There are many classic Disney characters, including original characters created in short films. These characters are still household names today, and they still appear in movies, shows, and Disney Parks. Some may be more well-known than others, and some premiered earlier than fans may have realized.
This list will be ordered from the most recent characters to the oldest, even though the most recent characters still almost 80 years old. For famous characters who premiered together in a short, they are listed in just one entry. So without further delay, here are 10 short film premieres of famous Disney characters.
Author's Note: The debut shorts available on Disney Plus will be noted. For those not on available on the streaming service, alternative shorts featuring these characters will be recommended.
Chip & Dale in Private Pluto (1943)
Created by Bill Justice, Chip and Dale are two chipmunk brothers, with their names being a play on the last name Chippendale. A visual trick to tell them apart is that Chip has a black nose, like a chocolate chip, while Dale has a red nose. While they initially appeared in shorts starring other characters, they eventually had their own shorts series.
The characters got a show in 1989 called Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers, where Chip was styled like Indiana Jones and Dale was styled like Magnum, P.I. They are also the engineers of the Gummi Ship in the Kingdom Hearts games. Originally voiced by Jimmy MacDonald and Dessie Flynn, they're now voiced by Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton.
Daisy Duck in Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940)
Daisy Duck was created by Carl Banks and has been voiced by Gloria Bondell, Kath Soucie, and Tress MacNeille, among others. She is best friends with Minnie Mouse, and Donald Duck is often her significant other. She also has three nieces named April, May, and June. Daisy first starred in the lead role of a short for Donald's Dilemma.
Daisy has appeared in many shows, such as Quack Pack, House of Mouse, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She is portrayed as a countess in the Kingdom Hearts games and is often seen at Disney Castle in the series. Mr. Duck Steps Out is a Donald Duck short and is available on Disney Plus.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Donald's Nephews (1938)
Huey, Dewey, and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro. They are the sons of Della Duck, the nephews of Donald Duck, and the great-nephews of Scrooge McDuck. Most often, they are wearing different color shirts to tell them apart.
The trio were starring characters in the show DuckTales and now star in the new version of the show. They were also featured in the show Quack Pack and often appear running shops in the Kingdom Hearts games. They have been most notably voiced by Clarence Nash, Russi Taylor, and Tony Anselmo.
Donald Duck in The Wise Little Hen (1934)
Donald Duck is one of the most classic cartoon characters ever, known for his form of speaking and his temper. Donald appeared in three features in the 1940s; Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Fun and Fancy Free. He also appeared in the feature films Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and Fantasia 2000.
Donald is one of the main characters of Kingdom Hearts. He has had just two main voice actors in his existence. Clarence Nash originated the role and played him until his death in 1985, and Tony Anselmo has been playing him ever since. His debut short The Wise Little Hen is available on Disney Plus.
Goofy in Mickey's Revue (1932)
Goofy was originally known as Dippy Dawg and has also been known as Goofy Goof and Goofus D. Dawg. He was featured in many animated shorts, including many "How To" cartoons. He appeared in feature films like Saludos Amigos and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, but he was also given his own show called Goof Troop. This show gave him a son named Max, and it spun-off into the very popular film A Goofy Movie.
Goofy is also one of the main characters of Kingdom Hearts, with him and Donald accompanying Sora to many worlds. He has been most notably voiced by Pinto Colvig, Hal Smith, Tony Pope, and Bill Farmer. Farmer has been the voice of Goofy since 1987.
Pluto in The Chain Gang (1930)
Pluto is Mickey's faithful dog. He was created by Walt Disney. While he first appeared as a bloodhound in The Chain Gang, Pluto eventually was seen as Mickey's dog in The Moose Hunt (above) in 1931. While it isn't confirmed, many believe the character to have been named after the planet, which had been named as such not much earlier.
While he is one of the main Disney characters in the "Sensational Six," all of which are animals, Pluto does not stand up and act like a human as the rest of the characters do. He has appeared in his own series of cartoons as well as many shows and movies since.
Clarabelle Cow in Plane Crazy (1929)
Clarabelle Cow premiered in the famous short Plane Crazy. She was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and has been voiced by Marcellite Garner, Elvia Allman, and April Winchell. Her significant other is often Horace Horsecollar, who debuted in 1929 as well in The Plowboy. Both characters have been seen as regular farm animals and anthropomorphic animals, sometimes both in the same short.
Clarabelle has appeared in numerous shows and video games, as well as at Disney Parks. She regularly appeared on House of Mouse as a gossip columnist. Horace had a notable role in 1990's The Prince and the Pauper, and he's been voiced by Bill Farmer since then.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in Steamboat Willie (1928)
Mickey and Minnie made their debut in one of the most famous animated shorts of all time, Steamboat Willie, which also started the series of Mickey Mouse shorts. Both characters were created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It portrays Mickey and Pete as rivals for the first of many times, with Mickey working on a boat where Pete is the captain.
Mickey is arguably the most famous cartoon character of all time. He has featured in the films Fantasia, Fun and Fancy Free, and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. Mickey and Minnie have starred in many shows as well, and they feature in the Kingdom Hearts series as King Mickey and Queen Minnie. Mickey has been voiced most notably by Walt Disney, Jimmy MacDonald, Wayne Allwine, and Bret Iwan. Minnie has been voiced most notably by Marcellite Garner, Ruth Clifford, and Russi Taylor. Steamboat Willie is available on Disney Plus.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Trolley Troubles (1927)
Oswald was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and the cartoons were made by Walt Disney's studio for Universal. Disney didn't have the rights to his character, and when Universal hired away some of Disney's animators and wanted Disney to take a pay cut, he left Oswald behind. He decided to create a new character he owned the rights to, which led to him and Iwerks creating Mickey Mouse.
In a funny turn of events, Disney got back the rights to Oswald in 2008. Al Michaels had a contract to be a football commentator for Disney on ABC, and in exchange for Oswald, Michaels was sent to Universal to be a football commentator on NBC. Basically, Al Michaels was traded for Oswald.
Pete in Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925)
The Alice Comedies were a series of 57 shorts done by Disney from 1923-1927. They would consist of a live-action Alice with animated characters and background. Pete made his debut in this short, making him the oldest recurring Disney character. In the Alice shorts, she was often accompanied by the character Julius the Cat. Technically, this makes Julius the older character, but he stopped appearing in shorts in 1927.
Originally known as Bootleg Pete and Pegleg Pete, Pete has appeared in many shorts, movies, shows, and video games over the course of 95 years. His notable appearances include: Goof Troop, A Goofy Movie, House of Mouse, and Kingdom Hearts, where he was often second-in-command to Maleficent. Pete was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and has been most notably voiced by Disney, Billy Bletcher, Will Ryan, and Jim Cummings.