Although animated shorts were produced a decade and a half before the first Disney production, Walt Disney is universally recognized as the pioneer of classic American animation. Disney began creating animated characters as early as 1923, however his first Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts were not created until 1928. These shorts, 'Plane Crazy' and 'Gallopin' Gaucho', were silent and filmed in black and white. The first sound cartoon starring Mickey Mouse, 'Steamboat Willie', followed later in 1928.

Talent, ingenuity, and hard work allowed Disney and his lengendary team to develop techniques which would define the future of animation. Within a span of just twelve years, audiences were introduced to a fun-spirited black and white talking Mickey Mouse, enchanted by the first full length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and dazzled by Fantasia's vibrant synthesis of animation, exquisite choreography and classical music.

Disney's revolutionary animation accomplishment, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was recognized at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1937 when Shirley Temple presented Disney with a special Oscar: one large statuette flanked by seven smaller ones. Snow White serves as an animation milestone, marking the beginning of the Golden Age of animation.

For five decades, Disney continued to create new levels of animation achievements by introducing new techniques to the art of animation. The most notable innovations of this period include the use of live action and animated characters in the same scene, the advent of stereophonic sound, and the development of the xerographic line inking process which advanced the studios ability to produce complex films in less time. Many of Walt's contributions to the field of animation are still used today - more than twenty years after his death - a fact which underscores both his pervasive influence and his tremendous ingenuity.

During his lifetime, Disney remained personally involved with the conception and direction of all feature-length animated films. Released, in 1967, one year after his death, The Jungle Book, was Disney's last personally supervised animated feature. Walt's legacy and dreams continue to thrive to this day: With the release of feature length animated films such as Toy Story, Pocahontas, and James and The Giant Peach, Walt Disney Studios continues to pioneer and develop ground-breaking animation techniques utilizing the latest in technology.

Chronology of Disney's Animated Feature Films

1937 Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

1940 Pinocchio

1940 Fantasia

1941 The Reluctant Dragon

1941 Dumbo

1942 Bambi

1943 Saludos Amigos

1943 Victory Through Air Power

1945 The Three Caballeros

1946 Make Mine Music

1946 Song of the South

1947 Fun and Fancy Free

1948 Melody Time

1949 So Dear To My Heart

1949 The Adventures of Ichabod And Mr. Toad

1950 Cinderella

1951 Alice in Wonderland

1952 Peter Pan

1955 Lady and the Tramp

1959 Sleeping Beauty

1961 101 Dalmations

1963 The Sword in the Stone

1964 Mary Poppins

1967 Jungle Book

1970 Aristocats

1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks

1973 Robin Hood

1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

1977 The Rescuers

1977 Pete's Dragon

1981 The Fox and The Hound

1985 The Black Cauldron

1986 The Great Mouse Detective

1988 Oliver and Company

1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

1989 The Little Mermaid

1990 Ducktales: The Movie, Treasure of The Lost Lamp

1990 The Rescuers Down Under

1991 Beauty and the Beast

1992 Aladdin and his Magic Lamp

1993 Nightmare Before Christmas

1994 The Lion King

1995 Pocahontas

1995 Toy Story

1996 James and the Giant Peach

1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1997 Hercules

1998 Mulan

1999 Tarzan

1999 Toy Story 2

2000 Fantasia 2000

2000 Dinosaur