This just in from Amid Amidi:

[Today on Cartoon Brew TV we're presenting a lost piece of Disney-related history: the Van Beuren short "Dinner Time" (1928).

Why is it lost Disney history?

This is the film that inspired Walt to pursue making "Steamboat Willie". It was a sound film that Walt saw in New York in 1928 and which made him realize that he could do a better job of combining sound and animation.

"Dinner Time" is specifically mentioned in a letter from Walt Disney to his brother Roy and collaborator Ub Iwerks. Excerpts from the letter are reprinted in the Disney bios by Neal Gabler, Bob Thomas and Michael Barrier, but the actual film hasn't been seen in 80 years.

We're presenting the short exclusively on Cartoon Brew TV. You can see the original short as well as hear a newly recorded audio commentary by animation historians Jerry Beck and Mark Kausler. It's free to watch, and feel free to embed the video directly if you're so inspired!]

Check out this page to see the short.