Mickey Mouse Works | |
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Also known as | Disney's Mickey Mouse Works Mouse Works |
Genre | |
Based on | Mickey Mouse by Walt Disney & Ub Iwerks |
Developed by | Roberts Gannaway |
Written by |
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Directed by |
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Voices of |
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Narrated by | John Cleese (Mouse Tales and Mickey's Mechanical House) Corey Burton (Goofy and Goofy's Extreme Sports) |
Music by | Stephen James Taylor |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 25 (96 segments) |
Production | |
Production company | Walt Disney Television Animation[a] |
Original release | |
Network | ABC (Disney's One Saturday Morning) |
Release | May 1, 1999 December 16, 2000 | –
Related | |
House of Mouse |
Mickey Mouse Works (also known as Disney's Mickey Mouse Works or simply Mouse Works) is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation featuring Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated shorts.[1] The first Disney television animated series to be produced in widescreen high definition, it is formatted as a variety show, with skits starring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Ludwig Von Drake while Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Chip 'n' Dale, Scrooge McDuck, Pete, Humphrey the Bear, J. Audubon Woodlore, Dinah the Dachshund, Butch the Bulldog, Mortimer Mouse, José Carioca, and Clara Cluck appear as supporting or minor characters. Musical themes for each character were composed by Stephen James Taylor with a live 12-piece band and extensive use of the fretless guitar to which the music of the series was nominated for an Annie Award in both 1999 and 2001. Most of the shorts from the series were later used in House of Mouse.
Overview
[edit]As Mickey Mouse's first revival series, Mickey Mouse Works was produced to recreate the golden age of Disney's animated shorts featuring Disney's most popular characters. By using basic colors and the original sound effects, effort was put forth to capture the look and feel of "classic" Disney.
Each half-hour episode consisted of various short cartoons that fell into three general types: 90-second gag cartoons, 7-and-a-half-minute character cartoons, and 12-minute "Mouse Tales" based on famous stories.[2] The character-based segments also included "Silly Symphonies", carrying on the tradition of that series of theatrical shorts.
The gag shorts, which lasted 90 seconds each, were shown with the following umbrella titles:
- Mickey to the Rescue: Mickey tries to rescue Minnie from Pete's trap-laden hideout.
- Maestro Minnie: Minnie conducts an orchestra of anthropomorphic rebellious musical instruments.
- Goofy's Extreme Sports: Goofy shows off extreme sports in the words of his off-screen narrator.
- Donald's Dynamite: Donald's activity is interrupted by the appearance of a well-placed bomb.
- Von Drake's House of Genius: Ludwig Von Drake shows off an invention of his which goes haywire.
- Pluto Gets the Paper: Pluto goes through a bit of problems trying to fetch the newspaper for Mickey.
With no established schedule or routine, Mickey Mouse Works was designed to look like one spontaneous flow. Adding to that feeling were the show's opening credits which ended differently each week, the only constant being an elaborate interruption from a spotlight-stealing Donald Duck.
While most skits involved individual characters, some have Mickey, Donald and Goofy running a special service group. Most Goofy skits have him doing a "how-to" segment always accompanied by a narrator. Most Donald segments were about him trying to accomplish a certain task which never works out right, frustrating him.
Characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Mickey Mouse (voiced by Wayne Allwine, Quinton Flynn in "Minnie Takes Care of Pluto")[3] is the main protagonist of the series, he gets himself entangled in many farcical situations due to his guilelessness but is overall a calm character.
- Minnie Mouse (voiced by Russi Taylor) is Mickey's girlfriend; like how Donald gets frustrated, Minnie is often peeved by Mickey's impulsiveness and Daisy's loudmouth, though she is mature for her age.
- Donald Duck (voiced by Tony Anselmo) is one of Mickey's friends; he is well known for his hot temper, which often lashes out by impatience and self-righteousness.
- Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) is one of Mickey's friends; he isn't the smartest character on the show, as his idiocy usually irritates his friends.
- Daisy Duck (voiced by Diane Michelle in season 1 and Tress MacNeille in season 2) is Donald's girlfriend; though they both have quick-tempers, Daisy is shown to be aloof and more selfish and dull-witted in this show.
- Pluto (voiced by Bill Farmer) is Mickey's loyal dog who is often combative towards some animals.
- Ludwig Von Drake (voiced by Corey Burton) is a scientist duck who is shown to be highly intelligent but insane. He is Donald's uncle and Huey, Dewey, and Louie's great-uncle.
Supporting
[edit]- Pete (voiced by Jim Cummings) is Mickey's rival. He is intimidating and aggressive, but extremely gullible.
- Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos) Mickey's troublesome but good-hearted nephews.
- Huey, Dewey, and Louie (voiced by Russi Taylor), Donald's naughty nephews.
- Chip 'n' Dale (voiced by Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton), two chipmunks, common rivals of Donald and Pluto.
- The Narrator (voiced by Corey Burton), serves as a guide narrating the cartoons starring Goofy.
- Mortimer Mouse (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is Mickey's sleazy rival who is charming, but in a condescending and harmful manner; he often flirts with Minnie Mouse and/or Daisy, and his most famous catchphrase is "I CHACHA!" (pronounced "ha cha cha").
- Clarabelle Cow (voiced by April Winchell), a friend of Mickey's gang. She is Goofy's girlfriend.
- Chief O'Hara (voiced by Corey Burton), police chief in the town.
- Louie the Mountain Lion (voiced by Frank Welker), a mountain lion who wants to eat Goofy.
- Butch the Bulldog (voiced by Frank Welker), a big bulldog, rival of Pluto.
- Dinah the Dachshund (voiced by Frank Welker), Pluto's love interest.
- The Phantom Blot (voiced by John O'Hurley) is the mysterious shadow in the distance, who wants to steal all the colors for himself and leave the real world stuck in black and white.
- Salty the Seal (voiced by Frank Welker), a playful seal.
- Figaro (voiced by Frank Welker), Minnie's pet cat.
- Humphrey the Bear (voiced by Jim Cummings), a bear of the forest.
- J. Audubon Woodlore (voiced by Corey Burton), a ranger in charge of Humphrey.
- Aracuan Bird (voiced by Frank Welker)
- Horace Horsecollar (voiced by Bill Farmer)
- Clara Cluck (voiced by Russi Taylor)
- Scrooge McDuck (voiced by Alan Young), is Donald's uncle and Huey, Dewey, and Louie's great-uncle.
- José Carioca (voiced by Rob Paulsen), an old friend of Donald.
- Baby Shelby (introduced) (voiced by Jeff Bennett), a small turtle who always torments Donald.
- Mrs. Turtle (introduced) (voiced by Estelle Harris), Shelby's mother.
- Mr. Jollyland (voiced by Jeff Bennett)
Legacy
[edit]When the show was replaced by House of Mouse in January 2001, most of the Mouse Works segments were repeated there but the original Mickey Mouse Works format has never been seen again.
Four of the gag cartoons were released theatrically with various Disney films during 1998 and 1999 and released to theaters as commercials for the show. The cartoons included:
- Goofy's Extreme Sports: Skating the Half Pipe with I'll Be Home for Christmas
- Goofy's Extreme Sports: Paracycling with Mighty Joe Young
- Pluto Gets the Paper: Spaceship with My Favorite Martian
- Donald's Dynamite: Opera Box with Doug's 1st Movie
Episodes
[edit]Series overview
[edit]Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 13 | May 1, 1999 | October 30, 1999 | |
2 | 12 | November 6, 1999 | December 16, 2000 |
Season 1 (1999)
[edit]No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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1 | 1 | "Mickey To The Rescue: Train Tracks" / "How To Be A Waiter" / "Maestro Minnie: William Tell Overture" / "Donald's Failed Fourth" / "Roller Coaster Painters" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | May 1, 1999 | |
Note: This short was first shown during the premiere broadcast of "Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You on ABC on February 13, 1999.
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2 | 2 | "Goofy's Extreme Sports: Skating The Half Pipe" / "Mickey's New Car" / "Pluto's Penthouse Sweet" / "Donald's Shell Shots" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Don Gillies, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | May 8, 1999 | |
Note: This short was first shown in theaters before I'll Be Home for Christmas on November 13, 1998.
Note: This short was first aired during the premiere broadcast of Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You on ABC on February 13, 1999.
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3 | 3 | "Donald's Dynamite: Bowling Alley" / "Mickey's Airplane Kit" / "Von Drake's House of Genius: Time Reverser" / "Turkey Catchers" / "Dance of the Goofys" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | May 15, 1999 | |
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4 | 4 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Spaceship" / "Donald's Rocket Ruckus" / "Goofy's Extreme Sports: Paracycling" / "Organ Donors" / "Mickey's Mistake" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | May 22, 1999 | |
Note: The short was shown in theaters with My Favorite Martian on February 12, 1999.
Note: The short was shown in theaters with Mighty Joe Young on December 25, 1998.
