How Mickey Mouse Became an Everyman Hero
As Walt Disney once famous said, “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing- that it all started with a mouse”.
95 years ago tomorrow, Mickey Mouse made his debut alongside Minnie in the iconic animated short Steamboat Willie.
The playful animated mouse would quickly become one of the most famous characters in the world, and synonymous with Walt Disney and his company.
“All of the wonderful things that followed in Walt’s own career were founded upon the first screening of a simple little mouse whistling his way into the hearts of audiences all over the world,” Rebecca Cline, the director of the Walt Disney Archives, said.
Representing the Everyman
Even to this day, however, Mickey serves as more than a company mascot. According to Cline, he is a symbol, a work of art, and a believed “everyman”.
“When asked why Mickey was so popular, Walt once said, ‘when people laugh at Mickey Mouse it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity,’” she added. “He struggles with life as we all do, but uses his innate sense of optimism to overcome all obstacles and has a wonderful time while doing so. He is terrifically appealing because of that optimistic, sunny outlook, and that optimism is sorely needed in the times we are living in today.”
Mickey’s everyman quality was highlighted from the beginning, even going as far back as the Steamboat Willie script. In fact, the very first image of Mickey in the script shows the character happily whistling a tune.
Steamboat Willie Was Important To Walt
Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie would be immensely important to Walt Disney. Not just because they helped launch the company, but because the character became synonymous with Walt himself.
“When the Archives was founded in 1970, many of the historical materials remaining in Walt Disney’s offices were inventoried and preserved. The original script of Steamboat Willie was found in one of the drawers of Walt’s desk,” she said. “While Walt always claimed that he was not particularly sentimental, the fact that he kept the script so close illustrates how important it was to Walt himself.”
95 Years of Mickey Mouse
After 95 years, Mickey is perhaps more popular today than he has ever been. So, what is the mouse’s secret?
“My take is that while Mickey has evolved over time, he is forever young and is still as relatable as he was when he first appeared as Steamboat Willie 95 years ago,” Cline said. “I expect we will continue to see Mickey’s sunny personality in great stories full of heart, and he will continue to charm audiences of all ages, all over the globe, for generations to come.”
So, take a moment tomorrow to wish Mickey a happy birthday! After all, where would we be without our favorite animated mouse?
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!