|
The following biography
is from
Wikipedia.org
“The
Free Encyclopedia.”
Michael "Mickey" Mouse is a comic animal
cartoon character who has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company.
He was created in 1928 and voiced by Walt Disney[1]. The Walt Disney
Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of
Steamboat Willie[2]. The mouse has evolved from being simply a character
in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most
recognizable symbols in the world.
Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse from 1928
until 1946, when sound effects man James G. MacDonald took over the
role. Mickey is currently voiced by Wayne Allwine.
Disney said he got his inspiration from a
rodent at his failed Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri which
he had nicknamed Mortimer Mouse.
****
First appearance Plane Crazy - May 15, 1928
Created by Walt Disney
Voiced by Walt Disney (1928 - 1946)
James G. MacDonald (1946 - 1983)
Wayne Allwine (1983 - Present]
Background Information
Relatives Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse
(nephews), Amelia Fieldmouse (sister)
Pets Pluto
Friends Minnie Mouse (girlfriend), Donald
Duck, Goofy, Daisy Duck, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Clara
Cluck, Sora, Riku
Rivals Black Pete, Mortimer Mouse
****
Creation and debut
Mortimer Mouse
Disney told interviewers later that he was
inspired to draw Mickey by a tame mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram
Studio in Kansas City, Missouri.
They used to fight for crumbs in my
waste-basket when I worked alone late at night. I lifted them out and
kept them in wire cages on my desk. I grew particularly fond of one
brown house mouse. He was a timid little guy. By tapping him on the nose
with my pencil, I train him to run inside a black circle I drew on my
drawing board. When I left Kansas to try my luck at Hollywood, I hated
to leave him behind. So I carefully carried him to a backyard, making
sure it was a nice neighborhood, and the tame little fellow scampered to
freedom.[3]
In 1928 during a train trip to New York he
showed the drawing to his wife Lillian Marie Bounds and said he was
going to call it "Mortimer Mouse." She replied that the name sounded
"too sissified" and suggested Mickey instead.[4]
Yet a further story, much publicised, has
it that a six year old Mickey Rooney was filming the Mickey Maguire
series when he was introduced to Walt Disney during a lunch break.
Disney showed the Mortimer Mouse cartoon drawings to Rooney who
introduced himself as Mickey Maguire. Rooney states that Disney might
first have had the idea to name the character 'Mickey' at that
meeting.[5]
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's replacement
Mickey was created as a replacement for
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier star created by the Disney studio
for Charles Mintz of Universal Studios. In fact, Mickey closely
resembled Oswald in his early appearances. When Disney asked Mintz for a
larger budget for his popular Oswald series, Mintz announced he had
hired the bulk of Disney's staff but that Disney could keep doing the
Oswald series as long as he agreed to a budget cut and went on the
payroll. Mintz owned Oswald and thought he had Disney over a barrel.
Angrily, Disney refused the deal and returned to California to produce
the final Oswald cartoons he contractually owed Mintz. Disney was
dismayed at the betrayal by his staff but determined to restart from
scratch. The new Disney Studio initially consisted of animator Ub Iwerks
and a loyal apprentice artist, Les Clark. One lesson Disney learned from
the experience was to thereafter always make sure that he owned all
rights to the characters produced by his company.
"We felt that the public, and especially
the children, like animals that are cute and little. I think we are
rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea. We wanted something
appealing, and we thought of a tiny bit of a mouse that would have
something of the wistfulness of Chaplin — a little fellow trying to do
the best he could."
"When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's
because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity."
"I only hope that we don't lose sight of
one thing — that it was all started by a mouse." — Walt Disney
Plane Crazy
Mickey and Minnie Mouse (Mickey's
girlfriend) debuted in the cartoon short Plane Crazy, first released on
May 15, 1928. The short was co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
Iwerks was also the main animator for this short, and reportedly spent
six weeks working on it. In fact, Iwerks was the main animator for every
Disney short released in 1928 and 1929. Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
also assisted Disney during those years. They had already signed their
contracts with Charles Mintz, but he was still in the process of forming
his new studio and so for the time being they were still employed by
Disney. This short would be the last they animated under this somewhat
awkward situation.
The plot of Plane Crazy was fairly simple.
Mickey is apparently trying to become an aviator in emulation of Charles
Lindbergh. After building his own aircraft, he proceeds to ask Minnie to
join him for its first flight, during which he repeatedly and
unsuccessfully attempts to kiss her, eventually resorting to force.
Minnie then parachutes out of the plane. While distracted by her, Mickey
loses control of the plane. This becomes the beginning of an
out-of-control flight that results in a series of humorous situations
and eventually in the crash-landing of the aircraft. A
non-anthropomorphic cow that briefly becomes a passenger in the aircraft
is believed to be Clarabelle Cow making her debut.
Mickey as portrayed in Plane Crazy was
mischievous, amorous, and has often been described as a rogue. Modern
audiences have occasionally commented on this version of Mickey as being
somewhat more complex and consequently more interesting than his later
self.[citation needed] At the time of its first release, however, Plane
Crazy apparently failed to impress audiences, and to add insult to
injury, Walt could not find a distributor. Though understandably
disappointed, Walt went on to produce a second Mickey short: The
Gallopin' Gaucho.
