Following in the footsteps of Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck, Minnie is awarded her own star on Hollywood's famous boulevard after 90 years in show business. DW explains how Walk of Fame stars are awarded.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press
Advertisement
Famous cartoon characters with their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Minnie Mouse receives a star on Monday, and she is far from being the first cartoon character on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Here are some of the other cartoon figures found on the famous boulevard.
Image: imago/United Archives
Donald Duck
Although he started his career playing a minor role in Mickey Mouse cartoons, he got his own animated cartoon in 1937. Living in Duckburg, Donald is a stereotypical down-on-his-luck character who stays afloat by doing odd jobs and trying to manage his temper. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, Donald is a popular character who was given his own Hollywood star in 2004.
Image: imago/United Archives
Minnie Mouse
In 2018, Minnie celebrated her 90th year in show business, and with the anniversary came an honored place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1928, the young mouse wearing a red and white polka dot dress first appeared alongside Mickey in Disney's film "Steamboat Willie." Since then, she's starred in over 70 films, enchanting audiences around the world.
Image: picture-alliance/KPA
Mickey Mouse
Mickey received his star 40 years ago. The beloved mouse evolved from the character "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit," which shares some similarities with later versions of Mickey. Although he actually debuted in the cartoon "Plane Crazy," "Steamboat Willie" was the first to be shown to audiences. The voice lent to the little mouse belonged to none other than Walt Disney himself
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives/TopFoto
Bugs Bunny
The famous Warner Bros. rabbit also has a Disney connection. Bob Givens, who gave Bugs Bunny his present form, first worked for Walt Disney before moving on to Warner Bros. "The Hare Trap" from 1940 is considered the first film in which the bold and self-confident bunny first performed. In 1985, he became the second cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Boulevard.
While it may take a certain amount of imagination to recognize a woodpecker in Walter Lantz's cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker is certainly well known for his legendary laughter and unique appearance. Created in the 1940s, Woody is one of the most famous figures of the Golden Age of animation. In 1990, he received his star on LA's Walk of Fame.
Since 1989, the stereotypical middle-class American family of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson have been entertaining viewers around the world. The series invented by Matt Groening has broken the record for longest-running animated US series. As a result, the Simpsons have undeniably earned their Walk of Fame star, which was granted to them in 2000.
Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection/20th Century Fox Film Corp.
Winnie the Pooh
In the 1920s, English writer Alan Alexander Milne was inspired by his son's love for his teddy bear, which was named after a bear he often saw in the London zoo. Winnie the Pooh lives in a forest where he enjoys singing songs and immoderately eating honey. With the help of his pals, he's made it to the silver screen and received a Hollywood star in 2006.
Image: Imago/United Archives
Snoopy
This little beagle is known from the series The Peanuts, and is Charlie Brown's dog. Slightly crazy and a bit quirky, Snoopy enjoys lying on the roof of his dog house and thinking about the important things in life. Although he doesn't talk, he reads books and embarks on many adventures in his imagination. Snoopy was given a coveted star on the Walk of Fame in 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection
8 images1 | 8
With around 10 million visitors a year, the Walk of Fame is undeniably Hollywood's most famous boulevard. It is covered in over 2,500 stars, displaying in golden lettering the names of the best and brightest in showbiz.
The addition of Minnie's star on Monday will bring the final star count to 2,627. Stars will also be awarded to Katy Perry and the head of Disney, Bob Iger, according to the organizers. Minnie herself will also be in attendance — that's a condition for receiving a star in the first place.
What does it take to make it onto the Walk of Fame? Here are some of the requirements that must be met.
A star-studded history
Before the first star was placed on Hollywood Boulevard, there were many questions to be asked. What color should it be: brown and blue or maybe black and pink to fit in better with the cityscape? Which celebrities were worthy of an homage on the boulevard designed to "bring the glory of a city of whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world"? These questions were debated by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which still selects the new stars. Walt Disney was also part of the initial group.
The first prototypes were finished in 1958, with the intersection of Highland Avenue chosen as the location. In 1960, the actual construction of the Walk of Fame began. The first star was dedicated to the director Stanley Kramer. Then the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce drew eight names of the stars to be build next, and they included Olive Borden, Joanne Woodward and Burt Lancaster.
Just one year later, the Walk of Fame already had around 1,500 stars.
