Mickey: The Story of a Mouse examines the entire history of the world’s most beloved mouse. How three little circles became one of the most recognizable symbols on the entire planet. The documentary follows Mickey Mouse’s creation by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks to his revitalization in the current era. The documentary showcases how an American icon like Mickey Mouse changed throughout the decades, similar to the country he represents.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse dives into Mickey’s impact during World War II and the Vietnam War. The documentary also chronicles Mickey Mouse becoming a symbol of counterculture. The film also doesn’t shy away from Disney’s protectiveness over the characters’ copyright and how Mickey Mouse as a character fell off a bit and landed into corporate mascot status.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse also explores how Mickey was a reflection of Walt Disney, and how Walt’s life changes and complex nature would continually make the character evolve. The doc also gives a lot of time on how Walt would continue to make sure Mickey would live up to his high entertaining standards (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia is a prime example).
For a Disney+ documentary, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse goes surprisingly deeper into some of the more troublesome elements within Mickey’s history (specifically Mickey in blackface). The real strength of the documentary is its ability to blend the by the decade changes of Mickey Mouse with talking heads that range from Mickey superfans to former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
As an added bonus, the documentary features Mickey in a Minute, a well-crafted hand-drawn animated short that features Mickey going through his various eras. The short was directed by Eric Goldberg (Aladdin, Hercules) with animation from Randy Haycock (Tarzan, Treasure Planet) and Mark Henn (Aladdin, Mulan). Throughout the documentary, Goldberg along with Henn and Haycock showcase the process of the short and provide their own thoughts and perspective on the character of Mickey Mouse.
If you’re a documentary fan and love Mickey Mouse then Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is a must-watch. It’s a thorough examination of an American icon that became a global phenomenon.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse was directed by Jeff Malmberg. The documentary was produced by Morgan Neville, Meghan Walsh, Chris Shellen, and executive produced by Caitrin Rogers. Mickey: The Story of a Mouse features notable Disney names such as Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn, Randy Haycock, Floyd Norman, Becky Cline, Kevin Kern, and Bob Iger.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse will stream on Disney+ on November 18.
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