Early landmarks
First encounter with Black/Peg Leg Pete
The Gallopin' Gaucho was made completely by
Steven Pugliese, with the latter serving as the sole animator in this
case. The short was intended as a parody of Douglas Fairbanks's The
Gaucho, a film first released on November 21, 1927. Following the
original film, the events of the short take place in the Pampas of
Argentina. The gaucho of the title was Mickey himself. He is first seen
riding on a rhea, instead of a horse as would be expected (or an ostrich
as often reported). He soon encounters "Cantina Argentina," apparently
serving as the local bar and restaurant. Mickey proceeds to enter the
establishment and take a seat. He apparently just wants to relax with
some drinking and tobacco smoking. Also present at the establishment are
Pegleg Pete (later renamed Black Pete, or just Pete), a wanted outlaw
and fellow customer for the time being, and Minnie Mouse, the barmaid
and dancer of the establishment, at the time performing a tango. Both
customers soon begin to flirt with Minnie and to rival one another. At
some point Pete proceeds in kidnapping Minnie and attempts to escape on
his horse. Mickey gives chase on his rhea. He soon catches up to his
rival and they proceed to fight with swords. Mickey emerges the victor
of this joust. The finale of the short has Mickey and Minnie riding the
rhea into the distance.
In later interviews, Iwerks would comment
that Mickey as featured in The Gallopin' Gaucho was intended to be a
swashbuckler, an adventurer modeled after Fairbanks himself. This short
marks the first encounter between Mickey and Black Pete, a character
already established as an antagonist in both the Alice Comedies and the
Oswald series. Based on Mickey and Minnie acting as strangers to each
other before the finale, it was presumably intended to feature their
original acquaintance to each other as well. Modern audiences have
commented that all three characters seem to be coming out of rough,
lower class backgrounds that little resemble their later versions.
Consequently the short is arguably of some historical significance.
At the time of its original production
though, Walt again failed to find a distributor. It would be first
released on December 30, 1928, following the release of another Mickey
short. Reportedly Mickey was at first thought to be much too similar to
Oswald and this resulted in the apparent lack of interest in him. Walt
would soon start to contemplate ways to distinguish the Mickey Mouse
series from his previous work and that of his rivals. The result of his
contemplations would be the third Mickey short to be produced, the
second to be released and the first to really draw the attention of the
audiences: Steamboat Willie.
Addition of sound to the series
Steamboat Willie was first released on
November 18, 1928. It was co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
Iwerks again served as the head animator, assisted by Johnny Cannon, Les
Clark, Wilfred Jackson and Dick Lundy. This short was intended as a
parody of Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill Jr., first released on May 12
of the same year. Despite the fact this was not the first Mickey cartoon
made or released, it is still considered by some as Mickey Mouse's true
debut. The cartoon is often listed in history books as being the first
animated film ever to feature a synchronized sound, music, and dialogue
track, but Fleischer Studios, headed by brothers Dave and Max Fleischer,
had already released some sound cartoons using the DeForest system in
the mid-1920s. As a matter of fact, Disney got the idea of making a
sound cartoon after watching an Aesop's Film Fable cartoon entitled
Dinner Time. Steamboat Willie was, however, the first sound cartoon to
achieve wide recognition. Animation historians have long debated who had
served as the composer for the film's original music. This role has been
variously attributed to Wilfred Jackson, Carl Stalling and Bert Lewis,
but identification remains uncertain. Walt Disney himself was voice
actor for both Mickey and Minnie.
The script had Mickey serving aboard
Steamboat Willie under Captain Pete. At first he is seen piloting the
steamboat while whistling. Then Pete arrives to take over piloting and
angrily throws him out of the boat's bridge. They soon have to stop for
cargo to be transferred on board. Almost as soon as they leave, Minnie
arrives. She was apparently supposed to be their only passenger but was
late to board. Mickey manages to pick her up from the river shore.
Minnie accidentally drops her sheet music for the popular folk song
"Turkey in the Straw". A goat which was among the animals transported on
the steamboat proceeds to eat the sheet music. Consequently Mickey and
Minnie use its tail to turn it into a phonograph which is playing the
tune. Through the rest of the short, Mickey uses various other animals
as musical instruments. Captain Pete is eventually disturbed by all this
noise and places Mickey back to work. Mickey is reduced to peeling
potatoes for the rest of the trip. A parrot attempts to make fun of him
but is then thrown to the river by Mickey. This served as the final
scene of this short.
Audiences at the time of Steamboat Willie's
release were reportedly impressed by its use of sound for comedic
purposes. Sound films were still considered innovative. The first
feature-length movie with dialogue sequences, The Jazz Singer starring
Al Jolson, was released on October 6, 1927. Within a year of its
success, most United States movie theaters had installed sound film
equipment. Walt Disney apparently intended to take advantage of this new
trend and, arguably, managed to succeed. Most other cartoon studios were
still producing silent products and so were unable to effectively act as
competition to Disney. As a result Mickey would soon become the most
prominent animated character of the time. Walt Disney soon worked on
adding sound to both Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho (which had
originally been silent releases) and their new release added to Mickey's
success and popularity. A fourth Mickey short was also put into
production. It was The Barn Dance.
