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- Walt – “(lights cigarette)”
- Ub – “What are you doing?”
- Walt – “He speaks”
- Ub – “It’ll ruin the artwork, put it out”
- Walt – “You know, you’re the only person in here who works harder than me.”
- Ub – “I’d like to keep it that way.”
- Walt – “You ever take a break?”
- Ub – “Do you ever stop talking?”
- Walt – “(hold out hand) Walt.”
- Ub – “(shakes Walt’s hand) Ub, now get back to work.”
- — Walt and Ub’s first interaction in Walt Before Mickey
Diswerks is the slash ship between Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks from the Historical fandom.
Canon[]
Historically[]
Disney and Iwerks shared a deeply intertwined professional and personal relationship. A friendship that laid the foundation for some of the most iconic creations in animation history. The two first met in 1919 while both working at the Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio in Kansas City, Missouri. Having connected over their shared passion for art and storytelling, they soon formed a partnership and founded their own company, Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists, in 1920. Although this initial venture was short-lived, it marked the beginning of the duo that would revolutionize the entertainment industry.
In 1923, Walt invited Ub to join his new studio, the Disney Brothers Studio, which eventually became what’s now known as The Walt Disney Company. Iwerks served as the studio’s chief animator and played a crucial role in developing early cartoon characters and refining the animation process. Most notably, despite popular myth, Ub was the creator of the first design for Mortimer Mouse who was eventually renamed Mickey by Walt’s wife Lillian. Their collaboration led to the 1928 debut of Steamboat Willie, a groundbreaking short that introduced synchronized sound to the animation medium and cemented Disney’s reputation as an industry innovator.
Despite their creative synergy, tensions rise as Disney’s fame grew. Walt became known as the face of the company, while Iwerks, who preferred working as a behind the scenes man, felt his contributions were overlooked (which is probably lead to the common myth of Disney being Mickey’s creator). In 1930, Iwerks left the Disney company to establish his own studio, funded in part by Disney’s rival Pat Powers. Though Ub’s independent ventures were artistically innovative, they struggled heavily in the commercial side, and Iwerks eventually returned to Disney in 1940. Upon his return, he focused his work on technical innovations, pioneering processes such as the multi-plane camera and developing special effects that enhanced Disney’s films for decades.
Historically, the Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks’ relationship was one of mutual respect, despite periods of estrangement. Iwerks’ artistry and technical genius and Walt’s visionary leadership and storytelling complemented each other to create a legacy that shaped modern animation. Walt’s name became synonymous with the company’s success, but Iwerks’ contributions remain a testament to the collaborative spirit that defined the early days of Disney animation.
Walt Before Mickey[]
In the 2015 biopic drama, their relationship between is depicted as it was in real life: one of collaboration and mutual loyalty. The film highlights their early struggles and creative synergy. The film portrays Ub as Walt’s steadfast partner, someone who shares his passion for animation and endures the hardships of building a studio from scratch inside of a barn. There dynamic is shown off most during the founding of Laugh-O-Gram Studios (later the Disney Brothers Studio) where Ub’s technical skill complemented Walt’s vision and ambition. The film emphasizes Ub’s critical role in creating iconic works like the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It presents Ub as Walt’s closest ally during their formative years.
The film also fictionalizes certain elements to dramatize their relationship. For instance, the film portrays Ub as unwaveringly loyal, refusing to leave Disney when other animators defected to Charles Mintz. In reality, Ub’s loyalty was tested, and while he did remain at the Disney company during the Oswald rights crisis, he left the company in 1930 due to professional frustrations. The film simplifies the true complexity, omitting the certain tensions that arose as Walt’s fame grew and Ub felt overshadowed. It portrays their collaboration as more harmonious than it likely was in real life.
Another significant difference from the truth lies in the portrayal of Ub’s involvement in creating Mickey Mouse. While the film shows Walt and Ub jointly designing the character, historical accounts suggest that Ub was the primary artist behind Mickey’s original design, with Walt contributing the concept and personality, this continues the common myth of Walt creating Mickey. The movie’s depiction, however, balances their contributions to emphasize their teamwork together rather than delve into the nuances of their roles. This creative choice aligns with the film’s narrative of shared struggle and triumph but glosses over Ub’s singular artistic contributions, which ironically in real life was exactly what Ub worried about.
Fanon[]
No significantly known fan-fictions exist so shipping the two. Many mediums have made fictionalized depictions Walt and his relationships with his coworkers like Ub, such as films like Walt Before Mickey, graphic novels like The Disney Bros.: The Fabulous Life of Walt & Roy, even a musical starring Jonah Platt and Payson Lewis; Walt and Roy.
Fandom[]
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| Historical Ships • Historical Figures | ||
| SHIPS | het | Cleosar |
| slash | Clayhoun • Diswerks • Lams • Mengels | |
| femslash | AnneMary | |
| poly | The Gay Trio | |