The new prosperity that people enjoyed in the 1920s meant that more and more people had the time and money to spend on film and theater tickets. The first "talkies" (movies with sound) thrilled audiences. People flocked to see stars like the beautiful Clara Bow (1905–1965) and the popular detective character, Charlie Chan. Soon people were enjoying movie epics around the country. Large Hollywood studios such as MGM and Warner Brothers nurtured the movie industry into one of the largest and most successful industries in the country.

One of the largest movie studios of the twenty-first century, Disney, started in the 1920s and pioneered a new type of film: animation. Disney introduced Steamboat Willie in 1928. It was the first animated film to include synchronized sound. Steamboat Willie introduced the American public to Mickey Mouse, a character who would become beloved by children around the world...