME BACK UP.
AT THIS POINT, UB CAME UP WITH OSWALD, THE LUCKY RABBIT.
SO OSWALD IS GREAT FOR UNIVERSAL.
WALT GOES TO CHARLES MINTZ AND HE SAYS, LISTEN, WE ARE
[BLEEP] KILLING IT, TIME FOR YOU TO PAY US SOME MORE MONEY.
AND MINTZ, MINTZ LOOKS AT HIM AND HE LAUGHS.
[laughs] I'M GONNA GIVE YOU LESS MONEY.
AND MINTZ GOES, I HAVE SIGNED ALL OF YOUR ANIMATORS,
AND I OWN OSWALD, HE'S MINE.
WALT DISNEY VOWED FROM THAT DAY,
NOT ONLY WILL I EVER NOT OWN ANY CHARACTER I CREATE,
I WILL NEVER NOT OWN THEM. THEY-THE [laughs]
I THINK. HE SAID TO UB, UB, YOU WITH ME?
AND UB, YET AGAIN, LEFT WITH WALT DISNEY,
AND UB SAID TO HIM, WHAT ARE WE DOING WALT?
AND WALT'S LIKE, WE NEED A CHARACTER,
UB, WHAT DO YOU GOT?
WHAT ABOUT A HORSE? NOPE. WHAT ABOUT A DOG? NOPE.
[sighs] WHAT ABOUT A CAT? NO, MAN, WE GOT ENOUGH CATS.
WE GOT FELIX THE CAT, THERE'S A LOT OF CATS OUT THERE.
WHAT ELSE YOU GOT? WHAT ABOUT A MOUSE?
WALT'S LIKE, YEAH, LET'S DO THAT.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WAS ALL UB IWERKS, OKAY?
SO UB LOCKED HIMSELF IN THE STUDIO,
AND HE CHURNS OUT 600 TO 700 FRAMES A DAY, UNHEARD OF.
HE DID TWO MONTHS OF ANIMATION IN TWO WEEKS,
AND HE CREATED A CHARACTER, MICKEY MOUSE.
HE SAT DOWN AND DREW THAT CARTOON PLAIN CRAZY,
WALT LOVES IT, BUT HE GOES YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE NEED SOMETHING BIGGER, AND UB WAS LIKE,
BUT WHAT IF WE COULD SYNC SOUND TO IT?
WHAT IF WE DID OUR NEXT CARTOON WHERE WE COULD SEE THE ACTION
HAPPENING IN THE TIME WITH THE MUSIC,
AND WALT WAS LIKE YEAH, LET'S DO SYNC SOUND.
SO STEAMBAY--SO STEAM MILL-- SO STEAMBOAT
WILLIE COMES OUT AND IT BLOWS AUDIENCES AWAY.
THEY WENT, I CAN SEE THAT MOUSE WHISTLING.
I CAN HEAR THE MOUSE WHISTLING, OH MY GOD,
THIS MOUSE IS WHISTLING ALONG WITH WHAT HIS MOUTH IS DOING.
THERE'S [bleep] SYNC SOUND. THERE WERE STANDING OVATIONS.
MICKEY MOUSE BECAME AN ICON OVERNIGHT.
HE WAS REFERENCED IN MOVIES AND SONGS,
AND IT CREATES DISNEY.
LIKE THIS EM--EMBELLISHES THEIR MICE TO EVERYBODY.
THEY KNOW THAT THIS IS LIKE THE GAME HAS CHANGED.
WITH THE ADDED PRESSURES OF MICKEY DOING REALLY WELL,
DISNEY, HE WANTED TO OVERSEE EVERY BIT OF PRODUCTION.
HEY, YOU GOT TO MEET THIS TIMING SHEET
AND WE GOT TO BE HERE BY THEN, AND PRODUCTIVITY AND [groans].
NOW AT A PARTY IN HOLLYWOOD,
A LITTLE KID CAME UP TO WALT DISNEY,
HE'S LIKE, HEY, MR. WALT DISNEY, I LOVE MICKEY MOUSE.
WOULD YOU DRAW ME A PICTURE OF HIM?
WALT'S LIKE, SURE, KID,
I'LL DRAW YOU A PICTURE OF MICKEY MOUSE,
AND HE HANDED THE PAPER TO UB IWERKS,
AND UB GOES, WHOA, ARE YOU [bleep] KIDDING ME?
THIS IS--WHAT? NO, I'M OUT OF HERE.
- OH, WALT DISNEY?
- AND UB STARTS IWERKS ANIMATION.
CRAZY STUFF HAPPENED IN HIS CARTOONS.
YOU KNOW, GIRLS DRESSES WOULD BLOW OFF
AND, YOU KNOW, ANIMALS WOULD LOSE LIMBS.
LIKE, IT WAS ANARCHY.
BUT THE HAYS COMMISSION COMES IN.
THOSE ARE THE GUYS WHO WERE STARTING TO PUT LIMITATIONS
ON WHAT YOU COULD AND COULDN'T SHOW,
AND THEY WERE LIKE THIS IS NOT GONNA FLY ANYMORE,
SO THAT WAS THE END OF IWERKS ANIMATION.
A FRIEND OF UB'S IS WORKING AT DISNEY STUDIOS STILL.
HE'S LIKE, UB'S OUT OF WORK. YOU COULD USE HIM.
WALT AGREES TO HAVE UB FOR LUNCH.
HE SAYS UB, I WANT YOU BACK. PLEASE COME WORK FOR ME.
AND UB LOOKS AT HIM AND HE SAYS, WALT,
I WANT TO COME BACK AND WORK FOR YOU,
BUT I WILL NEVER WORK FOR YOU IN ANIMATION.
I WANT TO WORK FOR YOU IN PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECTS.
AND WALT IS LIKE, YEAH,
YOU'RE THE GUY FOR THAT, COME AND DO THAT FOR ME.
HE WAS A ROCK STAR FOR WALT. HE--HE--HE BUILT STUFF
SO THEY COULD DO MARY POPPINS, THE PENGUIN DANCE.
HE WINS A TECHNICAL OSCAR FOR THAT.
UB IWERKS HAD HIS HAND IN EVERY SINGLE RIDE AT DISNEYLAND,
CREATING THE SPECIAL EFFECTS. AND UB DIED A DISNEY LEGEND.
SO THIS IS A REAL DISNEY ENDING. OR, AS I LIKE TO THINK,
AS I LIKE TO THINK, THIS IS AN IWERKS ENDING,
'CAUSE HE WAS THE MAN. [clinks glass] TO UB.
- TO UB. - WHAT THE [bleep]
KIND OF NAME'S UB?