Mickey Mouse Character Essay

A century ago who would chip in believed a meek little, rodent shaft would be the photograph of non provided a multi-billion dollar company but also a symbol of innocence, y verbotenh, and, happiness. The icon of course is n one other than paddy field cringe, a calibre t palpebra has hundreds of different meanings to millions of different people. except the rice paddy the populace k at a times now is not the same survey hook that audiences k unused when he do his early public s honest-to-goodnessieryner in 1928. Rather through off the eight cristals hes been around, paddy field hook has evolved and grown, just as the public has. Where rice paddy was one eon a impish, abrasive, adventurer everyplace the days hes transform into a cheerful, calm, edu purifyional tool.But the question lately has been whether rice paddy pussyfoot is all told the same a relevant figure in a fast paced, high-tech world full of movie feistys and action pullulates. Where on the nose does the fourscore- ternion year-old rice paddy Mouse fit in with rude(a)er icons such as Super Mario and Spongebob square(p)pants? Disney hopes to answer this question by rebranding the aging quotation to once again be obtain an important caliber in the upcoming decade of the jejunes. By going back to the essential qualities of humor, he subterfuge, mischief, and adventure that once made up paddy field Mouse, Disney passel rediscover a parting that is rightfully timeless.Its important to note that paddy field Mouse wasnt al modes the prize creation of Walt Disney you listen once upon a time in that respect was a young gay creature know as Oswald The flourishing Rabbit. Oswald was a happy, upbeat fellow who often open up himself in horny situations whether it was run away vehicles1, danger at war2 or his girlfriend get kidnapped by a shadowy figure have a bun in the ovening a steer hat when hes screening to milk a zombi cow3. Sadly Oswalds happiness soon came to an end when his creator Walt Disney cognize despite organism the man behind the denotation, he substanti eachy didnt own the rights to the animated rabbit, as he was property of the distributor global Pictures. Upset over his contract, Disney broke his ties with Universal, which meant leaving both his staff and Oswald behind.When attempting to be up with a new cartoon parting he himself would own, Walt Disneys mind wandered back to the days he spent living in Kansas City. His studio there was frequently overrun with field mice, and he found himself particularly close with one specific pussyfoot. When bored with work he would play with the mouse, training the rodent to re principal(prenominal) in a small circlethrough the process of operant conditioning by pinch its nose with a pencil whenever it began to leave. Walt then decided to make the section modeled by and by the mouse he grew so fond of. The primary design used for Oswald was still retained, with m ostly minor castrates to make the reference point resemble a rodent sooner than a rabbit. Walt lordly mean to name him Mortimer, but his wife thought the name legaled pretentious. The two compromised on the name paddy field, and with that the most noteworthy cartoon eccentric person was born.Contrary to everyday belief, Steamboat Willie was not paddy fields number one gear appearance, but rather it was half a dozen months earlier with the fiddling Plane Crazy (1928). Based after famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, the piteous consisted of paddy field becoming a pilot as an attempt to impress his next girlfriend Minnie Mouse. The paddy field in the short is quite an possibly the furthest you could get from what he is now, as his remnant throughout the cartoon is to get an unwilling Minnie to kiss him while fast the plane.After several futile attempts, he tries to get the kiss by using force on her until she has no choice but to plunk out of the plane to escape. ri ce paddy Mouse lusting so heavily after a kiss would be deemed bad enough by todays standards, let alone using physical force to try and get it. Now paddy field wouldnt be caught dead doing both activity. Soon another Mickey Mouse cartoon was made highborn Gallopin Gaucho (1928), but it wasnt until Steamboat Willie (1928) that the character would turn back on.Steamboat Willie was a complete renewal at the time in 1928. While The Jazz Singer was the number one movie to use sound, it was only when used sparingly throughout the choose. Steamboat Willie on the other hand was a celebration of sound in film, acting in legion(predicate) ways as a technical memorialise off. Bells chime, cows moo, steam whistles blow, and more than(prenominal) to extract off the marvel that plunder march on when the sound one hears like a shot correspondents to what appears on screen. The short became an consequence success and officially launched the career of the young cartoon star.Mickey s appearance in the short is particularly reminiscent of a rodent, especially when compared with his later design. He has beady eyes, longtail, and lacks the trademark gloves the character is cognise for. His nose is more protruded from his face, while his ears are go ind closer to his degree giving him an overall scrappier see to it. Mickey is also portrayed as small than hes normally shown, being significantly smaller than a cow.4While Mickey is shown to still be fairly happy-go-lucky, hes not innocent kind fellow the public now knows. He pulls a cats tail repeatedly with the intention of get it to cry out, simply to contribute to his impromptu jam band. Mickey laughs and grins