In 1955, Walt Disney created a place where people could meet Mickey Mouse and experience a new form of entertainment. Disneyland would be Walt’s original park and the original meeting spot of Mickey Mouse.
Two years after opening, Disneyland had received 10 million visitors, half of them were outside of California. Just a testament to the power of the mouse. In 1971, The Walt Disney Company would complete Walt Disney World Resort. Mickey would gain another magic kingdom.
Sadly Walt Disney nor Ub Iwerks would be at opening day of Walt Disney World. Ub Iwerks died three months before the opening. Most obituaries identified him as the creator of Mickey Mouse. Iwerks also contributed greatly to Disneyland. It’s disappointing Iwerks and Disney didn’t get to witness what their creation spawned.
Today, there are six Disney locations that feature theme parks. There is Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Just showcasing the reach that Disney and Mickey have around the world.
Here are what some Imagineers had to say about Mickey Mouse and his global influence. (quotes via Disney Files magazine):
“Four years after he first appeared, Mickey was a household word, whether the house was in China, Moscow, or Beverly Hills. Whether people were watching in Hong Kong, Paris or Cairo, they didn’t need to follow any dialogue. They could simply laugh at what was happening on the screen you can’t imagine how popular he was everywhere and with everyone.”- Ward Kimball
“When (my husband and fellow Disney Legend) Marc and I went to New Guinea in 1978, we were taken by a guide to a remote village in the rainforest that had had almost no contact with the outside world and had never seen (foreigners) like us. As we stood there, this little child came running out of the forest wearing nothing except a Mickey Mouse t-shirt. Somehow Mickey had made it there before anyone else.”- Alice Davis
“The attraction to Mickey is instinctual. Kids who scream bloody murder when their parents put them on Santa’s lap will run up to Mickey and wrap their arms around his legs. In 1957, Dr. Tom Dooley of MEDICO put Mickey’s face on the side of his hospital ship anchored off a southeastern Asian coast. It succeeded in luring children aboard for free examinations and treatment even though hardly any of them had ever seen a picture of Mickey before. They just sensed it was safe and friendly.”- John Hench
Now here is some interesting facts about Mickey Mouse within the Disney Parks. For many years Mickey Mouse wouldn’t have his own ride-through attraction at any Disney Parks. He did make many cameos. Including in 1987 on the original Star Tours. Mickey Mouse also made another cameo on Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D. Mickey would have his very own show at Disneyland starting in 1992 called Fantasmic!.That attraction has added two more locations one at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and one at Tokyo DisneySea.
After many years Mickey Mouse (and Minnie Mouse for that matter) will be getting their own ride-through attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is based off of the modern Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. Which comes to the interesting point of why Mickey Mouse never got a traditional attraction. He’s without a doubt the most popular character at Disney. He’s the one who started it all. Maybe Mickey not having an attraction was a Walt thing?
That Mickey Mouse having his own attraction might not work. What if it isn’t good in a few years? Maybe those were the thoughts going through the Disney execs of the time. Now we have Disney finally testing Mickey Mouse in his own attraction. It seems like the surest of bets. Disney is betting on a new technology called 2 1/2 D, to immerse guests into the world of the zany, new Mickey Mouse cartoons.
One thing will never change. That Mickey Mouse will forever be an incredible meet-and-greet character. Shy children find the courage to hug him. Older guests feel young again. Even the kids who feel so-so about meet-and-greets love him. That’s Mickey Mouse’s biggest contribution to the park. The ability to actually meet your source of joy, and the crowning character. That’s also the reason families across the globe flock to the Disney Parks to get the opportunity to meet Mickey Mouse.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway comes out next year. It will be another way for guests to experience the world famous mouse.
Check back here for the next installment of The Mickey Mouse 90 Series.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
