MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE – A Review of the new Disney+ Documentary

Introduction

Mickey: The Story of A Mouse is a documentary that covers the entire existence of the Mickey Mouse character from its inception through today. Produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville’s (20 Feet From Stardom) Tremelo Productions and directed by Jeff Malmberg (who edited Tremelo’s acclaimed Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), the film makes its Disney+ debut on November 18, 2022.

Review

Mickey: The Story of A Mouse covers a lot of ground, as you would expect in a documentary of a 95-year-old character. However, it’s likely not in the way that you would assume. The first hour of the 90-minute film is what a person tuning into the movie would likely expect. It covers the history of the character during Walt Disney’s era and is the strongest portion of the film.

There is a lot of great information for both novices, as well as people who are well-versed in the history of Walt Disney Studios, and its most iconic character. The film discusses the evolution of the character, from his Plane Crazy (1928) era silent shorts (that couldn’t find a distributor) to Steamboat Willie (1928). This continues throughout the 1930s and culminates with the more modern redesign, which debuted with the release of Fantasia (1940).

During this section, they also discuss the roles within the animation department. This includes great color footage of women working in that department during its Great Depression heyday. The cameras also give you a peek into the studio’s Animation Research Library in Burbank, California. The library is home to over 6.5 million illustrations, produced from 1928 through today. If you are a diehard vintage animation fan, this is the high point of the film as several examples are shown.

Mouse’s Impact

From here Mickey: The Story of A Mouse transitions to the impact Mickey Mouse had on World War II. This is told from both American and International perspectives. The impact of Mickey Mouse as a symbol of hope for the victims of the Holocaust is discussed at length. It’s one of the more interesting parts of this documentary. This section also breezily discusses the evolution of Mickey during the final years of Walt’s life. This includes his final animation shorts as well as Mickey’s evolution into a corporate mascot and costumed theme park character.

The rest of Mickey: The Story of A Mouse is very strange. This is because it covers a lot of ground but not in a very cohesive or interesting manner. The film becomes basically a mishmash of different pop culture and corporate events, told through a more modern prism.

It spends a decent amount of time discussing how the Mickey Mouse cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s contained racial stereotypes and sexual harassment incidents. They also emphasize how it has sullied the legacy of Mickey Mouse. The sentiments and opinions in this area are fully valid. However, it’s jarring that they would be brought up nearly a full hour after they talked about the evolution of Mickey Mouse during that particular era. This content would have been suited at the beginning of the film.

“It felt vital to us to acknowledge inside of a Disney-produced project that these things happened and that they caused damage. We wanted to open the door to this conversation, which has historically been closed, and we’re hoping that this will lead to deeper conversations.”

– Jeff Malmberg

Further Discussion

The majority of the rest of the film discusses the pop culture identity and the protection of the copyright of Mickey Mouse. Most of this feels like a weird fever dream as you see footage of The Godfather Part II (1974), Andy Warhol, and news footage of a daycare being sued for having Disney characters painted on its walls. The visuals are coupled with tunes from the Mickey Mouse Disco record and punk music by the legendary English band The Subhumans. Yet somehow the bizarreness of it all made it interesting in its own right.

The final moments of the film discuss the Mickey Mouse shorts created in the 21st Century. These harken back to the insanity of the early shorts produced in the 1920s and 1930s. This leads to the new short produced for the documentary, Mickey in a Minute. This devolves the character from Mickey’s Christmas Carol, The Mickey Mouse Club, Fantasia, Brave Little Tailor (with an appearance by the Giant), The Band Concert, Mickey’s Gala Premier, and finally Steamboat Willie. It’s a cute little short that’s like a bonus supplement to the whole project. It’s also referenced many times throughout the documentary.

Conclusion

Mickey: The Story of A Mouse is a documentary that starts off fairly strong. Yet, it loses its focus as the runtime enters the second hour. Despite this, the film presents some terrific footage. It’s sure to be appreciated by fans of Walt Disney’s most iconic character.

“Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” is available to stream exclusively on Disney+ starting on November 18th.

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