Tribute to Mickey Mouse

Animation was born with cinema. Actually, it came about before cinema, and ever since it acquired its industrial nature, animated films have been produced and directed in ever more complex ways and resulting in greater displays of technical skills thanks to new technologies. From my personal point of view, perhaps the best and dearest ones are those produced during the first half of the 20th century.

During this time, if there is one image, one undeniable leader, it is without a doubt Mickey Mouse. What's more, despite the passing of time and a multitude of animated characters that have gained notoriety recently, it should be remembered that Mickey Mouse has not lost any of his topicality and maintains his charisma, his closeness, and affability with children. Millions of children have enjoyed his adventures for more than 70 years. Mickey Mouse is to popular culture what the Mona Lisa is to painting and art in general, a symbol. In this case, Mickey Mouse continues to reign unrivaled in the cartoon world.

When we want to make a reference to animation quickly and graphically, all one has to do is draw a circle and two ears. It is an international symbol that can be identified in any part of the world as a reference to cartoons.

The Animacor 06 tribute is, then a well deserved acknowledgement of a character that the international animation industry owes a great deal of its projection and success to; that is, without a doubt the most famous mouse in the world, Mickey Mouse.

Because of his invaluable contribution to artistic creation and to the world of animation, for the fact of being an essential classic and at the same time for continuing to be a current and modern-day image, we believe that Mickey Mouse meets the necessary requirements to deserve the tribute of Animacor'06.

Antonio Zurera.
Director of Animacor.

Mickey Mouse that man, ahem... that mouse.

The world of cartoons is full of legends. One of them says that Mickey Mouse was born in a train compartment when Walt Disney was returning from a trip to New York after having had a discussion with Charles Mintz, who at the time was distributing his short films. Having lost ownership of his first cartoon star Oswald the bunny and there in the loneliness of his train compartment, Disney decided to fight against his misfortune by creating a new character, a mischievous mouse and adventurer called Mortimer Mouse. Little did it matter that the hand of Ub Iwerks gave the final form to the character and that Lillian Disney, Walt's wife, changed its name to Mickey.

So are the legends, and even if we take away the epic aura of history, we are still left with that tenacity of a man driven to build up an empire with the stroke of a pencil. Just as Walt summed it up on one occasion, “it all started with a mouse”.

For this reason, when I try to remember the birth of Mickey Mouse in my life, my first memory of the mouse, since it was so important in my life... it turns out I don't have any memorable moment, one that looks so nice in biographies, like the moment of revelation that predestines someone's future. None of that.

It's as if Mickey were always in my life, from the beginning, like a brother who's there at your side but his friendship you don't value until you grow up.

Perhaps the first time I saw the mouse was in comic strips. Or perhaps it was a plastic doll. Or perhaps my first time was on television, on that Disneylandia show on Saturday afternoons in black and white, where Mickey led a musical group.

I do remember the first time I saw Mickey in the cinema, on the big screen with “stereophonic” sound. It was Fantasia. As a four or five-year-old, I was overwhelmed by the music and terrified by the image of the dinosaurs fighting among the volcanoes. Mickey, as the wizard's apprentice, was that famous and familiar face that one turns to when fleeing from nightmares. With time, Fantasia became my favorite films and it is probably the cartoon that I have seen more than any other in the cinema.

He has become a symbol and much more than just an image for a corporate brand. For an animator, Mickey Mouse is the elusive dream of creating an immortal character loved by all. Whether that be because of that pioneering charm of his first adventures, of a naughty and wild Mickey in Plane Crazy, with his water hose arms, the first real Mickey drawn much before Steamboat Willie -his first official appearance-; or whether it was more the mouse with a white face in Magician Mickey or his elegance in The Little Whirlwind redesigned by Freddy Moore. Not to mention the loutish performances that every illustrator has tried to take on, from Moebius to Andy Warhol.

Because Mickey no longer belongs to Disney; he belongs to the entire world. And we, the ordinary animators, from our humble drawing table, continue searching for our own personal Mickey Mouse.

Our Friend... Mickey Mouse.

It’s always difficult to talk about a character like Mickey with so little space. A character who, ever since he starred in his first short film in 1928, has meant so much for the entire world, even for those who attack him with different insults —Please, gentlemen— it’s just a cartoon, and as his “buddy” Jessica said: “They drew him this way”. Mickey has been there with us ever since childhood, with those unforgettable moments and his adventures, some funnier, others more lovable.

I have to confess that I have always loved, indeed, cherished along with Goofy, another one of my favorite characters. In my case, as a professional, I had always dreamed of drawing him in some film, until I actually did so in 1994 in Paris. But the most amazing thing was to see the face of the children when they saw the films, that joyful and marvelous expression that only a child can express, while he is but a “child”. Then comes adolescence and they forget about Mickey until they come to their senses again (not always) as an adult and they discover once again that “friend” who was always there, even if they had forgotten about him... A friend, who teaches children nowadays (who hardly ever read) loads of classic tales that they would never see otherwise... If only for that, it is worthwhile getting to know Mickey. It wouldn’t be bad if a lot of adults who have completely forgotten about him were to rediscover him, even if were just for a little while. I’m sure they would feel better.

From Steamboat Willie (first sound short film, 1928) to Runaway Brain, and stopping along the way with “The Brave Little Tailor”, “Mickey and the Beanstalk” and innumerable other stories, Mickey has never failed to be a “good person” which is perhaps the reason why some people do not like the character, or perhaps it’s because reality is much more difficult than fantasy and it is difficult to play the “wizard’s apprentice” just so that later we can’t find any solution because we don’t have our friend Mickey to help us... I know, I know... perhaps I should be talking about the typical topics: that Mickey is a universal icon, that his is the “golden mouse”... that it all started with him, and that his is the king of merchandising, etc. (it is also said that Walt Disney is frozen, and that’s not true)... but I have opted for the simpler thing, which is his more lovable part and which, in the end, is what he is famous for, right?

From here, I want to join in Animacor’s tribute to Mickey and hope that he continues to thrill us for another 100 years, and please, don’t let anyone come wearing a tie to ruin it...

All the best to Cordoba, Animacor and to all those who make it possible... including Mickey.

Matías Marcos.
Animator.