A little-known version of Mickey Mouse came before ‘Steamboat Willie’ — and he wasn’t very nice

“Plane Crazy,” Disney’s first Mickey Mouse short, featured a hot-tempered Mickey humiliating and forcibly kissing his beloved Minnie Mouse.

Before he became the biggest mouse in the biz, Mickey Mouse welcomed audiences to the movies. Beginning in 1928, the mischievous Walt Disney icon starred in short films that played before the main attractions at theaters across the US. He charmed moviegoers with his black-and-white antics and high-pitched squeak, all backed by innovative new sound technology. The best-known Mickey Mouse film from those days is “Steamboat Willie,” the seven-minute short that hit theaters in November of that year and kickstarted his international fame. But it wasn’t Mickey’s silver-screen debut. He first appeared in “Plane Crazy,” a silent short film that test-screened months before “Steamboat Willie” and portrays Mickey in a less-than-flattering light. Copyrighted in 1928, the silent version of “Plane Crazy” joins “Steamboat Willie” in entering the public domain this year, which means they’re free for people to share, copy or use without permission. Unlike “Steamboat Willie,” fans won’t find “Plane Crazy” on Disney+ or earning more than a passing mention in the annals of Disney history. Here’s what to know about the first-ever Mickey Mouse short, and why you’re probably not familiar with it. In “Plane Crazy,” Mickey sets out to pilot a two-seater plane in an attempt to emulate Charles Lindbergh, who completed his historic flight from New York City to Paris in 1927. Minnie takes the passenger seat, and after some frenetic mishaps and the inadvertent milking of Clarabelle Cow, the couple successfully gets off the ground.