The Animated Cartoon Factory

Ub Iwerks
March 24, 1901 - July 7, 1971

Ub Iwerks worked as a commercial artist in Kansas City in 1919 when he met Walt Disney who was in the same profession. When Disney decided to form an animation company, Ub Iwerks was the first employee he had due to his skill at fast drawing as well as being a personal friend.
When Charles Mintz raided Disney's animation studio and stole the rights to their character Oswald the Rabbit, Ub was the only associate to remain with Disney. He served as the principle animator for the first Mickey Mouse shorts and Silly Symphonies. Iwerks was so prominent in the production of these shorts that it was speculated that Ub was the dominate force behind the success of Disney Productions. The combination of Iwerks' rising ambitions, occasional differences with Walt and a tempting deal with Pat Powers (I) to finance his own studio prompted him to break away in 1930. His studio was never a tenth of the artistic or financial success that Disney was. He simply did not have the creative talents of his partner and his characters, Flip the Frog and Willy Whopper were rather dull failures. His studio was closed in 1936 when Powers withdrew his support. He worked for Columbia starting in 1938 and worked for two years until he decided to return to Disney. The two men never commented on their renewed relationship but the reunion was mutually beneficial. Iwerks was able to abandon animation and concentrate on technical development which helped create many of the special effects that the Disney company excelled in for decades, especially concerning the live action animation combination sequences in Song of the South (1946) and 0058331.

Trivia

Father of Don Iwerks

He was honored as a Disney Legend in 1989.

Iwerks' unusual name is of Dutch origin.

He was known as the fastest animator in the business in early sound period. He animated Mickey's first short, "Plane Crazy" by himself in only two weeks

Director

1. Carnival Courage (1945)
2. Magic Strength (1944)
3. Willoughby's Magic Hat (1943)
4. Baby Checkers (1940)
5. Beauty Shoppe (1940)
6. Busy Day, A (1940)
7. Wise Owl (1940)
8. Olde Swap Shoppe, Ye (1940)
9. Egg Hunt, The (1940)
10. Blackboard Revue (1940)
11. Crop Chasers (1939)
12. Nells Yells (1939)
13. Gorilla Hunt, The (1939)
14. Midnight Frolics (1938)
15. Frog Pond, The (1938)
16. Showtime (1938)
17. Horses on the Merry-Go-Round (1938)
18. Porky's Super Service (1937)
19. Foxy Pup (1937)
20. Porky and Gabby (1937)
21. Merry Mannequins (1937)
22. Scrappy's Trip to Mars (1937)
23. Skeleton Frolics (1937)
24. Big Bad Wolfe (1936)
25. Two Lazy Crows (1936)
26. Happy Days (1936)
27. Little Boy Blue (1936)
28. Dick Whittington's Cat (1936)
29. Tom Thumb (1936)
30. Ali Baba (1936)
31. Humpty Dumpty (1935)
32. Simple Simon (1935)
33. Balloon Land (1935)
... aka Pincushion Man, The (1935)
34. Three Bears, The (1935)
35. Sinbad the Sailor (1935) (uncredited)
36. Summertime (1935)
... aka In the Good Ol' Summertime (1935)
37. Mary's Little Lamb (1935)
38. Old Mother Hubbard (1935)
39. Brementown Musicians, The (1935)
40. Little Black Sambo (1935)
41. Jack Frost (1934)
42. Don Quixote (1934)
43. Valiant Tailor, The (1934)
44. Headless Horseman, The (1934)
45. Viva Willie (1934)
46. Good Scout (1934)
47. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1934)
48. Jungle Jitters (1934)
49. Cave Man (1934)
50. Queen of Hearts, The (1934)
51. Rasslin' Round (1934)
52. Reducing Creme (1934)
53. Puss 'n' Boots (1934)
54. Insultin' the Sultan (1934)
55. Brave Tin Soldier, The (1934)
56. Little Red Hen, The (1934)
57. Robin Hood, Jr. (1934)
58. Hell's Fire (1934)
... aka Masquerade Holiday (1934) (USA: video catalogue title)
59. Air Race, The (1933)
60. Davy Jones (1933)
61. Jack and the Beanstalk (1933)
62. Stratos-Fear (1933)
63. Spite Fright (1933)
64. Soda Squirt (1933)
65. Play Ball (1933)
66. Pale-Face (1933)
67. Chinaman's Chance (1933)
68. Bulloney (1933)
69. Techno-Cracked (1933)
70. Flip's Lunch Room (1933)
71. Coo Coo the Magician (1933)
72. Funny Face (1932)
73. Nurse Maid (1932)
74. Music Lesson, The (1932)
75. Phoney Express (1932)
76. Goal Rush, The (1932)
77. Circus (1932)
78. Stormy Seas (1932)
79. Room Runners (1932)
80. Office Boy, The (1932)
81. Bully (1932)
82. School Days (1932/I)
83. Puppy Love (1932)
84. What a Life (1932)
85. Fire! Fire! (1932)
86. Milkman, The (1932)
87. Spooks (1931)
88. Africa Squeaks (1931)
89. Jail Bird (1931)
90. Village Specialist, The (1931)
91. Movie Mad (1931)
92. New Car, The (1931)
93. Ragtime Romeo (1931)
94. Laughing Gas (1931)
95. Soup Song, The (1931)
96. Village Smithie, The (1931)
97. Little Orphan Willie (1930)
98. Puddle Pranks (1930)
99. Cuckoo Murder Case (1930)
100. Village Barber, The (1930)
101. Flying Fists (1930)
102. Fiddlesticks (1930)
103. Arctic Antics (1930)
104. Autumn (1930)
105. Summer (1930)
106. Hell's Bells (1929)
107. Springtime (1929)
108. Skeleton Dance, The (1929)
109. Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)
110. Plow Boy, The (1929)
111. Barnyard Battle, The (1929)
112. Gallopin' Gaucho, The (1928)
113. Steamboat Willie (1928)
114. Plane Crazy (1928)

