why do disney characters wear white gloves?

Answer 1

Supposedly one reason for adding the white gloves was to allow audiences to distinguish the characters' hands when they appeared against their bodies, as both were black (Mickey did not appear in color until The Band Concert in 1935).
Gloved first appearance
The Opry House, first released on March 28, 1929, was the second short released during the year. It cast Mickey as the owner of a small theater (or opera house according to the title). Mickey performs a vaudeville show all by himself. Acts include his impersonation of a snake charmer, his dressing in drag and performing a belly dance, his caricature of a Hasidic Jew and, for the finale, a piano performance. Minnie did not appear in person in this short. Instead, a poster of her can be seen which introduces her as a member of the Yankee Doodle Girls, apparently a group of female performers. The only other recurring character to appear in the short is known as Kat Nipp (apparently a play on the word catnip). This would be his debut; he would appear in two more shorts during the year as a minor antagonist. This short featured no dialogue and consequently its humor relies in a long series of visual gags. The musical pieces accompanying them notably included "Yankee Doodle" and Georges Bizet's Carmen. More notably this short introduced Mickey's gloves. Mickey can be seen wearing them in most of his subsequent appearances.

Answer 2

Disney Gloves

Answer 3

The only think I can add is a better explanation of why Mickey was painted black. It has nothing to do with being Disney's version of a minstrel show.

The original Mickey Mouse was not a very original character. He was a blatant rip off of Oswald the Rabbit and Felix the Cat. Both of which pre-date Mickey. It was a popular style of the time to make the characters black. Because of the primitive animation technology and the black and white film, a solid black character stood out better.

Most of the answers got it right when they said the gloves were added to make it easier to draw and see the what the hands were doing.

Answer 4

Originally, ink & paint artists (the guys who drew the frames on cels) wore white gloves to reduce the number of finger prints that would transfer on the cels with working with them. Some traditional animators still wear a white glove (with the fingers cut out) to lessen smudging on the paper.

As for the animated characters, it's a design issue. Easier to draw gloves (no fingernails, hair or knuckles to worry about).

Answer 5

Back when animation and movies were just black and white, the gloves were to denote their hands better. Even after the addition of color, the gloves stayed on and white because it was a nice contrast to the rest of the imagery on the screen.

Answer 6

Walt Disney was Obsessive Compulsive so some of his worries and habits rubbed off on the Characters.

Or it could have been that it made it easier to draw their hands being that some artist finding drawing hands and feet to be very difficult.

Answer 7

Because it's easier to draw. The same reason why cartoon characters have only four fingers on a hand instead of five.

Answer 8

The other facts and opinions are good, but my opinion is that it was one of Walt Disney's trademarks.

Answer 9

Good question! I never did really take time to notice that... But I guess it's really the animator's decision :-) But then it has a good effect.

Answer 10

Historically, it has to do with racism.
"Mickey Mouse is the most graphic offspring of blackface minstrels' portrayals of the plantation slave." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Mickey_Mouse