Post by Scrooge MacDuck on Nov 10, 2016 20:45:15 GMT
The purpose of this thread being to catalogue the different personæ of Mickey Mouse (do tell me if I missed any!) as well as to pick your favourites in the comments.
1920's Cartoon Mickey
The earliest version of Mickey was basically a mischievous kid living on a farm. He was a smartish sort of fellow and would sometimes cook up little schemes to have fun, look good in front of the other barnyard animals, or save Mickey from Pete. However, he was also a little too self-confident, and could sometimes be a bit of a bully.
1930's Gottfredson Mickey
The "Classic Mickey" of many, the 30's serials version of Mickey Mouse, which could also roughly englobe the cartoons of that era, was a mischievous, curious and adventurous little smartie. He was well-respected by the police service, but not by most other authority figures. This Mickey would typically set out on grand adventures for the sake of it, and only later (if at all) get a chance at actually saving people while living his adventure. However, he was a fundamentally good person.
1950's Mickey
Arising both in Gottfredson's serials and in the few MM cartoons the Studio was still producing by the late 1940's and early 50's, 1950's Mickey is no longer the smart and peculiar fellow who only wore red shorts and yellow shoes and enlisted in the Foreign Legion for kicks. This Mickey is fully clothed, had real eyes around his pupils, and desperately tries to be a normal person. Most of the time, he succeeds, but invariably, something wacky (a man from the year 3000, a people-reducing goddess, a time-travelling uncle of Goofy's, anything) drops by and he is forced to return to his problem-solving ways, but only grudgingly.
1940's, 1950's and 1960's Comic Book Mickey (alias Paul Murry Mickey or Detective Mickey)
Graphically basically a smaller-nosed 1950's Mickey, he is a sort of mix of the adventurous 30's version and the 50's everyman-forced-detective. This Mickey is extremely skilled at crime-solving and adventuring and is an infallible gold-hearted goody-two-shoes. He's not in for the thrill of it all, or for the money O'Hara could pay him (unlike some instances of 30's Mickey), but merely to Do The Right Thing. He sometimes has the same kind of "no more weirdness for me, please" reactions as 50's Mickey, but in a toned-down sort of way.
Disneyland Mickey (or Mascot Mickey)
What I call Mascot Mickey is that version of Mickey you see in merchandise, in the parks, in TV specials, whatever. He is the embodiment of what merchandising people want you to think of when someone says "Disney". Mascot Mickey retains some of the youthfulness and mischievousness of the 30's version, mostly inspired vy the 30's version's memorable run as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. However, he is also just as much of an Unfailing Good Guy as Detective Mickey; add to that that he's the ultimate source for Disney information and can do magic (in a nursery school kind of way -- e.g. "Now, everybody clap their hands, this proves you believe in Disney Magic, love and sparkly unicorns!" (*a neon is switched on* "Oooh, shiny!").
House of Mouse Mickey
Mostly featured in the late nineties' TV series House of Mouse, this tuxedo-wearing Mickey is sort of what you get if you try to make Mascot Mickey into an actual, fleshed-out and interesting character. He's very likable and reliable, and quite knowledgeable about the Disney universe, but also forgetful and sometimes overenthusiastic, as well as generally very emotional. Has a particularly sweet relationship with Minnie. A similar but less wise version of the same character is featured in the Three Musketeers DTD movie. (Incidentally, King Mickey as depicted in the Kingdom Hearts franchise is somewhere between House of Mouse Mickey and Mascot Mickey; not terribly interesting, but not totally bland.)
Epic Mickey Mickey
The rejuvenated Mickey featured in the Epic Mickey franchise is what would happen if 30's Mickey made a big mistake with far-reaching consequences and learned some common sense, causing him to grow into, basically, the House of Mouse Mickey. Which, incidentally, is half of the plot of Epic Mickey, so there. From his adventurous 30's incarnation, Epic Mickey Mickey retains the general appearance and the tendancy to jump ahead, as well as a stronger will than usual to physically fight his opponents.
2013 Mickey
The Mickey featured in the 2013 animated series, this version is a combination of the 20's clumsy wise guy, the 30's li'l smarty and Detective Mickey. Although he likes to have fun and sometimes sets out on his "adventures" for flimsy reasons, and will also sometimes play pranks, he has the same determination as Detective Mickey to Do The Right Thing. The difference is that while Detective Mickey lives in a serious setting, 2013 Mickey lives in the world of the Looney Tunes, and his courage and determination, even when he succeeds, are more laughable than they are admirable.
Do tell us if I missed any (which I probably did)!