Roles
Mickey as a suitor
The Barn Dance, first released on March 14,
1929, was the first of twelve Mickey shorts released during that year.
It was directed by Walt Disney with Ub Iwerks as the head animator. This
short is notable for featuring Mickey turned down by Minnie in favor of
Pete. It is also an unusual appearance of the Pete character; previously
depicted as a menacing villain, he is portrayed here as a well-mannered
gentleman. In addition, Mickey was not depicted as a hero but as a
rather ineffective young suitor. In his sadness and crying over his
failure, Mickey appears unusually emotional and vulnerable. It has been
commented, however, that this only serves to add to the audience's
empathy for the character.
First gloved appearance
"Ever wonder why we always wear these white
gloves?" - Various characters (with minor variations)
The Opry House, first released on March 28,
1929, was the second short released during the year. This short
introduced Mickey's gloves. Mickey can be seen wearing them in most of
his subsequent appearances. 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).
Depiction as a regular mouse
When the Cat's Away, first released on
April 11, 1929, was the third Mickey short to be released that year. It
was essentially a remake of one of the Alice Comedies, Alice Rattled by
Rats, which had been first released on January 15, 1926. Kat Nipp makes
his second appearance, though his name is given as "Tom Cat" (this
describes his being a tom cat, and the character should not be confused
with the co-star of the Tom and Jerry series). He is seen getting drunk
on alcoholic beverages. Then he leaves his house to go hunting. In his
absence an army of mice invade his house in search of food. Among them
are Mickey and Minnie, who proceed to turn this gathering into a party.
This short is unusual in depicting Mickey and Minnie as having the size
and partly the behavior of regular mice. The set standard both before
and after this short was to depict them as having the size of rather
short human beings. On another note, it has been commented that since
this short was released during the Prohibition era, the alcoholic
beverages would probably have been products of bootlegging.
Mickey as a soldier
The next Mickey short to be released is
also considered unusual. It was The Barnyard Battle, first released on
April 25, 1929. This short is notable as the first to depict Mickey as a
soldier and the first to place him in combat.
Firsts
First encounter with Horace Horsecollar
Mickey returned to civilian life with The
Plow Boy, first released on May 9, 1929. Curiously the short is
considered mainly notable for the livestock it featured. Minnie's cow is
considered to be Clarabelle Cow making her second appearance, and
Mickey's plow horse is considered to be Horace Horsecollar making his
debut. Though depicted as non-anthropomorphic animals during this short,
later that same year Clarabelle would become as anthropomorphic as her
former owners.
First speaking appearance
During his first eight appearances Mickey
would whistle, laugh, cry and otherwise vocally express himself. But he
would not actually speak until his ninth appearance. This short was The
Karnival Kid, first released on May 23, 1929. Mickey's first spoken
words were "Hot Dogs!".
First singing appearance
This following Mickey short to be released
was Mickey's Choo Choo, first released on June 20, 1929. As the title
implies, Mickey is depicted as the engineer in charge of an unusually
anthropomorphic locomotive. His only passenger seems to be Minnie, cast
as a fiddle player for this short. At some point Mickey loses control of
the locomotive. Clarabelle has another brief appearance as a cow running
out of its way. It was soon followed by Mickey's Follies, first released
on June 26, 1929. The short featured a barnyard show including various
numbers. A female pig singing opera is considered to be Patricia Pig
making her only animated appearance. She would be a recurring character
early in Mickey's comic strip series. But the short is more notable for
Mickey's main act. It has Mickey singing Minnie's Yoo Hoo for the first
time. This humorous little song is considered to have a historical
importance of its own. For one thing "the guy they call little Mickey
Mouse" for the first time addresses an audience to explain that he has
"Got a sweetie" who is "Neither fat nor skinny" and proudly proclaims
that "She's my little Minnie Mouse". For another this would serve as the
new theme song for the series. The music to the song was written by Carl
Stalling and the lyrics by Walt Disney. Finally, animation historians
have pointed that it seems to be the first song with original lyrics
created by Walt's studio.
From comedy to musical
The ninth Mickey short to be released that
year was The Jazz Fool, first released on July 5, 1929. The title was
probably intended to be reminiscent of both The Jazz Singer, and also
The Singing Fool, first released on September 19, 1928. Both musical
films featured Al Jolson as their star and had proved commercially
successful. This film followed the originals in having minimal plot and
focusing on musical performances. Mickey and his friend Horace
Horsecollar, the latter in his first anthropomorphic appearance, are
cast as the sole two performers of "Mickey's Big Road Show". The former
plays the piano and the later the xylophone. The soundtrack of the film
reportedly contained elements of both ragtime and Dixieland jazz. This
short is considered to be representative of a change of focus early in
the series. The preceding shorts already featured their share of song
and dance numbers as part of their comedic plots. Many of the following
ones can better be described as animated song and dance shows with
little to no plot.