Producer

1. Baby Checkers (1940) (producer)
2. Beauty Shoppe (1940) (producer)
3. Busy Day, A (1940) (producer)
4. Crop Chasers (1939) (producer)
5. Nells Yells (1939) (producer)
6. Gorilla Hunt, The (1939) (producer)
7. Midnight Frolics (1938) (producer)
8. Frog Pond, The (1938) (producer)
9. Showtime (1938) (producer)
10. Horses on the Merry-Go-Round (1938) (producer)
11. Foxy Pup (1937) (producer)
12. Merry Mannequins (1937) (producer)
13. Scrappy's Trip to Mars (1937) (producer)
14. Skeleton Frolics (1937) (producer)
15. Two Lazy Crows (1936) (producer)
16. Happy Days (1936) (producer)
17. Little Boy Blue (1936) (producer)
18. Dick Whittington's Cat (1936) (producer)
19. Tom Thumb (1936) (producer)
20. Ali Baba (1936) (producer)
21. Humpty Dumpty (1935) (producer)
22. Simple Simon (1935) (producer)
23. Balloon Land (1935) (producer)
... aka Pincushion Man, The (1935)
24. Three Bears, The (1935) (producer)
25. Sinbad the Sailor (1935) (producer)
26. Summertime (1935) (producer)
... aka In the Good Ol' Summertime (1935)
27. Mary's Little Lamb (1935) (producer)
28. Old Mother Hubbard (1935) (producer)
29. Brementown Musicians, The (1935) (producer)
30. Little Black Sambo (1935) (producer)
31. Jack Frost (1934) (producer)
32. Don Quixote (1934) (producer)
33. Valiant Tailor, The (1934) (producer)
34. Headless Horseman, The (1934) (producer)
35. Viva Willie (1934) (producer)
36. Good Scout (1934) (producer)
37. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1934) (producer)
38. Jungle Jitters (1934) (producer)
39. Cave Man (1934) (producer)
40. Queen of Hearts, The (1934) (producer)
41. Rasslin' Round (1934) (producer)
42. Reducing Creme (1934) (producer)
43. Puss 'n' Boots (1934) (producer)
44. Insultin' the Sultan (1934) (producer)
45. Brave Tin Soldier, The (1934) (producer)
46. Little Red Hen, The (1934) (producer)
47. Robin Hood, Jr. (1934) (producer)
48. Hell's Fire (1934) (producer)
... aka Masquerade Holiday (1934) (USA: video catalogue title)
49. Willie Whopper (1933) (producer)
50. Davy Jones (1933) (producer)
51. Jack and the Beanstalk (1933) (producer)
52. Stratos-Fear (1933) (producer)
53. Spite Fright (1933) (producer)
54. Soda Squirt (1933) (producer)
55. Play Ball (1933) (producer)
56. Pale-Face (1933) (producer)
57. Chinaman's Chance (1933) (producer)
58. Bulloney (1933) (producer)
59. Techno-Cracked (1933) (producer)
60. Flip's Lunch Room (1933) (producer)
61. Coo Coo the Magician (1933) (producer)
62. Funny Face (1932) (producer)
63. Nurse Maid (1932) (producer)
64. Music Lesson, The (1932) (producer)
65. Phoney Express (1932) (producer)
66. Goal Rush, The (1932) (producer)
67. Circus (1932) (producer)
68. Stormy Seas (1932) (producer)
69. Room Runners (1932) (producer)
70. Office Boy, The (1932) (producer)
71. Bully (1932) (producer)
72. School Days (1932/I) (producer)
73. Puppy Love (1932) (producer)
74. What a Life (1932) (producer)
75. Fire! Fire! (1932) (producer)
76. Milkman, The (1932) (producer)
77. Spooks (1931) (producer)
78. Africa Squeaks (1931) (producer)
79. Jail Bird (1931) (producer)
80. Village Specialist, The (1931) (producer)
81. Movie Mad (1931) (producer)
82. New Car, The (1931) (producer)
83. Ragtime Romeo (1931) (producer)
84. Laughing Gas (1931) (producer)
85. Soup Song, The (1931) (producer)
86. Village Smithie, The (1931) (producer)
87. Puddle Pranks (1930) (producer)
88. Cuckoo Murder Case (1930) (producer)
89. Village Barber, The (1930) (producer)
90. Flying Fists (1930) (producer)
91. Fiddlesticks (1930) (producer)

