[1] It uses the American public domain status of the short animated film Steamboat Willie, featuring the earliest version of Mickey Mouse.
[3] Presented as a presumed lost documentary from 1928, the film focuses on the alleged disappearance of the commercial steamship The S.S. Willie in 1909.
The story is introduced with the claim that a studio fire destroyed all known film prints before the premiere, relegating it to lost history.
It starts by revealing the crew aboard the ship: The Captain, the First Mate, two Deckhands, the Chambermaid and the Cabin Boy, all of which go unnamed, and are various animal/human hybrid creatures.
They talk about how they met the Cabin Boy, and how he claimed that this was to be his final voyage, stating that he was to be married after it was over, and that he would be "making music" with his wife soon.