Ub Iwerks, a talented commercial artist, initially worked in Kansas City in 1919, where he crossed paths with Walt Disney, a fellow professional. When Disney decided to establish an animation company, he naturally turned to Iwerks, leveraging his exceptional drawing skills and personal friendship.
As Disney's studio faced a significant crisis when Charles Mintz raided the animation studio and stole the rights to Oswald the Rabbit, Iwerks proved to be the only associate who remained loyal to Disney. He assumed the role of principal animator for the initial Mickey Mouse shorts and Silly Symphonies, contributing significantly to the production of these shorts. Iwerks' prominent involvement in these projects led many to speculate that he was the driving force behind Disney Productions' success.
However, Iwerks' rising ambitions, occasional creative differences with Walt Disney, and a tempting deal with Pat Powers to finance his own studio ultimately prompted him to break away from Disney in 1930. His new studio, unfortunately, failed to achieve the same level of artistic or financial success as Disney, as he lacked the creative talents of his former partner. The characters Flip the Frog and Willy Whopper, created by Iwerks, were met with lukewarm reception and failed to gain popularity.
After struggling to find success, Iwerks' studio was eventually shut down in 1936 when Powers withdrew his support. He then worked for Columbia Pictures from 1938 to 1940, before deciding to return to Disney. The two men never publicly commented on their renewed relationship, but their reunion proved mutually beneficial.
During his second stint at Disney, Iwerks focused on technical development, contributing to the creation of many special effects that would become hallmarks of the Disney company. His work on live-action animation combination sequences in Song of the South (1946) and Mary Poppins (1964) is particularly notable.