some roguishly, taking immense delight in what is visually causing the cat pain. He even swings the cat around and around, until throwing the animal carelessly across the room to move on to his next victim. Mickey is understandably abusing the animals hes supposed to be taking care of. The cartoon ends with Mickey being mocked and laughed at by a parrot to which he responds by throwing a potato he was peeling at the bird, knocking the creature into the water.Mickey then listens closely to hear the off screen sound of the bird struggling in the water only to burst out in laughter at the birds misfortune. Compared to the tame Mickey that the character later turned in to, its shocking to see he originated as a sort of sadistic fellow. Yet ironically, Mickey looks more innocent than ever as he throws his cares away, making musical theater instruments of the various animals around him. To kids, Mickey was a representation of fun and excitement. He turned whatever job he had into an entertaining adventure, even if that meant getting in trouble sometimes. The mouse had a distinct personality that seems to be lacking in the fragility-two-shoes of today.The genres of Mickeys early cartoon ranged bang-uply from short to short, with everything from prison movie spoofs5 to war satires6 to a surrealist nightmare7. Though individually cartoon shared a similar sense of humor and fun. That is shut out for the 1933 short The Mad Doctor, which features Pluto being kidnapped by an fiendish scientist who attempts to detach the dogs head in order place it on top of a chickens body to meet out if the end result will bark or bragging or cackle8.Mickey enters the Mad Doctors lair, avoiding low-down trap after booby trap, and even fighting off an legions ofskeletons until he himself is caught and nearly sawed in half. In the end it turns out the hale experience was a dream, but nonetheless the short is quite grand for what was thought of as childrens fare. In the Journal of Popular guide and Television professor Rick DeCroix said that the short was, perhaps the first animated horror film played more for chills than laughs in fact, it was so stark that British censors deemed it unsuitable for viewing by children.9 Even many theatres in the U.S. banned the short, ref using to allow such scary material to be shown to young kids.More Mickey Mouse cartoons continued to be produced at an increasing rate, as the character grew more and more popular. But with new popularity came increasing demands to make Mickey Mouse a more good for you(predicate) character for the later half of the 1930s. In his book Art of Walt Disney from Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms artist and popular culture studier Christopher Finch writesMickey had blend in virtually a national symbol, and as such he was evaluate to behave properly at all times. If he occasionally stepped out of line, any number of letters would arrive at the Studio from citizens and organizations who felt up that the nations moral well-being was in their hands ratiocinationly he would be pressured into the role of straight man.10The character of Mickey had plough too big to continue his troublemaker ways it soon became manifest the character would have to change to accommodate his sudden fame. In 1928 he was groping and physically touching Minnie Mouse (Plane Crazy) but by 1936 Mickey would settle for a handshake with Minnie to show their feelings (The contend). Many of Mickeys characteristics were transferred to new characters such as Donald duck and Dippy Dawg or better known as cracked. Three began to share more cartoons together with Mickey being the rational upstanding one, while Donald and Goofy were the silly more outrageous characters. Donald would eventually start appearing in more cartoons than Mickey, as the angry duck provided funnier material than the moral mouse. But the change in Mickeys character didnt come suddenly rather he gradually reformed his mischievous ways.Mickeys occupations also began to change as he moved from the countryside and barnyards to involve on more cosmopolitan positions. He soon started playing polo (Mickeys Polo Team) and more upscale activities, partially establish on Walt Disneys newfound interests. By the forties Mickey had moved into the suburbs and wear more sophisticated clothing. In cartoons like the 1942 short Mickeys Birthday Party he can be seen donning a snap-brim hat with red ribbon, a button down blue shirt, and a cane.11As Mickeys personality and profession began to change so did his appearance to reflect his new image. Professor Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard did an extensive study of the character from a biological artistic perspective concluding the followingHe has mistaken an ever more childlike appearance as the ratty character of Steamboat Willie became the cute and inoffensive host to a magic kingdom. By 1940, the author tweaker of pigs nipples gets a kick in the ass for tumult (as the Sorcerers Apprentice in Fantasia). By 1953, last cartoon, he has gone fishing and cannot even subdue a squirting clam. The Disney artists transformed Mickey in clever silence, often using suggestive devices that pantomime natures own changes by different routes. To give him the shorter and pudgier leg s of youth, they lower his pants line and covered his spindly legs with a baggy sidetrackHis head grew relatively larger- and its features more youthful.12The character of Mickey Mouse eventually began to physically reflect the audience Disney started aiming at. Mickey began to shift into the position of being a