First encounter with ghosts
This was not the case however with the next
Mickey short to be released: Haunted House, first released on August 1,
1929. The short begins at night time. Mickey is seen caught up in a
storm with an umbrella serving as his only protection from the rain.
Mickey is naturally seeking a refuge for himself. He soon discovers an
apparently deserted house and proceeds to enter it. The door suddenly
shuts behind him and seems to be locked. Mickey is somewhat unnerved and
his encounters with bats and large spiders only increase his growing
fear. At this point, Mickey finds out that the house is indeed inhabited
— by ghosts in skeleton form. Mickey has entered a haunted house. The
figure of the Grim Reaper orders him to play music to entertain them.
Mickey is surprised but clearly too scared to argue with it. Skeletons
are seen dancing to Mickey's tune. At some point, Mickey attempts to
escape but any room he attempts to enter contains more skeletons. The
finale has a terrified Mickey crashing through a window to escape.
The short is clearly similar to The
Skeleton Dance, first released on August 22, 1929, which was the first
short of the Silly Symphonies series. Both feature elements generally
found in horror fiction and particularly in horror films effectively
combined with music and dance. A series of creative and rather morbid
gags provide comedic elements. The result is often described as surreal
and at points impressive. Consequently both shorts have been considered
among the highlights of their respective series and animated classics.
Earliest adventure at sea
Another Mickey short was released in
between them: Wild Waves, first released on August 15, 1929. Mickey and
Minnie are featured spending a day at the beach. They are at first
singing and dancing at the shore but at some point Minnie is swept by a
wave into the sea. She panics and seems to start drowning. Mickey
discovers a rowboat placed upside-down on the beach. He lifts it to
discover an amorous couple who were using the boat as their cover from
prying eyes. Mickey proceeds to place it into the water and then rows
the boat forward until he reaches Minnie. He manages to rescue her and
return her to the shore but Minnie is still visibly shaken from the
experience. Mickey starts singing the tune of Rocked in the Cradle of
the Deep in an apparent effort to cheer her up. Soon seals, walruses,
penguins, pelicans, and other water birds start dancing to Mickey's
tune. Minnie cheers up and the short ends. Mickey was depicted acting
much like a lifeguard during the short. Otherwise it is only notable as
the first of Mickey's adventures at sea.
Mouse in transition
Mickey entering the Depression Era
The twelfth and last Mickey short released
during the year was Jungle Rhythm, first released on November 15, 1929.
Mickey is seen in a safari somewhere in Africa. He rides on an elephant
and is armed with a shotgun. But the latter proves to be problematic
soon after Mickey finds himself standing in between a lion and a bear.
Mickey proceeds to play music to calm them down. During the rest of the
short, various jungle animals dance to Mickey's tunes. The tunes vary
from the previously mentioned "Yankee Doodle" and "Turkey in the Straw"
to "Auld Lang Syne", "The Blue Danube", and Aloha `Oe.
First comic strip appearance
By this point Mickey had appeared in
fifteen commercially successful animated shorts and was easily
recognized by the public. So Walt Disney was approached by King Features
Syndicate with the offer to licence Mickey and his supporting characters
for use in a comic strip. Walt accepted and Mickey made his first comic
strip appearance on January 13, 1930. The comical plot was credited to
Walt Disney himself, art to Ub Iwerks and inking to Win Smith. The first
week or so of the strip featured a loose adaptation of Plane Crazy.
Minnie soon became the first addition to the cast. The strips first
released between January 13 and March 31, 1930 have been occasionally
reprinted in comic book form under the collective title "Lost on a
Desert Island".
Classical music performances
Meanwhile in animation, two more Mickey
shorts had been released. The first of them was The Barnyard Concert,
first released on March 3, 1930. It featured Mickey conducting an
orchestra. The only recurring characters among its members were
Clarabelle as a flutist and Horace as a drummer. Their rendition of the
Poet and Peasant is humorous enough; but it has been noted that several
of the gags featured were repeated from previous shorts. The second was
originally released on March 14, 1930 under the title Fiddlin' Around
but has since been renamed to Just Mickey. Both titles give an accurate
enough description of the short which has Mickey performing a violin
solo. It is only notable for Mickey's emotional renditions of the finale
to the William Tell Overture, Robert Schumann's Träumerei (Reverie), and
Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.
Departure of a co-creator and consequences
They were followed by Cactus Kid, first
released on April 11, 1930. As the title implies the short was intended
as a Western movie parody. But it is considered to be more or less a
remake of The Gallopin' Gaucho set in Mexico instead of Argentina.
Mickey was again cast as a lonely traveler who walks into the local
tavern and starts flirting with its dancer. The latter is again Minnie.
The rival suitor to Mickey is again Pete though using the alias Peg-Leg
Pedro. For the first time in a Mickey short, Pete was depicted as having
a peg-leg. This would become a recurring feature of the character. The
rhea of the original short was replaced by Horace Horsecollar. This is
considered to be his last non-anthropomorphic appearance. The short is
considered significant for being the last Mickey short to be animated by
Ub Iwerks.