Miscellaneous Crew

1. Birds, The (1963) (special photographic advisor)
... aka Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) (UK: complete title)
2. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) (special processes)
3. Sleeping Beauty (1959) (special processes)
4. Johnny Tremain (1957) (special processes)
... aka Johnny Tremain and the Sons of Liberty (1957)
5. Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956) (special processes)
6. Secrets of Life (1956) (special process)
7. Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956) (special processes)
8. Man in Space (1956) (TV) (special processes)
9. Great Locomotive Chase, The (1956) (special processes)
... aka Andrews' Raiders (1956) (USA: reissue title)
10. Men Against the Arctic (1955) (special process)
11. Lady and the Tramp (1955) (special processes)
12. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) (special processes)
... aka Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1971) (USA: reissue title)
13. Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1954) (special processes)
14. Bear Country (1953) (special process)
15. Peter Pan (1953) (special processes)
16. Alice in Wonderland (1951) (special processes)
17. Cinderella (1950) (special processes)
18. Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The (1949) (special processes)
... aka Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (USA: promotional title)
... aka Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The (1949) (USA: TV title)
... aka Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad, The (1949)
19. Melody Time (1948) (special processes)
20. Make Mine Music (1946) (process effects)
21. Simple Simon (1935) (animator)
22. Sinbad the Sailor (1935) (animator) (as U.B. Iwerks)
23. Little Black Sambo (1935) (animator) (as U.B. Iwerks)
24. Cactus Kid, The (1930) (animator)
25. Skeleton Dance, The (1929) (animator)
26. Barn Dance, The (1929) (animator)
27. Gallopin' Gaucho, The (1928) (animator)
28. Steamboat Willie (1928) (animator)
29. Plane Crazy (1928) (animator)
30. Alice the Piper (1924) (animator)
31. Alice and the Three Bears (1924) (animator)
32. Alice Gets in Dutch (1924) (animator)
33. Alice Hunting in Africa (1924) (animator)
34. Alice the Peacemaker (1924) (animator)
35. Alice's Day at the Sea (1924) (animator)
36. Alice's Wonderland (1923) (animator)
37. Cinderella (1922/I) (animator)

Special Effects

1. Three Lives of Thomasina, The (1963) (special effects)
2. Parent Trap, The (1961) (special photographic effects)
3. Ten Who Dared (1960) (special effects)
4. Pollyanna (1960) (special effects)
5. Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960) (special effects)
... aka Toby Tyler (1960)
6. Beaver Valley (1950) (process photography)
... aka In Beaver Valley (1950)
7. So Dear to My Heart (1949) (special effects)
8. Fun and Fancy Free (1947) (process effects)
9. Song of the South (1946) (special photographic processes)
10. Three Caballeros, The (1945) (process effects)
11. Reluctant Dragon, The (1941) (special effects)
... aka Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Studio (1941)
... aka Day at Disneys, A (1941) (USA: TV title)

Actor

1. Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself (animator)
2. Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, The (1999) .... Himself (archive footage)
3. Alice's Wonderland (1923)

Visual Effects

1. White Wilderness (1958) (special processes)
... aka Large Animals of the Arctic (1964) (cut version)
... aka Lemmings and Arctic Bird Life, The (1964) (cut version)

Writer

1. Steamboat Willie (1928)

Cinematographer

1. Alice's Wonderland (1923) (as Ubbe Iwerks)