The longest-running Disney character, Pete has been a villain from the early days of the "Alice Comedies" in 1925, all the way to "A Goofy Movie" in 1995 -- a span of 70 years! Also known as Peg Leg Pete and Black Pete, this gruff, catlike character soon became better known as Mickey Mouse's, and later Donald Duck's, primary nemesis. Since "Steamboat Willie," Pete has appeared in 31 cartoons. In the earliest cartoons he had a peg leg, but that was dispensed with in his later appearances when the animators found it too hard to handle in the stories.
"Time" magazine summed it up best when it called Pete "a monstrous mingling of common house cat and Long John Silver." By 1940, Pete was a front-ranking Disney character -- not in the same league as Mickey or Donald, but nevertheless an instantly recognizable figure with a large body of work behind him. And unlike most cartoon bad guys, Pete is a fairly complex character -- much more than just a monument to quivering rage. By the time "A Goofy Movie" rolled around, Pete had transformed yet again ... into a photographer of baby pictures.