Credit: DisneyAs Walt Disney said time and time again, “It all started with a mouse.” Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic characters in all of fiction, let alone animation, comic strips, theme parks, and various other pieces of modern media. So imagine how fans must feel about his departure after years of animated antics.
Mickey has undergone many stylistic changes in his near-century-long career, but one of the most recent incarnations took him back to the classics and reignited interest in traditional hand-drawn cartoons. Alas, it was not to last.
Fans Demand More Mickey Mouse
Disney Animator Paul Rudish is responsible for the thoroughly modern Mickey. Through his use of hand-drawn styles, exaggerated features, and short-film format, Rudish took a more traditional approach to the character while incorporating contemporary humor and techniques.
With the release of Steamboat Silly, the Rudish era has come to a close after a healthy decade of shorts and specials. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a very vocal audience for this eccentric take on the mouse.
A post featured on r/Disney had fans taking to the Reddit boards praising this incarnation of Mickey, and a few were even mourning the loss. Disney might have just closed down a goldmine for animation buffs everywhere.
Many fans praise Mickey and Rudish’s modern style, like u/AerynPfaff who writes,
“I love them. They’ve got that SpongeBob/Adventure Time/Gravity Falls vibe where they’re properly funny without being offensive (not that I personally care about that, but it’s on brand for Mickey Mouse), and the background art and global vibe are amazing. I’m so sad they’re ending.”
And u/BowTie1989 praises the show’s screwball humor by writing,
“Mickey Mouse Shorts and Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse are the best things to happen to Mickey as a character since the 40s. The in jokes like “The map says it should be right here, but someone put a big thundery mountain on it!” Crack me up every damn time.”
Others, like u/MagicMouseWorks, take a more direct approach with comments like,
“I really wish they hadn’t ended them. They can get away with so much more in Paul Rudish’s format… Plus, traditional hand-drawn animation!”
However, u/CosmicGhostHound raises a very poignant fact when they add,
“They were hilarious and made me care about Mickey beyond him just being a company logo. (even moreso than the original shorts or House of Mouse) They were a great fusion of Mickey & Friends innocence with modern day humor.”
Mickey Mouse will (hopefully) never be canceled; it’s practically impossible to wipe out a figure with such an impact on popular culture. However, pulling the plug on an adaptation with such a vocal following might not have been the most brilliant move on Disney’s part.
What did you think of Paul Rudish’s Mickey Mouse? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!