Shortly before its release, Iwerks had left
the Studio in an attempt to create his own. The result of his early
efforts was the Flip the Frog series. His departure is considered to
mark a turning point to the careers of both Walt Disney and Mickey
Mouse. The former lost the man who served as his closest colleague and
confidant since 1919. The latter lost the man responsible for his
original design and for the direction and/or animation of several of the
shorts released till this point, and some would argue Mickey's creator.
Walt Disney has been credited for the inspiration to create Mickey, but
Iwerks was the one to design the character and the first few Mickey
Mouse cartoons were mostly or entirely drawn by Iwerks. Consequently
some animation historians have suggested that Iwerks should be
considered the actual creator of Mickey Mouse. It has been pointed that
advertising for the early Mickey Mouse cartoons credit them as "A Walt
Disney Comic, drawn by Ub Iwerks". Later Disney Company reissues of the
early cartoons tend to credit Walt Disney alone.
In any case, Walt and his remaining staff
continued the production of the Mickey series. Mickey continued to
appear regularly in animated shorts until 1943 and again from 1946 to
1952. But back in early 1930, Walt had another matter to attend to: the
creation of the comic strip after Iwerks' departure. At first Walt was
content to continue scripting it and assigning the art to Win Smith.
However, Walt's focus had always been in animation and Smith was soon
assigned with the scripting as well. Win Smith was apparently discontent
at having to script, draw, and ink a series by himself. This became
evident by his sudden resignation. Another reason might be that Walt
Disney was a very impossible man, and Win Smith got sick of this lack of
freedom to create in.
Walt proceeded to search for a replacement
to Smith among the remaining staff of the Studio. For uncertain reasons
he chose Floyd Gottfredson, a recently hired employee. At the time Floyd
was reportedly eager to work in animation and somewhat reluctant to
accept his new assignment. Walt had to assure Floyd that the assignment
was only temporary and that he would eventually return to animation.
Floyd accepted and ended up holding this "temporary" assignment from May
5, 1930 to November 15, 1975.
Appearances in comics
Floyd at first had to work on the
continuation of a storyline which his predecessors had started on April
1, 1930. The storyline was completed on September 20, 1930 and was later
reprinted in comic book form as Mickey Mouse in Death Valley. This early
adventure contributed to the extension of the comic strip cast which by
this point only included Mickey and Minnie. This story would bring the
first comic strip appearances of Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar and
Black Pete as well as the debuts of corrupted lawyer Sylvester Shyster
and Minnie's uncle Mortimer Mouse. The story was followed by Mr. Slicker
and the Egg Robbers, first printed between September 22 and December 26,
1930, which introduced Marcus Mouse and his wife as Minnie's parents.
Starting with these two early comic strip
stories, Mickey's versions in animation and comics are considered to
have diverged from each other. While Disney and his cartoon shorts would
continue to focus on comedy, the comic strip effectively combined comedy
and adventure. This adventurous version of Mickey would continue to
appear in comic strips and later comic books throughout the 20th and
into the 21st century.
Mickey was the main character for the
series MM Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine, published in Italy from 1999 to
2001.
Later Mickey history
1930-1950
In his earliest cartoons Mickey was often
mischievous and the cartoons sometimes used outhouse humor. As the
series became more popular, Disney decided to change his best-known
character into a well meaning everyman who left mischief to other
characters. Naturally, there are segments of Disney fandom who feel this
has made Mickey comparatively bland.
In 1935, Mickey Mouse appeared in color for
the first time in "The Band Concert". Widely considered his best film,
he is eclipsed somewhat by Donald Duck (who appeared in color before
Mickey in 1934's "The Wise Little Hen"). Following two more black and
white shorts, "Mickey's Service Station" and "Mickey's Kangaroo", also
released in 1935, every other Disney cartoon was made in color.
"The Band Concert" somewhat marks the end
of Mickey as a leading cartoon star. The Disney studio had a hard time
coming up with stories for Mickey. "Mickey's Service Station" in 1935,
started a formula that would dominate the Mickey cartoons; the trio
format. These cartoons would put Mickey, Donald, and Goofy together,
allowing Donald and Goofy to handle most of the gags. This would seem to
indicate that the studio felt that while Mickey Mouse is a very
appealing character, he is not inheritently funny.
Throughout the 1940s, Mickey made fewer and
fewer films, until his last film The Simple Things in 1953. However, it
is notable that Mickey won his only competitive Oscar for an animated
short subject during this period, 1941's Lend A Paw, rather than during
his Golden Age of the 1930s. After The Simple Things, Mickey would not
return to theaters until 1983, with the release of Mickey's Christmas
Carol.
From 1930 until 1950, though the numbers of
the comic creators that worked on Mickey increased, the most popular
version (considered the "classic" version today) was that of Floyd
Gottfredson, who developed Mickey's character, adopted characters from
the cartoons, and created many others. Since 1950, the most popular
version of Mickey has been that of Italian creator Romano Scarpa, who
has further developed Gottfredson's characters and has added many of his
own.
Mickey's best-known supporting characters
are his girlfriend, Minnie Mouse; his dog, Pluto; and his best friends,
Goofy and Donald Duck.
