At the D23 Expo in Anaheim on Sunday, the trailer and key art for the upcoming Disney Original Documentary Mickey: The Story of a Mouse were unveiled for the first time. On November 18, 2018, in celebration of Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday, Disney+ will debut a feature film paying tribute to the iconic mouse. At the outset of the Mickey: The Story of a Mouse trailer, we see an archival video from 1954 featuring Walt Disney, which was shot on an ancient television set. “Remember one thing: it was all started by a mouse,” he echoes as clips of various iterations of the titular character flash by, from his sync-sound animated short Steamboat Willie to his later appearances in Disney films to his current role as a mascot at Disney theme parks, greeting children and selling merchandise.
Jeff Malmberg and Morgan Neville reunite for Mickey: The Story of a Mouse after working together on the Oscar-winning documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? on the legendary TV presenter Fred Rodgers. In addition to Floyd Norman, the director of the Walt Disney Archives Rebecca Cline, art historian Carmenita Higginbotham, and archivist Kevin Kern will also make appearances in the documentary. This documentary, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, will look at the impact and debates around the century-old cartoon mouse.
The new Walt Disney Animation Studios hand-drawn animated short Mickey in a Minute is a part of the movie, which will also cover its animation process by Disney animators Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn and Randy Haycock. The phrase “Mickey Mouse is a symbol we see every day of our lives” was said by Malmberg. “We all know Mickey, but he has various meanings to different people. We wanted to make a documentary about him that was happy but also honest, and I’m grateful that Disney let us explore the many incarnations and interpretations of the world’s most famous mouse.”
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is produced by Neville and his firm Tremolo Productions, with additional help from Meghan Walsh and Chris Shellen. Production executive Caitrin Rogers. Jake Hostetter and Aaron Wickenden edited the documentary on this cherished emblem of childhood happiness and innocence. Cinematography is by Antonio Cisneros, sound design is by Lawrence Everson, and music is by Daniel Wohl. It has already been shown at various festivals and events this year, including the Sun Valley Film Festival and the Newport Summer Film Series. According to Disney Branded Television/Disney Original Documentary vice president Marjon Javadi: “Ninety-four years ago, Walt Disney developed a mouse that would become one of the world’s most cherished characters.”
We can not wait for the rest of the world to view Mickey Mouse in a whole new light. In this short, our Academy Award-winning team of animators and directors shows us Mickey’s life and career and reminds us of his lasting effect. The November 18 release date for Mickey: The Story of a Mouse on Disney+ has been set.