Storyboard To Screen: Steamboat Willie

Storyboard To Screen is a series of posts which will compare actual storyboard sequences created for various toons to their screen counterparts. These posts are meant as pure galleries, as there is really nothing I can comment on that you can't already see for yourself.


As you scan these images, you'll notice that in most cases, besides the crude character sketches vs. the refined film versions, the screen mirrors its storyboard; however other cases are a bit different. Some storyboards show slightly different staging compared to their final screen appearances while others are drastically different.


Today's post compares the storyboards for Steamboat Willie to that film's finalized screen version. All pictures are shown in sequential order, and you can always click on them to view a larger size.

Just Mickey - April 21, 1930

17th in the Mickey Mouse shorts canon is Just Mickey. If you couldn't already tell, this film stars just Mickey with no appearances by any other characters.

The film has a great opening with violinist Mickey walking from one end of the stage to the other. The resulting effect looks a bit amateur compared with today's standards of course, but it's still a great piece of almost 3-D animation.

The toon basicly showcases Mickey playing different tunes on his violin. The animation of the Mouse is done exceptionally well; a favorite part for me is another almost 3-D scene with Mickey's bow.

Another great effect is the use of shadows as created by the spotlight. It's just another example of how more and more detailed these toons are starting to become.

The toon ends with Mickey playing the finale from the "William Tell Overture" to thunderous applause.

While nothing really special, Just Mickey is a decent toon with very convincing animation.