By his sister Amelia Fieldmouse, Mickey
Mouse has two nephews, the lesser-known Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse (in
contrast to Donald Duck's famous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie).
In 1929, Disney created the original Mickey
Mouse Club for fans of his character and cartoons, which later formed
the basis for a popular 1950s television show (with follow-ups of the
same name in 1977 and 1989).
Mickey has only featured prominantly in
three feature films: the "Sorcerer's Apprentence" segment in Fantasia
(re-used in Fantasia 2000), and the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment of
Fun and Fancy Free (1947). He has also starred in two half-hour
theatrical featurettes, Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983, screened in
front of a re-issue of The Rescuers) and The Prince and the Pauper
(1990, screened in front of The Rescuers Down Under).
For many years, Mickey Mouse has served as
the mascot for The Walt Disney Company, alongside Jiminy Cricket and
Tinkerbell.
Recent history
On November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th
anniversary, he became the first cartoon character to have a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Throughout the decades, Mickey Mouse
competed with Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny for animated popularity. But in
1988, in a historic moment in motion picture history, the two rivals
finally shared screen time in the Robert Zemeckis film Who Framed Roger
Rabbit. Warner and Disney signed an agreement stating that each
character had exactly the same amount of screen time, right down to the
micro-second.
His most recent theatrical cartoon was
1995's short Runaway Brain, while in 2004, he appeared in the
made-for-video features Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers and
the computer-animated Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. He has yet to
appear in an original Disney film that wasn't based on a classical work.
Many television programs have centered
around Mickey, such as the recent shows Mickey Mouse Works (1999—2000),
Disney's House of Mouse (2001—2003) and Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
(2006). Prior to all these, Mickey was also featured as an unseen
character in the Bonkers episode "You Oughta Be In Toons".
Mickey was the Grand Marshal of the
Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day 2005.
In the Disney on Ice play, Disney Presents
Pixar's The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure, Mickey and Minnie
are kidnapped by an android replica of Syndrome, who seeks to create
"his" own theme park in Walt Disney World's place. They are briefly
imprisoned in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction's prison cell
before an assault on the robot Syndrome by the Incredible Family forces
"him" to place them in LASER prisons, but not without using a
flamethrower in a botched attempt to incinerate their would-be
superhuman saviors. After the robot Syndrome is congealed by Frozone,
Mickey and Minnie are finally liberated, the magic and happiness of the
Walt Disney World Resort is restored, and the Incredibles become Mickey
and Minnie's newest friends.
Computer and video games
Like many popular characters, Mickey has
starred in many computer and video games, including Mickey Mousecapade
on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Mickey Mania and Disney's Magical
Quest on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Castle of Illusion
Starring Mickey Mouse on the Sega Genesis and Sony PlayStation, Mickey
Mouse: Magic Wands on the Game Boy, and many others. In the 2000s, the
Disney's Magical Quest series were ported to the Game Boy Advance, while
Mickey made his sixth generation era debut in Disney's Magical Mirror, a
Nintendo GameCube title aimed at younger audiences.
Kingdom Hearts Series
In Buena Vista Games and Square Enix's
Kingdom Hearts video game series, King Mickey Mouse presided over Disney
Castle alongside Queen Minnie Mouse. Donald Duck is his Court Wizard,
while Goofy is the captain of the King's royal guard. However, he left
his castle at the beginning of the game with instructions for Goofy and
Donald to find and protect the one chosen by the Keyblade (Sora). King
Mickey only appeared briefly near the end, revealing he managed to get
into the realm of darkness and obtain the realm's Keyblade. He returns
in the Game Boy Advance sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, in
which he used the Corridors of Darkness, an interdimensional pathway, to
enter Castle Oblivion so he could join and help Riku in finding his way
through the basement floors. In Kingdom Hearts II, Mickey becomes
playable in certain boss battles, after Sora is defeated. He remains
playable until he revives Sora or he himself is defeated, as a boss
fight cannot be finished with King Mickey (In an ironic twist, the
Kingdom Hearts Series were originally conceived to star Mickey Mouse as
the main character, proof of this is suggested in Sora's clothing, they
share a striking resemblance in terms of clothes in the first game). In
his battles (both in cutscenes and gameplay), despite his rather small
stature he is shown to be an expert user of the Keyblade who implements
plenty of swift and acrobatic movements in his attacks, much like Yoda
of the Star Wars saga.
Mickey's part in the Kingdom Hearts series
was one of importance as he befriended Ansem the Wise of the Radiant
Garden before the man went into hiding as DiZ. He serves as Riku's
partner in Chain of Memories and he and Riku keep a close eye on Sora's
group throughout the worlds, with King Mickey jumping in to take over
for Sora when he is defeated until he revives Sora. Sora and company
then encountered King Mickey's "1920s mute"-past self at Timeless River.
During the first half of Kingdom Hearts II, King Mickey wore attire
similar to Organization XIII's to work in secret. By the time he
rejoined Sora and company at Hollow Bastion during the Heartless War, he
discarded his disguise. After Xemnas was defeated, King Mickey returned
to Disney Castle with Donald and Goofy and was reunited with his wife,
Queen Minnie. After the credits of the game, it seems Mickey has sent
Sora and co a letter, as of what the letter states, its currently
unknown. Like in Kingdom Hearts, the game has ended with a letter, with
the Mickey's seal. The same applies for Kingdom Hearts II.
