Fantasia was the first Disney animated feature to include Mickey Mouse as a character.
Released in 1940, Fantasia features Mickey in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, one of the film’s segments. His appearance gave the studio’s most famous cartoon character a central role in an ambitious feature built around classical music.
Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was released in 1937 and does not feature Mickey Mouse as a character. This distinction is why Fantasia, rather than Snow White, is the answer to the question about Mickey’s first feature-length appearance.
Fantasia was also notable for its concert-film structure and innovative sound presentation. Although the film was initially a challenging theatrical experiment, Mickey’s magical role became one of its enduring images and helped anchor the feature in popular culture.