Mickey Mouse and Ub Iwerks. Iwerks again served as the head animator, assisted by Johnny Cannon, Les Clark, Wilfred Jackson and Dick Lundy. This short was intended as a parody of Buster Keaton's "Steamboat Bill, Jr.", first released on May 12 of the same year. Although it was the third Mickey cartoon produced, it was the first to find a distributor, and thus is considered by The Disney Company as Mickey's debut. "Willie" featured changes to Mickey's appearance (in particular, simplifying his eyes to large dots) that established his look for later cartoons and in numerous Walt Disney films. The cartoon was
Pete (Disney) new protagonist Mickey Mouse. Originally called "Terrible Tom", the villain was named "Pegleg Pete" by 1930 as the Disney crew felt that he was essentially a continuation of their earlier villain, albeit a different species. Animator Norm Ferguson, known for developing Pluto, also developed Pete's character in several shorts and he was made to resemble actor Wallace Beery. Pete appeared as Mickey's enemy beginning with the cartoons "The Gallopin' Gaucho" and "Steamboat Willie". In the cartoons of the 1930s, Pete would be Mickey Mouse's nemesis, but would vary in professions, from an all-out outlaw ("Gallopin' Gaucho" and the cartoon within