So, for the record, my favorite versions in all of these are 50's Mickey and House of Mouse Mickey. What about you?
1920's Cartoon Mickey
The earliest version of Mickey was basically a mischievous kid living on a farm. He was a smartish sort of fellow and would sometimes cook up little schemes to have fun, look good in front of the other barnyard animals, or save Mickey from Pete. However, he was also a little too self-confident, and could sometimes be a bit of a bully.
1930's Gottfredson Mickey
The "Classic Mickey" of many, the 30's serials version of Mickey Mouse, which could also roughly englobe the cartoons of that era, was a mischievous, curious and adventurous little smartie. He was well-respected by the police service, but not by most other authority figures. This Mickey would typically set out on grand adventures for the sake of it, and only later (if at all) get a chance at actually saving people while living his adventure. However, he was a fundamentally good person.
1950's Mickey
Arising both in Gottfredson's serials and in the few MM cartoons the Studio was still producing by the late 1940's and early 50's, 1950's Mickey is no longer the smart and peculiar fellow who only wore red shorts and yellow shoes and enlisted in the Foreign Legion for kicks. This Mickey is fully clothed, had real eyes around his pupils, and desperately tries to be a normal person. Most of the time, he succeeds, but invariably, something wacky (a man from the year 3000, a people-reducing goddess, a time-travelling uncle of Goofy's, anything) drops by and he is forced to return to his problem-solving ways, but only grudgingly.
1940's, 1950's and 1960's Comic Book Mickey (alias Paul Murry Mickey or Detective Mickey)
Graphically basically a smaller-nosed 1950's Mickey, he is a sort of mix of the adventurous 30's version and the 50's everyman-forced-detective. This Mickey is extremely skilled at crime-solving and adventuring and is an infallible gold-hearted goody-two-shoes. He's not in for the thrill of it all, or for the money O'Hara could pay him (unlike some instances of 30's Mickey), but merely to Do The Right Thing. He sometimes has the same kind of "no more weirdness for me, please" reactions as 50's Mickey, but in a toned-down sort of way.
Disneyland Mickey (or Mascot Mickey)
What I call Mascot Mickey is that version of Mickey you see in merchandise, in the parks, in TV specials, whatever. He is the embodiment of what merchandising people want you to think of when someone says "Disney". Mascot Mickey retains some of the youthfulness and mischievousness of the 30's version, mostly inspired vy the 30's version's memorable run as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. However, he is also just as much of an Unfailing Good Guy as Detective Mickey; add to that that he's the ultimate source for Disney information and can do magic (in a nursery school kind of way -- e.g. "Now, everybody clap their hands, this proves you believe in Disney Magic, love and sparkly unicorns!" (*a neon is switched on* "Oooh, shiny!").
House of Mouse Mickey
Mostly featured in the late nineties' TV series House of Mouse, this tuxedo-wearing Mickey is sort of what you get if you try to make Mascot Mickey into an actual, fleshed-out and interesting character. He's very likable and reliable, and quite knowledgeable about the Disney universe, but also forgetful and sometimes overenthusiastic, as well as generally very emotional. Has a particularly sweet relationship with Minnie. A similar but less wise version of the same character is featured in the Three Musketeers DTD movie. (Incidentally, King Mickey as depicted in the Kingdom Hearts franchise is somewhere between House of Mouse Mickey and Mascot Mickey; not terribly interesting, but not totally bland.)
Epic Mickey Mickey
The rejuvenated Mickey featured in the Epic Mickey franchise is what would happen if 30's Mickey made a big mistake with far-reaching consequences and learned some common sense, causing him to grow into, basically, the House of Mouse Mickey. Which, incidentally, is half of the plot of Epic Mickey, so there. From his adventurous 30's incarnation, Epic Mickey Mickey retains the general appearance and the tendancy to jump ahead, as well as a stronger will than usual to physically fight his opponents.
2013 Mickey
The Mickey featured in the 2013 animated series, this version is a combination of the 20's clumsy wise guy, the 30's li'l smarty and Detective Mickey. Although he likes to have fun and sometimes sets out on his "adventures" for flimsy reasons, and will also sometimes play pranks, he has the same determination as Detective Mickey to Do The Right Thing. The difference is that while Detective Mickey lives in a serious setting, 2013 Mickey lives in the world of the Looney Tunes, and his courage and determination, even when he succeeds, are more laughable than they are admirable.
Do tell us if I missed any (which I probably did)!
So, for the record, my favorite versions in all of these are 50's Mickey and House of Mouse Mickey. What about you?