Julius the Cat
| Julius | |
|---|---|
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| First appearance | Little Red Riding Hood July 29, 1922 |
| Last appearance | Alice the Beach Nut August 8th, 1927 |
| Created by | Walt Disney |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Mike, Mio Miao, Otto |
| Species | Cat |
| Gender | Male |
Julius (the Cat) is a funny animal cartoon character, starring in the first animated series created by Walt Disney, the Alice Comedies, making him the predecessor of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse. Julius is an anthropomorphic cat, appearing intentionally similar to Felix the Cat. A bold and inventive hero, he gradually became the primary focus of the Alice Comedies, to the point Disney abandoned live action for pure animation on subsequent projects.
Julius was the first of Disney's animated protagonists to battle Pete, their oldest continuing character.
The two "Julius Katz" stores on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure are named in his honor.
The character first appeared (without a name) in eight of the ten animated shorts created by Disney's first studio effort, Laugh-O-Gram Studio, the last of these being the pilot of the Alice Comedies, Alice's Wonderland. He would be named Julius in the third film in the series, Alice's Spooky Adventure, making him Walt Disney's first named animated character. The primary motivation for the creation of the character was that Charles Mintz wanted to have the greatest possible visual gags in the series. Since the young Alice, first played by Virginia Davis, then only seven years old, could not be relied on for the comic role, she needed a partner, and Julius the Cat filled that role. Throughout the course of the Alice series, the animated Julius was increasingly made the central focus, over the live action Alice.
In one of his first appearances, Alice's Fishy Story, Julius' tail demonstrates its great versatility, a recurring characteristic in the series. Walt repeatedly played on the mythology of cats having nine lives. In the short film Alice the Peacemaker, he is partnered with a mouse named Ike (a forerunner to Mickey Mouse). This cat/mouse pairing was one of many famous animated duos from Krazy Kat (and Ignatz) through Tom and Jerry and Itchy and Scratchy. Julius was the first of Disney's animated characters to be antagonized by Pete, beginning in Alice Solves the Puzzle. He would later box him in Alice Picks the Champ.
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