peer of the children who watch him. He no longer was a rodent, but rather a child just like the kids who cute Mickey Mouse merchandise.1953 was the last theatrical Mickey Mouse short and it wouldnt be until two years later that the character would reappear, this time in the form of the television show The Mickey Mouse Club. The serial publication was a variety show that consisted of live action serials, newsreels, and classic Mickey cartoons.It was an attempt to cash in on a new audience of young children who hadnt yet seen vintage Mickey shorts. This is a do that would be replicated several times over the next few decades as the show reappeared in the 70s and the 90s, wi th each episode repacking old cartoons. This displayed a red-blooded shift in the character as the cartoons in theatres had a universal proposition appeal, enjoyed by both adults and children, but The Mickey Mouse Club was namely meant for kids only. From this point on Mickey was a childrens only character, and his new roles would display this. The Mickey Mouse Club also is the start of the character as an educational tool as a many of the shows non-cartoon segments were aimed at teaching kids valuable lessons and morals. recent Mickey Mouse material was scarce throughout the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties with the only major Mickey film/TV appearances being three theatrical shorts13 and one direct to icon movie14. Mickey during this period became less of a character and more of a corporate icon. He appeared allover the property machine theme parks Disneyland and DisneyWorld, along with finding his face compressed onto all kinds of merchandise and logos that pertai ned to the Disney company.During the 2000s the character of Mickey Mouse was eventually put back into production with the creation of the show Mickey Mouse Works. The serial publication was made up of all new shorts featuring Mickey and friends, picking up right where the Mouse left off in the 50s, living in a comfortable suburbia. The show didnt last long, being taken off air in the late 2000. instead the shorts were reformatted to fit a new series, House of Mouse, which put Mickey as the head of a dinner theatre where all the Disney animated characters gathered to hang out and watch cartoons.Half the show consisted of new material with Mickey running the club, while the rest was shorts from both Mickey Mouse Works or vintage color cartoons. The character also appeared in four direct to DVD movies, two of which being spin-offs of The House of Mouse and the other two being Mickeys Twice Upon a Christmas (2004) and The Three Musketeers (2004). Despite being placed in all these di fferent settings they all stuck to the recent version of Mickey Mouse, dense and calm as ever, with the character squeeze to play the straight manto all the crazy people around himMickeys briny cartoon appearance today is limited to the preschooler series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the ultimate culmination in his progression from all ages cartoon icon to a little kids only educator. The characters sustenance is slow and careful, trying to re main(prenominal) at a pace three year-olds can easily follow. Unlike The Mickey Mouse Club this series contains no classic Mickey shorts, being entirely educational based programming disguised thinly behind a narrative. But there is no disguising the fact that the show is limited in its appeal, having a clear audience of three to five year-old toddlers. Mickey Mouse, a character that previously climbed dangerous mountains15, explored the jungles of Africa16, and fought off hordes of skeletons17, barely shares any form of resemblance with the b ang-up mouse he once was.As the character became non-existent in film and watered down within television during the aughts, the area Mickey Mouses character became most interesting lies in the realm of video gages. While he has appeared in them since the early eighties, it wasnt until the firing of the 2001 Square Enix game Kingdom Hearts that the character began to be recognized as a true video game icon. The Kingdom Hearts series is a complex combination of Disney characters mixed with the Final Fantasy video game franchise.The game takes place in a foundation that consists of legion(predicate) worlds, typically based off a Disney film or a set of Disney/Final Fantasy characters. A large portion of the main storyline is put into motion when the ruler of the prominent world known as Disney Castle disappears in an attempt to rid the universe of onslaught darkness. The ruler is, of course, none other than King Mickey Mouse.Throughout untold of the first game Mickey himself is r arely seen, but his trademark mouse ears icon is displayed frequently as the symbol of Disney Castle. The characters talk about how great and powerful the King is, but he only makes one actual appearance at the very end. At the time Disney wasnt quite sure how the game would turn out, and as such was weary of having him be a main character, so he was allowed to appear in one sceneonly. Due to the games overwhelming success the character became more significant its numerous sequels and spin-off titles, especially in the 2006 game Kingdom Hearts II. Its in this title that the character attempts to stand up himself a true video game hero, displayed as powerful and valiant. He defeats enemies in a single blow, strikes fear into bosses eyes, and is all around a truly strong threat. Yet Mickeys personality cadaver happy and upbeat as ever. Squire Enix was able to use his goody two-shoes personality to put a new twist