Steamboat Willie (1928) (7:45)
The cartoon that started it all. "Steamboat Willie" won theater audiences over with its use of sound synchronized with animation, a concept that would meet Walt Disney with innovation time and time again in the future. There's no dialogue, but plenty of sound effects and illustrative gags to show them off, as well as catchy music, including "Turkey in the Straw." In this, his debut, Mickey Mouse is the very much the same character the audiences of today know, even if his character has undergone some change over time. The plot is simple: Mickey is piloting a steamboat, angering the cruel captain Pete, Disney's first villain (as large as the Pete of today, but with only a slight resemblance in appearance). Minnie Mouse tries to board the boat, but it pulls off moments too soon. Always the hero, even from day one, Mickey whisks her onboard with a crane, where he takes a liking to her while they have fun with music.

The Gallopin' Gaucho (1928) (7:16 with introduction by Leonard Maltin)
Mickey takes to the streets of what looks to be Spain for a dose of culture and a few glasses of beer. He again charms Minnie Mouse, leading to a dance scene that makes for some really fun animation.

Plane Crazy (1928) (6:00)
In a cleverly-titled short that pays homage to Charles Lindbergh, Mickey tries his hand at the skies. His attempts to impress Minnie continue as he mans an airplane but meets with disastrous results. Though "Steamboat Willie" is Mickey's true debut and his introduction to the world at large, "Plane Crazy" was the first Mickey short produced, followed by "The Gallopin' Gaucho" before "Steamboat." At the time, however, these two were produced only as silent films and "Plane Crazy" was shown locally to small groups. Sound was later added and they received their theatrical exhibition after the on-the-whole better "Steamboat Willie." This short also marks the debut of Clarabelle Cow.

The Karnival Kid (1929) (7:41)
At the carnival, Mickey tries to sell hotdogs that simply do not want to be sold. This is Mickey's ninth short and his first to feature spoken words, even if most of them come in the form of song and aren't clearly annunciated.

The first of several special features on Disc One is a featurette entitled "Frank and Ollie... and Mickey" (18:18). This is a fascinating interview between Leonard Maltin and two of Disney's most legendary animators, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Though they joined the Disney team towards the end of Mickey's days in black and white, they have a lot to say about what the character meant to them, both before and during their days with Disney. Maltin often shows them a particular drawing and asks them to analyze it, and their comments are edited together with footage from inside the Disney studios and various Mickey shorts. At nearly twenty minutes, it's thorough and one of the better supplements to come from the Treasures line.

Two story scripts are offered, which provide first a look at a complete panel and then a close-up of the text and the picture on each panel. "Steamboat Willie" is most interesting. From it, the depth of thought required for this first joining of animation and sound becomes apparent. Fans might note the references made to earlier Oswald the Lucky Rabbit shorts as well. The other script, "Mickey Steps Out," is quite difficult to read. Granted, these seem to be scans of original manuscripts, so it's still worth looking at, but trying to make out most of these panels probably isn't good for the eyes. A short introduction from Leonard Maltin (1:10) precedes the two scripts, which require heavy use of DVD selection buttons for browsing.

Seven story sketch sequences from disc one cartoons put storyboard drawings to lively ragtime tunes. Each lasts two to four minutes and is easy to watch, and again, Leonard Maltin kicks them off with a brief informative message (1:27).

Finally, there is also an Easter egg, which can be accessed from the Bonus Features menu.

Easter Egg: Maltin returns again to clue viewers in on the treat they've just discovered. Long before The Mickey Mouse Club was a TV show, it was an actual club popping up all over the nation. This supplement (14:02) takes viewers inside those club meetings via a newsreel profiling them during the era. There's also a short that was created by Disney exclusively for these clubs: a sing-along to "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" with Mickey Mouse, complete with a second verse. In watching this, it becomes even easier to fully appreciate the phenomenon that Mickey Mouse had become.

Because black and white menus would be too dull, they come to life on this set with muted pastels across gray backgrounds, a very nice touch. Mickey and sometimes Minnie can be seen in a variety of positions and they are all set to wonderfully catchy music of the ragtime and jazz variety. Only the cartoon selection menus are without music.