Mickey's voice
A large part of Mickey's screen persona is
his famously shy, falsetto voice. From his first speaking role in The
Karnival Kid onward, Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself, a task
Disney took great personal pride in. (Carl Stalling and Clarence Nash
allegedly did some uncredited ADR for Mickey in a few early shorts as
well.) However, by 1946, Disney was becoming too busy with running the
studio to do regular voicework (and it is "speculated" his cigarette
habit had damaged his voice over the years), and during the recording of
the Mickey and the Beanstalk section of Fun and Fancy Free, Mickey's
voice was handed over to veteran Disney musician and actor Jim
MacDonald. (Both Disney's and Macdonald's voices can be heard on the
final soundtrack.) Macdonald voiced Mickey in the remainder of the
theatrical shorts, and for various television and publicity projects up
until his retirement in the mid-1970s, although Walt voiced Mickey again
for the introductions of the original 1954—1959 "Mickey Mouse Club" TV
series and the "Fourth Anniversary Show" episode of the "Disneyland" TV
series aired on September 11, 1958. 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol
marked the debut of Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse, who is the current
voice actor. Allwine is, incidentally, married to Russi Taylor, the
current voice of Minnie Mouse. Les Perkins did the voice of Mickey in
the TV special Down and Out with Donald Duck released in 1987. Takashi
Aoyagi provided the Japanese voice for Mickey in the Kingdom Hearts
series.
Social impact
Electoral career
In the United States, protest votes are
often made in order to indicate dissatisfaction with the slate of
electors presented on a particular ballot, or to highlight the
inadequacies of a particular voting procedure. Since most states'
electoral systems do not provide for blank balloting or a choice of
"None of the Above", most protest votes take the form of a clearly
non-serious candidate's name entered as a write-in vote. Cartoon
characters are typically chosen for this purpose; as Mickey Mouse is the
best-known and most-recognized character in America, his name is
frequently selected for this purpose. (Other popular selections include
Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny.) This phenomenon has the humorous effect of
causing Mickey Mouse to be a minor but perennial contestant in nearly
all U.S. presidential elections.
A similar phenomenon occurs in the
parliament elections in Finland and Sweden, although Finns and Swedes
usually write Donald Duck or Donald Duck Party as a protest vote.
Pejorative use of Mickey's name
"Mickey Mouse" is a slang expression
meaning small-time, amateurish or trivial.
In 1984, just after a game in which Wayne
Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers beat the New Jersey Devils 13-4, Gretzky is
quoted as saying to a reporter, "They're putting a Mickey Mouse
operation on the ice. It's ruining hockey."
In the 1993 Warner Bros. film Demolition
Man, as Sylvester Stallone's character is fighting the malfunctioning AI
of his out-of-control police car, he shouts for the system to "Brake!
Brake! Brake, now, you Mickey Mouse piece of shit!"[2]
In the 1996 Warner Bros. film Space Jam,
Bugs Bunny derogatorily referred to Daffy Duck's idea for the name of
their basketball team ("the Ducks", as in the Mighty Ducks) as a "Mickey
Mouse organization."
In schools a "Mickey Mouse course" is a
class where very little effort is necessary in order to attain a good
grade and/or one where the subject matter of such a class is not of any
importance in the labour market. [3]
Musicians often refer to a film score that
directly follows each action on screen as Mickey Mousing (also
mickey-mousing and mickeymousing).
"Mickey Mouse money" is a derogatory term
for foreign currency, often used by Americans to describe indigenous
currency in a foreign country in which they are traveling. The term also
refers to fake banknotes, especially in UK. (Disney theme parks and
resorts have an actual kind of Mickey Mouse money, Disney Dollars. This
money is worthless outside the park, which may be the origin of the
expression.)
In Finland, the software company Microsoft
is often derogatorily called "Mikkisofta" ("Mickey Software").[citation
needed]
In card games, it is common for a "Mickey
Mouse hand" to be played for instructional purposes. In such a hand all
cards of all players that would normally be concealed are displayed, to
demonstrate to new players the rules and procedures of the game.
In motorsport, short road courses with
tight corners, short straightways and no overtaking spots are sometimes
called "Mickey Mouse tracks".
In Cockney rhyming slang, a "Mickey" refers
to a Liverpudlian or Liverpool FC supporter (ie. Mickey Mouser =
Scouser). It may also refer to someone's home (house = Mickey Mouse).
In the beginning of the 1980s, now former
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once called the European
Parliament a Mickey Mouse parliament; meaning a discussion club without
influence.
Legal issues
Many people have believed erroneously that
the Mickey Mouse character is protected only by copyright. In fact, the
Mickey Mouse character, like all major Disney characters, is protected
as a trademark, which like all trademarks lasts in perpetuity as long as
it continues to be used commercially by its owner. Whether or not a
particular Disney cartoon goes into the public domain, the characters
themselves will remain protected as trademarks from unauthorized use.
