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'Trolley Troubles' (1927) -

In 1927, Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks created the character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Universal Pictures. The cartoon rabbit made its first appearance in the black and white 'Trolley Troubles.'

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'Barn Dance' (1929) -

One of a series of animated comedy shorts known as Mickey Mouse that started in 1928 with 'Steamboat Willie' and ended in 1953 with 'The Simple Things,' 'Barn Dance' also features Minnie Mouse and Pete, a traditional Disney villain character.

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'Mickey's Nightmare' (1932) -

Starring Mickey Mouse and Pluto the dog, who'd made his Disney debut in 1930 in 'The Chain Gang,' 'Mickey's Nightmare' features dozens of baby mice who decide to decorate Mickey's home.

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'Bugs in Love' (1932) -

'Bugs In Love' is a Silly Symphonies animated Disney short film. Silly Symphony is an animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. While the poster art is bright and colorful, 'Bugs in Love' was made in black and white, actually the final Symphony to be shot with black-and-white film before Technicolor took over.

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'Trader Mickey' (1932) -

Set in Africa, 'Trader Mickey' sees Mickey Mouse and Pluto traveling up river with a cargo of goods. Along the way the hapless pair have to dodge hungry wild animals, and are later captured by cannibals!

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'The Klondike Kid' (1932) -

Mickey and Minnie brave the frozen North. But their troubles really start when they have to deal with bad guy Pete, who's out to snatch Minnie and drag her off into the wilderness.

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'The Mad Doctor' (1933) -

Disney's Mad Doctor character makes his first appearance in this animated short. The crazed scientist kidnaps Mickey's dog Pluto with the idea of conducting experiments on the hound. The short's horror genre made it unusual for a Mickey Mouse cartoon and was banned in the United Kingdom because it was deemed too scary for children.

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'Gulliver Mickey' (1934) -

Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel 'Gulliver's Travels' provides the inspiration for this 1934 Mickey Mouse short, as it also does for the wonderful Lilliput-themed poster art.

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'Alpine Climbers' (1936) -

Mickey, Pluto, and Donald Duck, who'd made his Disney debut in 1934's 'The Wise Little Hen,' set off for a snow-capped adventure in the Alps only to have a run-in with a mountain goat and a large Saint Bernard dog.

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'Hawaiian Holiday' (1937) -

The poster art for 'Hawaiian Holiday' features just a surfing Mickey and Donald. But the short also stars Minnie Mouse, Pluto, and Goofy. This was Disney's first film to be released by RKO, ending a five-year distributing partnership with United Artists.

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'The Country Cousin' (1936) -

A Silly Symphony production, 'The Country Cousin' introduces Monty, a city mouse, and Abner, a country mouse. When one invites the other to stay, their contrasting lifestyles is immediately apparent.

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'Lonesome Ghosts' (1937) -

This short features Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as members of the Ajax Ghost Exterminators⁠—a team of early ghostbusters. Fun fact: Goofy made his first Disney appearance in 1932 in 'Mickey's Revue,' and was originally called Dippy Dawg.

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'Donald's Better Self' (1938) -

Asleep in his bed, Donald Duck battles with his Conscience, which takes his form but wears a white robe and a golden halo. Then his Anti-Conscience appears, in the form of a devil with horns.

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'Ferdinand the Bull' (1938) -

Ferdinand, a gentle, flower-loving bull, made his first and only appearance in this stand-alone animated short in 1938. Since then, 'Ferdinand the Bull' has become essential Christmas Eve viewing in many countries as part of the annual Disney Christmas show 'From All of Us to All of You.'

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'Donald's Golf Game' (1938) -

In this 1938 short, Donald's mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, prove a real handicap on the greens and fairways. The nephews made their debut in the Donald Duck Sunday comic strip on October 17, 1937, and first appeared on film in 'Donald's Nephews' the following year.

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'Goofy and Wilbur' (1939) -

Goofy gets all the screen time in this animated cartoon short, despite the poster art featuring Mickey's name. Goofy's co-star is Wilbur, his pet grasshopper.

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'Society Dog Show' (1939) -

The poster art speaks for itself, really. Mickey Mouse enters Pluto in a ritzy dog show, but not before the hound is preened and pampered. Pluto's mind, however, is on other things, namely Fifi, a beautiful Pekingese.

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'Donald's Penguin' (1939) -

The moment when Donald takes delivery of a cute and feisty baby penguin called Tootsie whom he has decided to adopt is captured by the poster art for this 1939 short.

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'Sea Scouts' (1939) -

'Sea Scouts' is all about humor on the High Seas, with Huey, Dewey, and Louie taking like ducklings to water as they row uncle Donald further out to sea.

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'Donald's Cousin Gus' (1939) -

Disney's Gus Goose first appeared in 1938 in a comic strip. In this short, Gus, Donald's gluttonous cousin, arrives unannounced and proceeds to eat his host out of house and home!

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'The Riveter' (1940) -

Construction foreman Pete gives riveter Donald Duck a hard time as he lands a job working high steel over a New York City skyline.

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'How to Fish' (1942) -

Goofy gets to go fishing in this "How To" Disney short. He follows the narrator's instructions as best he can, but only succeeds in landing himself in trouble.

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'Donald's Garden' (1942) -

Donald is very proud of his prize melons, and waters them every day. But then a ravenous gopher pops up in his field—and eyes each one as a potential meal.

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'First Aiders' (1944) -

Figaro, the tuxedoed cat in Disney's 'Pinocchio,' made several appearances in animated shorts after 1940 as Minnie Mouse's pet cat. In 'First Aiders,' his rivalry with Pluto undermines Minnie's ability to train as a nurse.

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'The Plastics Inventor' (1944) -

Donald's efforts at inventing an airplane made of plastic are dampened when he realizes that the plastic melts when wet, and a downpour is imminent!

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'Trick or Treat' (1952) -

Released in October 1952 in time for Halloween, 'Trick or Treat' follows a series of pranks between Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, with Witch Hazel.

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'Working for Peanuts' (1953) -

Fun-loving chipmunks Chip 'n' Dale join Donald Duck at the zoo in this short, notable for being one of the first Disney productions filmed in 3D—a sign of things to come.

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'The New Neighbor' (1953) -

Donald Duck gets along fine with new neighbor Pete—at first. But then Pete and his dog Muncey effectively declare war on the new duck on the block. The poster art illustrates perfectly the "harmony" between the two householders.

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'The Flying Squirrel' (1954) -

An errant squirrel battles it out with Donald for his share of the goods after the enterprising duck sets up a peanut stall in a park. 

Sources: (Museum of Modern Art) (Pop Culture Retrorama) (The Walt Disney Family Museum) 

See also: Animated movies that offer profound life lessons for all ages

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