Ub Iwerks American animator Date of Birth: 24.03.1901 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Career
2. Collaboration with Walt Disney
3. Growing Tensions
4. Solo Career
5. Later Years and Death

Early Life and Career

Ab Iwerks was born in 1901 in Missouri. He met Walt Disney in 1919 while working as an illustrator at the Kansas City Slide Newspaper Company. In 1922, Disney launched his own animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram, and Iwerks joined as a senior animator.

Collaboration with Walt Disney

Iwerks' contributions played a pivotal role in shaping Disney's early animation style. He co-created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit with Disney in 1927. After losing the rights to Oswald, the studio desperately needed a new character. Iwerks conceptualized and developed the design of Mickey Mouse, one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. Iwerks also animated the early Mickey Mouse cartoons and the Silly Symphonies series almost exclusively.

Growing Tensions

Iwerks' relationship with Disney became strained over time. Disney's possessiveness over his authorship and the lack of artist credits in his films led to resentment from Iwerks. In 1930, Iwerks left Disney to start his own animation studio.

Solo Career

Despite commissions for the Flip the Frog and Willie Whopper series, Iwerks' studio struggled to achieve commercial success. In 1937, he worked on Looney Toons episodes for Leon Schlesinger. He also worked for Screen Gems Inc. and returned to Disney in 1940 to focus on visual effects and freelance projects, including special effects for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Later Years and Death

Ab Iwerks retired in the 1960s and passed away in 1971 from a heart attack in Burbank, California. He is remembered as a pioneering animator, co-creator of Mickey Mouse, and creator of Flip the Frog, leaving an indelible mark on the world of animation and entertainment.