Update: Due to unseen circumstances, this event will be postponed till 2009. However, keep this article in mind! It is a very rare event when Disney loans out films from their vault for public viewing. (And when we say rare, we mean it never happens.)
It’s hard to believe it, but my grandmother is only slightly older than Mickey Mouse. She would have been just four years old when Mickey came to life for the first time on November 18, 1928 in Steamboat Willie. His first film had no sound, was black and white, and premiered in New York City, but from a humble beginning, the singing, dancing mouse has gone on to literally change the face of the world and cartoons as we know them.
It’s not every day you turn 80 and though he’s as robust as ever, you should almost be calling Mickey “Gramps” at that age. However, Mickey is much more than just some old cartoon character, he’s the face of Walt Disney, an icon known and loved the world-over, and truly timeless. The Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF) is planning a birthday party for Mickey and everyone’s invited. You don’t want to miss out as this birthday party happening December 13th promises to be unforgettable.
The party doesn’t just celebrate the beginnings of the mouse, it functions as a fundraiser for the restoration of Shea’s, BIFF, and other local children’s charities. A dozen extremely rare 35mm prints will be shown directly from the Disney Archive using authentic carbon-arc projection – just like the films would have been shown when first released. Three separate movie screenings, each with their own program of films, will be shown and two of the silent films (“Alice’s Wild West Show” and Oswald the Rabbit in “All Wet”) will be accompanied by Shea’s Mighty Wurlitzer Organ.
The celebration will also pay tribute to two Buffalo natives. Ralph Kent, also known as Ralph Kwiatkowski. Ralph, was a Buffalo native who became “The Keeper of the Mouse” – entrusted to being the official artist who can draw Mickey. Pat Powers, also a Buffalo native, provided Powers Cinephone to Disney and made the “talking” debut of Mickey possible.
The best part about this event is that you’ll get to see Mickey Mouse as his original audience did while hearing from some people who know a lot about his birth and who have a special connection to the mouse. BIFF is providing a program book that contains special messages to Buffalo from the following people: Leonard Maltin, host of all the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets and Entertainment Tonight’s film critic; Brad Bird, Pixar’s Director of Ratatouille and The Incredibles; Don Hahn, Producer of Fantasia 2000 and Beauty and The Beast; John Canemaker, Academy-Award winning author of many Disney books; and Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are who happens to think we live in a beautiful city.
The program book is pretty special, especially when it’s dedicated to our area, but the excitement doesn’t end there. Mike Iwerks, J.B. Kaufman, and Edward Summer will all be in attendance for the event. Iwerks is the great-grandson of Ub Iwerks, partner of Walt Disney and the first person to draw the Mickey Mouse cartoons. Iwerks works as a Disney Imagineer and will introduce “The Hand Behind the Mouse,” a documentary made by his cousin Leslie that celebrates the work of Ub and Walt. Kaufman wrote “Walt in Wonderland,” “Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonys,” “Walt in South America,” and is currently working on a book about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He is a film historian who works for the Walk Disney Family Foundation and is an expert on the early Mickey Mouse. Lastly, Summer is president of the BIFF and wrote screenplays for Mickey at the Walt Disney Company.
These guests of honor will introduce the screenings and host talk-back sessions after each screening in The Smith Theater next to Shea’s. At the 2:30 show, they will also explain the significance of each of the wonderful short films in the program. Tickets are $20 for an adult, $15 for a student with ID, and $10 children 12 and under for “Fantasia” and the “Birthday Party.” “The Hand Behind the Mouse” is $5.00 for all seats. Special combination tickets for admission to all afternoon events are $35 for adults, $25 for students with ID, $15 for children. VIP Tickets, which include special access to the talk-back sessions with the Disney guests, All-Day passes, and reserved seating, are $75. You can order tickets at Ticketmaster at 852-5000 or at Shea’s Ticket Office. For more information, visit the BIFF’s website or call 847-0850.
The schedule of films being shown is below:
10:30 AM – “The Hand Behind The Mouse” – Introduced by Mike Iwerks of Disney Imagineering and also Ub Iwerk’s great-grandson. This award-winning feature-length documentary tells the story of Ub Iwerks, who designed Mickey Mouse in collaboration with Walt Disney who was his hometown friend. The screening also includes: “The Skeleton Dance” (1929) (the first Silly Symphony cartoon) and “Jack Frost” (1934), (a rare, CineColor, Iwerks/Powers cartoon supplied by the Academy Archive). All are 35mm prints.
2:30 PM – Mickey Mouse’s Birthday Party – featuring 10 original Mickey Mouse cartoons in 35mm prints direct from the Disney Vault. Introduced by J.B. Kaufman, Historian, Walt Disney Family Museum and Edward Summer, Mickey Mouse Screenwriter.
“Alice’s Wild West Show” (1924) with the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
“Oswald the Rabbit: All Wet” (1927) with the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
“Plane Crazy” (1928) – the First Mickey Cartoon animated almost single-handed by Ub Iwerks, but not released until after Steamboat Willie.
“Gallopin’ Gaucho” (1928), the 2nd Mickey cartoon (also released after Steamboat Willie).
“Steamboat Willie” (1928) The first Sound Cartoon featuring Mickey and his public debut.
“Mickey’s Gala Premier” (1933)
“The Band Concert” (1935) – the First Technicolor Mickey
“Brave Little Tailor” (1938)
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (1940) from Fantasia
“The Birthday Party” (1931)
6:30 PM – Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940)
The original, uncut Roadshow Version unseen in any theater since 1990. Introduced by J.B. Kaufman, Historian, Walt Disney Family Museum and Edward Summer, Mickey Mouse Screenwriter.