Mickey: The Story of a Mouse Review – Awesome, Magical, Trip Down Memory Lane
- Details
- Category: Streaming, Cable
- Published on Monday, 28 November 2022 12:00
- Written by Janet Walker
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, from Walt Disney Animation, presents a delightful story of the origins of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney's dream, and Mickey's continued evolution influenced by societal turbulence and changes in the entertainment industry.
As the story opens, we see a montage of children as they meet Mickey Mouse, at Disneyland, for the first time. They squeal with delight in what become memorable moments in the life and times of the world's most iconic mouse. One of the world's most beloved icons, Mickey Mouse is recognized as a symbol of joy and childhood innocence in virtually every corner of the globe.
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We also meet Walt, the creator of Mickey, and are also introduced to the backstory, which for many is unknown. Who would have ever thought that Walt Disney would have been the victim of Intellectual Property theft? As his first creation, which remains known only in the annals of time, was lost in a contract dispute. This set him back, both professionally, personally, and financially.
With only his creativity to guide him, he dreamed up a mouse and thought of naming it Mortimer Mouse until his wife, Lillian, explained it should be named Mickey and unbeknownst to them, a icon was born from Disney's imagination. Mickey became an overnight sensation, as Walt and two others developed the first synch-sound animated short, Steamboat Willie.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse also take the viewer on the journey of animation, and we meet the artists behind the freehand drawings that precede every animated film. For each frame, in any animated film we are told, up to 100 or more sketches, capturing every movement, every gesture, is rendered.
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The documentary also provides a journey through the evolution of the colorizing every frame. It is fascinating to learn the history of cartoons, which evolved into animation and spawned a vast genre of possibilities.
And what would a film be about Walt Disney without Disneyland. For those who have visited the park, there is an infectious magic that immediately overtakes visitors. From young and old, the park provides an escape from reality into the world of Walt Disney's imagination, and we also see it started with an empty lot.
Through the decades that followed, the character evolved into strikingly different versions of himself that reflect both his creator's remarkable career and dramatic societal shifts in the nation he came to represent.
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The documentary also provides a glimpse into character development of Mickey. Once he hit global success and attained global stardom, his behaviors were restrained. The All American, he was no longer able to exhibit any bad boy behaviors, which we see in his early days. To compensate, Walt created two other main stay characters to accompany Mickey on his adventures: Donald Duck, who always had an bad attitude, and Pluto, the somewhat goofy, dimwitted, and clueless sidekick.
As the turbulent times encroached on the sanctity of society, Mickey also went through an evolution. He became an icon to the disenfranchised, the counterculture movement the transformed society in the 1960s and when the 1970s ushered in the disco era, Mickey was right there with a new generation singing and dancing underneath the disco ball.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, a fascinating, magical, documentary.
Captivating, mesmerizing, and enchanting, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse ushers in the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney company in full regalia and is streaming on Disney +. See it.
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Country: U.S.
Languages: English.
Runtime: 89minutes.
Director: Jeff Malmberg.
Producers: Morgan Neville, Meghan Walsh, Chris Shellen.
Executive Producer: Caitrin Rogers.
Participants: Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn, Randy Haycock, Floyd Norman, Carmenita Higginbotham, Rebecca Cline, Kevin Kern.
