To combat falling domestic merchandise sales and increase Mickey Mouse’s relevance amongst children, Disney has undertaken a quiet, albeit full-blown revitalization of the character. Fans can expect changes in the way Mickey Mouse looks, talks and acts. These upgrades will be seen across the media spectrum, featuring upgrades to Mickey’s house at Disney World, changes to his presence on the Disney Channel, and changes in how children are able to engage with the character online.
One of the first hints about Mickey’s upgraded look and feel will be on display in a new video game being released by the Walt Disney Corporation early in 2010. The game will feature an upgraded, more aggressive Mickey Mouse that aims to recapture some of the irreverant attitude the character displayed upon his debut in “Steamboat Willie” in 1928.
(via NYT)
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUpon
I like Disney but don’t like this direction. Kids have enough “aggression” from various media entities and channels.
I get what they’re trying to do – and surely their New Generation Characters (Pixar set) fill this “gap in the market.”
I would like to have seen Mickey head towards a Studio Gilbi style – more beauty and depth.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Totally agree with first comment, the Studio Ghibli approach has beauty and depth but also emotional complexity (characters behave “badly” sometimes as well as heroically or courageously) and enough peril to satisfy kids action needs. Having said that I was totally perplexed by Ponyu but my daughter loved it.
Disney might be better served with a reboot approach rather than an upgrade, it worked for Batman and Battlestar Galactica. Upgrading using aggression just seems lazy, Steamboat Willie was charming and mischievous, I’d like to see Mickey channel Ignatz mouse, anarchistic and errr..compomplicated
November 5th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
oops. Meant to say complicated. Although compomplicated sounds quite good.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
@ it’s being complicated with a sense of pomp :)
November 6th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I’m sure you meant to link directly to the article rather than just the front page of the NYT.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/business/media/05mickey.html
November 8th, 2009 at 12:19 pm