The Walt Disney Company and starred in several Disney produced films. Ub Iwerks refined Disney's initial design of Mickey Mouse. Disney's first sound film "Steamboat Willie", a cartoon starring Mickey, was released on November 18, 1928 through Pat Powers' distribution company. It was the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon released, but the third to be created, behind "Plane Crazy" and "The Gallopin' Gaucho". "Steamboat Willie" was an immediate smash hit, and its initial success was attributed not just to Mickey's appeal as a character, but to the fact that it was the first cartoon to feature synchronized sound. Disney used Pat Powers' Cinephone system,
The Walt Disney Company string of successful movies, starting with "Never Cry Wolf" and the Ray Bradbury adaptation "Something Wicked This Way Comes". The Walt Disney Productions film division was incorporated on as Walt Disney Pictures. In 1984, Disney CEO Ron Miller created Touchstone Films as a brand for Disney to release more major motion pictures. Touchstone's first release was the comedy "Splash" (1984), which was a box office success. With "The Wonderful World of Disney" remaining a prime-time staple, Disney returned to television in the 1970s with syndicated programming such as the anthology series "The Mouse Factory" and a brief revival of the