Oscar-winner Burt Lancaster (center), shown here with Montgomery Clift (l.) and Frank Sinatra (r.), was one the first persons to be awarded a star on the Walk of FameImage: Imago/UPI Photo
The procedure
Anyone who wishes to receive a star must be nominated in writing. Stars are awarded in the categories of film, television, music and radio. Crucial to selection are professional achievements, a commitment to charitable work and at least five years' experience in show business.
According to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce committee responsible for star election, about 300 nominations are received each year. Around a 10th of those will ultimately receive a star. Essentially, anyone can nominate a celebrity, which at first glance, might not seem terribly difficult.
A form is available on the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce website, and the application must also include a brief biography of the potential honoree, which details their abilities and social merits, as well as a photo. In order for the proposal to be considered by the committee, the nominated person must also sign on the form — unless their management submits the nomination — and they must agree to appear in person for the award ceremony.
The Walk of Fame is a leading tourist destination in HollywoodImage: picture-äalliance/G. Hellier/robertharding
A donation of $40,000 (around €33,000) to the Hollywood Historical Foundation is also a requirement. Half of the money will go towards taking care of the star, while the rest goes towards funding the ceremony. Most film studios shoulder the cost.
This year, nominations can be submitted until May 31. In June, a five-member selection committee will then decide who the 2019 stars will be.
The location
Once potential star-awardees have been selected by the committee, the search for the right place on the boulevard begins. This task is done by ceremony producer Ana Martinez. "I try to find a place on the boulevard for each honoree that has something to do with his or her roles," she told German newspaper FAZ nearly a year ago. For Farrah Fawcett, who was famous for her hairstyle, she chose a place in front of a hairdresser. Former 007 star Roger Moore received a star in front of address 7007.
Minnie's star is located in front of El Capitan Theater, part of the Disney empire where many of the studio's films are premiered.
Commemorating Walt Disney, 50 years after his death
The Walt Disney Studios are the most successful film studios in the world. Fifty years after his death, a new book takes a close look at genius cartoon artist and movie pioneer Walt Disney.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Meet Walt
Walt Disney, born in 1901 in Chicago, was an ingenious cartoon artist - a fact lovingly documented in "The Walt Disney Film Archives. The Animated Movies 1921-1968." The coffee table book contains hundreds of sketches and drawings that give the reader an idea of how the most famous Disney movies were created.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Animation meets the real world
In the 1920s, long before Mickey Mouse and Snow White, young Walt directed and produced the "Alice Comedies" series, where a real-life little girl named Alice and a cartoon cat have all sorts of adventures in a cartoon world. The scene pictured above shows Virginia Davis on the set of "Alice's Spooky Adventure."
Image: Walt Disney Archives Photo Library
Big hits
The new book with its more than 1,500 illustrations meticulously follows Disney's career from the early days to two years after his death on December 15, 1966. The focus is on the Disney motion pictures that amazed and drew crowds back then, and are still beloved today. The 1937 "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" was Walt Disney's first long feature film - and was a huge box office hit.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Legendary cartoon characters
The characters Disney dreamed up are known worldwide - for instance, Mickey Mouse. It's not certain, however, who the father of the famous mouse was. Walt Disney's art director Ub Iwerks is also credited with inventing the cartoon character. Disney stopped drawing in 1926, but - ever the perfectionist - he continued to pull the strings and no cartoon ever left the studios without his approval.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Dreams are forever
"Pinocchio," "Dumbo," "Bambi," "Fantasia," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan" (pictured) were all released in the 1940s and 1950s. These full-length feature films were beautifully animated, whisking the audience away to dream worlds that seemed to be boundless.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
The making of a cartoon film
Many thousands of people were involved in the production of Disney feature films, mainly graphic artists and painters. Hundreds of sketches were made, one of many steps on the path to the final finished product. The films then flickered across movie screens worldwide, but under just one single name: Walt Disney. Pictured above is a sketch for the 1959 animated film "Sleeping Beauty."
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Family entertainment
Browsing through the magnificent 600-page illustrated book brings back childhood memories of going to the movies to see the most recent Disney film, or watching the beloved old movies with one's own children on video or DVD. "That's not a bird, that's a butterfly!" The tale of "Bambi" (1942) is a classic to this day.
Image: 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
The Walt Disney Film Archives
"The Walt Disney Film Archives. The Animated Movies 1921-1968," published by Daniel Kothenschulte, was created in cooperation with the Walt Disney Archives and Libraries in the US. Numerous Disney experts give introductions into Disney's oeuvre and the individual films. The book is in English, with a German-language supplement.
