Plane Crazy is a Walt Disney cartoon that was distributed in 1929 and had been shown at a test screening a year earlier, in 1928. It is notable for being the first cartoon starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to ever be produced. It also features Wienie and, in picture form, Charles Lindbergh.
Mickey Mouse and some of his barnyard friends, including Wienie, work on building a homemade aeroplane as Mickey tries to emulate his hero, Charles Lindbergh. Mickey invites Minnie Mouse to join him on the inaugural ride, which turns out to be quite a crazy one.
Continuity
Lost on a Desert Island (1930) depicts very similar, and perhaps the very same, events as the beginning of this comic story. Both show Mickey Mouse and his barnyard friends being inspired by Charles Lindbergh and building a plane, which Mickey then flies with Minnie, who jumps off the plane and uses her undergarments as a parachute. Despite the major similarities, the two don't line up exactly, with one notable difference being the ending. In Plane Crazy, Mickey crash lands in the same barnyard he took off from, with he and Minnie being on bad terms due to his aggressiveness. In Lost on a Desert Island, he crash lands on the titular desert island, with him and Minnie having seemingly parted ways on good terms.
The Mail Pilot (1933) also shows Mickey learning how to fly, albeit under completely different circumstances. Quite possibly, when Mickey said he was going to "learn to fly" in The Mail Pilot, he was referring to learning how to fly professionally-made airplanes as opposed to homemade ones.
The airplane Mickey builds in this short, or a near facsimile, appears in certain episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006 - 2016), where it is referred to as the Toon Plane.
Behind the Scenes
Plane Crazy was released on March 17, 1929, even though it had been test screened a year earlier on May 15, 1928. It was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to be produced. It was directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, who also wrote the story. Iwerks, Hugh Harman, and Rudolf Ising animated it, while Stalling composed the music for the sound release.[1]
Three cartoons starring Mickey were released before it: Steamboat Willie, The Gallopin' Gaucho, and The Barn Dance. This means that while Plane Crazy was the first of the Mickey Mouse cartoons to be produced, it was the fourth to be widely distributed.
• Fiddling Around • The Barnyard Concert • The Cactus Kid • The Fire Fighters • The Shindig • The Chain Gang • The Gorilla Mystery • The Picnic • Pioneer Days • Minnie's Yoo-Hoo • The Birthday Party • Traffic Troubles • The Castaway • The Moose Hunt • The Delivery Boy • Mickey Steps Out • Blue Rhythm • Fishin' Around • The Barnyard Broadcast • The Beach Party • Mickey Cuts Up • Mickey's Orphans • The Duck Hunt • The Grocery Boy • The Mad Dog • Barnyard Olympics • Mickey's Revue • Musical Farmer • Mickey in Arabia • Mickey's Nightmare • Trader Mickey • The Whoopee Party • Touchdown Mickey • The Wayward Canary • The Klondike Kid • Parade of the Award Nominees • Mickey's Good Deed • Building a Building • The Mad Doctor • Mickey's Pal Pluto • Mickey's Mellerdrammer • Ye Olden Days • The Mail Pilot • Mickey's Mechanical Man • Mickey's Gala Premier • Puppy Love • The Pet Store • The Steeple Chase • Giantland • Shanghaied • Camping Out • Playful Pluto • Gulliver Mickey • Mickey's Steam Roller • Orphan's Benefit • Mickey Plays Papa • The Dognapper • Two-Gun Mickey • Mickey's Man Friday • The Band Concert • Mickey's Service Station • Mickey's Kangaroo • Mickey's Garden • Mickey's Fire Brigade • Pluto's Judgement Day • On Ice • Mickey's Polo Team • Orphans' Picnic • Mickey's Grand Opera • Thru the Mirror • Mickey's Rival • Moving Day • Alpine Climbers • Mickey's Circus • Mickey's Elephant • The Worm Turns • Magician Mickey • Moose Hunters • Mickey's Amateurs • Hawaiian Holiday • Clock Cleaners • Lonesome Ghosts • Boat Builders • Mickey's Trailer • The Whalers • Mickey's Parrot • Brave Little Tailor • Society Dog Show • Mickey's Surprise Party • The Pointer • The Standard Parade •
1940's
• Tugboat Mickey • Pluto's Dream House • Mr Mouse Takes a Trip • The Sorcerer's Apprentice • The Little Whirlwind • A Gentleman's Gentleman • Canine Caddy • The Nifty Nineties • Orphans' Benefit • Lend a Paw • Mickey's Birthday Party • Symphony Hour • All Together • Pluto and the Armadillo • Squatter's Rights • Mickey and the Beanstalk • Mickey's Delayed Date • Mickey Down Under • Mickey and the Seal • Pueblo Pluto •
1950's
• R'coon Dawg • Pluto's Party • Pluto's Christmas Tree • The Simple Things •
• Mickey's New Car • Around the World in Eighty Days • Mickey's Airplane Kit • Mickey's Mistake • The Candy House • Mickey's Mechanical Man • Mickey's Piano Lesson • Mickey's Remedy • Mickey Tries To Cook • Topsy Turvy Town • The Nutcracker • Mickey's Rival Returns • Mickey and the Seagull • Mickey's Mixed Nuts • Mickey's Mountain • Mickey's Mix-Up • Mickey's Christmas Chaos • Mickey's Cabin • Mickey's Big Break • Big House Mickey • • Mickey's April Fools • Mickey and the Goat Man • Pinball Mickey •