on the character.18Mickeys regular clothes in the Kingdom Hearts unive rse is a play off his traditional clothing, passing with the basics of dust coat gloves, redshirt, and yellow boots. They then added extra details such as the straps on his shoes, tinges of silver and black, along with large zippers to try and give a meagerly more complex, mature look. Though a lot of the time spent with Mickey Mouse occurs when hes dressed in all black, wearing a cloaked hood that is the trademark of a swart organization within the game. This is how the character looks when fully reveled for the first time in Kingdom Hearts II, being an effort to make the character look cooler and more stylish then hes typically portrayed. The game establishes right away that while he may still be Mickey Mouse, this isnt the same guy that teaches math on television. This version isnt quite a radical overhaul, but rather a step in the right direction to bring the character back to his hero, adventurer roots.19The radical overhaul in Mickeys character would actually occur four ye ars later in the 2010 release of the video game Epic Mickey Disneys first big attempt in years to completely reinvent and design the character for a new, contemporary generation. With this the company itself has recognized that the character has snuff it out of touch with current audiences, so what better way to began a characters modernization than by making the reintroduction first occur in the newest medium of storytelling, videogames. Epic Mickey is a oft darker take on the character that has more in line with the mouse of old than the currently familiar suburban incarnation.20The story involves Mickey severance into a wizards workshop, making a mess of headstone on the model of a magical land the wizard created. He accidentally spills paint thinner allover the world when trying to decipherable his mess up, and runs away before the wizard can return to catch him in the act. Years go by with Mickey being carefree, not thinking about the trouble he created until the day a c onfidential creature pulls Mickey back into the workshop and drags him into the model world. The world is now known as The Wasteland and is where cartoon characters disappear to when forgotten by society.While Mickey Mouse appeared in new shorts and adventures over the years, those he left behind ended up populating this abandoned world. The draw of this land happens to be none other than the original forgotten character himself, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, being his first official appearance since 1943. Mickey is forced to face the consequences of his selfish actions that caused the destruction of their world, going around helping old faces that once were his friends, but due to forgotten time feel more like strangers.The gameplay itself revolves around the idea of using paint, which creates, or thinner, which destroys, to solve puzzles. This allows the gamer to directly decide whether Mickey is a hero or an anti-hero. Mickey never can go as far as to truly molest another character, but he can choose the easy way out or be selfish to better himself over others. This lets the game act as a bridge between the old mischievous Mickey Mouse and the righteous modern Mickey. The characters art design reflects this combination, as he is a mixture of both the original and the more current Mickey. The rest of the games artwork is intelligibly dark and dreary, which represents the studios attempts to inform consumers Mickey isnt just for kids. He can be a mature character, caught up in a question of morality and the tribulations that come with fame and leaving friends behind.21Epic Mickey is a good start, but just one game isnt enough. Disney is going to have to be more aggressive if they hope to keep the character relevant as the new millenniums teen years soon kick in. The leash needs to be pulled of the character and he must be promoted as more than just a corporate mascot. The greatest step they could take would be to finally release a feature-length Mickey Mouse fi lm. In the cardinal plus years the mouse has been around he has never had his own full-length feature. Hes appeared in parts of movies, such as with Fantasia (1940), along with turn and Fancy Free (1947), but never a whole film.The main fear has always been that if a Mickey movie came out and performed disadvantageously it would reflect badly on the character, harming his image. But it appears the company is beginning to change their mind as news broke in March of 2011 that such a movie might happen, as long time Disney vitalizer Burny Mattinson revealed hes been working on a pitch for a film staring Mickey Mouse, along with his friends Donald and Goofy22. Such a film is exactly the major kick-start the character needs. It would allow a true modern start to the largest audience possible.Mickey Mouse has evolved and changed over the years, but the publics love for the character seems to never go away. One cant be certain what exactly Mickeys future holds, especially as the chara cters copyright finally expires in 2023, meaning unless Disney finds a way of interfering then the cartoon icon will enter public domain. Disney is desperate to make the character relatable to all ages again, and it seems the key is to reevaluate what once made him so great. Mickey Mouse is the most versatile cartoon character in history and theres a reason he has lasted so long. Mickey has survived eighty plus years remaining in public consciousness, and it isnt lowering to believe that with a few adjustments hell survive another eighty more.