The Walt Disney Company has become well
known for protecting its trademark on the Mickey Mouse character, whose
likeness is so closely associated with the company, with particular
zeal. Disney chose not to sue Paul Krassner for publishing Wally Wood's
illustration of The Disneyland Memorial Orgy in the underground
newspaper The Realist in 1967, and didn't pursue legal redress until a
bootleg blacklight poster appeared. In a protracted case in the 1970s,
Disney sued underground cartoonist Dan O'Neill for his comic book Air
Pirates, even going so far as to request the court press criminal
charges.
In 1935, Romanian authorities banned Mickey
Mouse films from cinemas after they feared that children would be scared
to see a ten-foot mouse in the movie theatre.
Trivia
In 1934, The Encyclopedia Britannica gave
Mickey Mouse his own entry.
Walt Disney was given a special Academy
Award in 1932 for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
In 2003, Mickey Mouse came in at number 17
on VH1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons list.
A 1990 survey found that Nintendo's mascot
Mario, was more recognizable among children than Mickey in the USA.
Mickey's Name in Other Languages
Chinese: 米老鼠 (pinyin: mǐ lǎoshǔ) or 米奇
(mǐqí)
Danish: Mikkel Mus
Esperanto: Miĉjo Muso
Finnish: Mikki Hiiri
French: Mickey Mouse
German: Micky Maus
Greek: Mikυ Μαους
Hebrew: מיקי מאוס
Italian: Topolino
Japanese: ミッキーマウス (mikkii mausu)
Norwegian: Mikke Mus
Polish: Myszka Miki
Russian Микки Маус (Mikki Maus)
Spanish: Ratón Mickey
Swedish: Musse Pigg
Filmography
For more details on this topic, see Mickey
Mouse cartoons.
Notable Mickey Mouse cartoons and
appearances
1928: Plane Crazy
1928: The Gallopin' Gauncho
1928: Steamboat Willie
1929: Mickey Mouse Works
1929: Haunted House
1930: The Chain Gang
1931: Mickey's Orphans
1932: The Grocery Boy
1933: The Mad Doctor
1934: The Orphan's Benefit
1935: Mickey's Service Station
1935: The Band Concert
1936: Thru the Mirror
1937: Lonesome Ghosts
1938: Mickey's Trailer
1938: Brave Little Tailor
1939: The Pointer
1940: The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of
Fantasia
1941: Lend A Paw
1941: The Little Whirlwind
1942: Mickey's Birthday Party
1942: Symphony Hour
1947: Mickey's Delayed Date
1947: Mickey and the Beanstalk segment of
Fun and Fancy Free
1948: Mickey and the Seal
1953: The Simple Things
1983: Mickey's Christmas Carol
1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (cameo)
1990: The Prince and the Pauper
1995: Runaway Brain
References
1 The Main Mouse Is In The House.
mickey-mouse.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.
2 Disney Online Guest Services. Disney
Online. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.
3 Walt Disney: Conversations (Conversations
With Comic Artists Series) by by Kathy Merlock Jackson with Walt Disney
" ISBN 1578067138 page 120
4 Walt Disney: Conversations (Conversations
With Comic Artists Series) by by Kathy Merlock Jackson with Walt Disney
" ISBN 1578067138 page 120
5 [1]
See also
Minnie Mouse, best known as the fellow
Disney character, often portrayed as Mickey's significant other in
animated shorts and features.
Pluto, a canine character of the Disney
series who is often portrayed as Mickey's dog in the animated shorts and
features.
Mickey Mouse universe, the phenomenon that
has spawned from the Mickey Mouse series and other related characters.
Mouse Museum, a Russian museum featuring
artifacts and memorabilia relating to Mickey Mouse.
Mickey Mouse Adventures A short-lived comic
starring Mickey Mouse as the protagonist.
Hidden Mickey, a phenomenon featuring
throughout Disney films, theme parks and merchandise involving hiding
images that are similar to a silhouette of Mickey's head and ears,
another trademark of the Disney series, in non-related places.
Celebration Mickey, a two foot tall, 100
lb., 24-karat gold authentic Mickey Mouse sculpture, designed by Disney
artist Marc Delle and produced in 2001 to commemorate Walt Disney's
100th birthday. Certified an authentic and one-of-a-kind piece by
Disneyland Resort, it is the largest gold sculpture ever cast in the
history of the Disney Company.
****
The
above biography has been copied in part or in whole
from an article on
Wikipedia.org
"The Free Encyclopedia." It has been modified under
the GNU Free Document License Section 5 in the
following manner: (1) All links within the article
have been removed, including text links such as
"[#]"; (2) The "[Edit]" text and link have been
removed [if you would like to update the article,
you may do so from the original page]; (3) the table
of Contents links and text have been removed; and
(4) all of the sections of the original article have
not been copied. All of the above text is available
under the terms of the
GNU Free Document License.
URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse
Date Article Copied:
October 2006
We
will try to replace this article with an original
biography in the near future, but we hope this will
be of help to our visitors in the mean time. |
