2
Credit: Disney, edited by ITMThe Walt Disney Company released its newest animated film, Wish, as part of its Disney100 celebration and tempted fans with the tease that it would tie together virtually all of the company’s century-long lore into a kind of origin story. In practice, that turned out to be mostly a series of Easter Eggs and background references. Now, the film directors are revealing how they buried Mickey Mouse deep in the mix to utilize some of his iconic energy.
Wish co-directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn recently confirmed (per Deadline) that Disney had trouble figuring out exactly how to handle Star, the magic anthropomorphic ball of light that accompanies Asha (Ariana DeBose), as she attempts to escape the wicked King Magnifico (Chris Pine). According to Buck, Star “first came down to Earth, they could shape-shift into anything and they also had a voice. As we were watching several versions of the movie, we just realized it’s not the right thing. It’s not the essence, and it’s not as great as it could be.”
Related: ‘Wish’ Needs Disney+, But Might Have to Wait
Eventually, Disney realized what it had to do: add Mickey Mouse to the equation. Buck confirmed that the final version of Star was basically reverse-engineered from the Disney mascot, saying, “Our character designer added this wonderful heart-shaped mask around Star’s eyes and mouth, which is Mickey Mouse’s mask and helps with the eyebrows and the expressions.”
This confirms what character designer Bill Schwab previously said about the Wish character (per Variety), “Something that evolved was the heart-shaped face mask. That really represented not only love and the warmth of the character, but also ultimately was a nod to Mickey. I was looking at films from the 30s: short films, Disney films of Mickey.”
Related: Disney’s ‘Wish’ Continues Fighting, Box Office Comeback Imminent
It is unsurprising that Disney would go back to Mickey Mouse when it needs to create a character that essentially represents the core magical element of the entire company and its associated lore. More than any other piece of iconography, Mickey Mouse symbolizes Disney and its continuity all the way back to Walt Disney himself, who originally created the character after losing the rights to another cartoon named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Beginning in 2024, Disney will begin to lose the rights to various forms of Mickey Mouse to the public domain, starting with the character’s appearance in Steamboat Willie (1928), the legendary animated short film that introduced him. It’s only fitting that Disney gets one more use out of him before then.
Can you see Mickey Mouse in Star’s design? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below!