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5 | 5 | "Maestro Minnie: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6" / "How To Be A Spy" / "Donald's Valentine Dollar" / "Pluto's Kittens" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | May 29, 1999 | |
Note: The short was shown on the 1999 Australian VHS release of The Aristocats.
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6 | 6 | "Von Drake's House of Genius: Remote Controlled Laser Lawn Mower" / "Pluto Vs. The Watchdog" / "Donald's Dynamite: Opera Box" / "Around The World In Eighty Days" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Ron Weiner | June 5, 1999 | |
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
Note: The short was shown in theaters before Doug's 1st Movie on March 26, 1999, but it was not present on the VHS release.
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7 | 7 | "Donald's Dynamite: Fishing" / "Purple Pluto" / "Von Drake's House of Genius: Money Increaser" / "Sandwich Makers" / "Pluto's Arrow Error" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Jess Winfield | June 12, 1999 | |
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8 | 8 | "Mickey To The Rescue: Staircase" / "Pluto Runs Away" / "Daisy Visits Minnie" / "How To Ride A Bicycle" | Tony Craig Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | June 19, 1999 | |
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
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9 | 9 | "Goofy's Extreme Sports: Rock Climbing" / "Hansel And Gretel" / "Donald On Ice" / "Mickey's Mechanical House" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Jess Winfield | September 11, 1999 | |
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10 | 10 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Street Cleaner" / "Donald's Dinner Date" / "Maestro Minnie: Brahms Lullabye" / "Hydro Squirter" / "Mickey's Piano Lesson" | Tony Craig Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Jess Winfield | September 18, 1999 | |
Note: The short was shown on the 1999 VHS release of One Hundred and One Dalmatians, released on March 9.
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
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11 | 11 | "Mickey To The Rescue: Cages And Cannons" / "Mickey's Remedy" / "Goofy's Extreme Sports: Wakeboarding" / "A Midsummer Night's Dream" | Tony Craig Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Jess Winfield | September 25, 1999 | |
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
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12 | 12 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Bubble Gum" / "Mickey Tries To Cook" / "Donald And The Big Nut" / "Topsy Turvy Town" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, Elizabeth Stonecipher, and Jess Winfield | October 2, 1999 | |
Note: The short was shown at the beginning of the 1999 VHS release of The Rescuers on January 5, and again on March 23. It was also shown on the premiere broadcast of Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You on February 13 of the same year.
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
Note: One of 7 shorts to be animated with traditional cel animation.
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13 | 13 | "Von Drake's House of Genius: Teledinger" / "How To Haunt A House" / "Maestro Minnie: Flight of the Bumblebee" / "The Nutcracker" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Kevin D. Campbell, Roberts Gannaway, Thomas Hart, and Elizabeth Stonecipher | October 30, 1999 | |
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Season 2 (1999–2000)
[edit]No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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14 | 1 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Vending Machine" / "Donald's Grizzly Guest" / "Donald's Dynamite: Snowman" / "Mickey Foils The Phantom Blot" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Roberts Gannaway, Roberts Gannaway, | November 6, 1999 | |
Note: This short, along with "Minnie Takes Care of Pluto", was one of the only two "Mouse Works" shorts that didn't show up again on "House of Mouse" for unknown reasons.
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15 | 2 | "Daisy's Road Trip" / "Goofy's Big Kitty" / "Relaxing With Von Drake" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | December 4, 1999 | |
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16 | 3 | "How To Be A Baseball Fan" / "Locksmiths" / "Minnie Takes Care of Pluto" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Neil Alsip, Jim Peterson, John Behnke, Rob Humphrey, Thomas Hart and Steve Roberts | January 22, 2000 | |
Note: This short, along with "Pluto Gets the Paper: Vending Machine", was one of the only two Mouse Works shorts that didn't show up again on House of Mouse due to dark content. Later reruns of the original Mickey Mouse Works replaced this cartoon with "L'il Bad Wolf" which was made for House of Mouse.
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17 | 4 | "Donald's Dynamite: Magic Act" / "Survival of The Woodchucks" / "Mickey's Rival Returns" / "Mickey And The Seagull" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | February 19, 2000 | |
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18 | 5 | "Goofy's Radio" / "Car Washers" / "Pluto's Seal Deal" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | March 11, 2000 | |
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19 | 6 | "Mickey's Mixed Nuts" / "Goofy's Extreme Sports: Shark Feeding" / "Mickey's Mountain" / "computer.don" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | April 15, 2000 | |
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20 | 7 | "Donald's Halloween Scare" / "Donald's Lighthouse" / "How to Take Care of Your Yard" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | May 20, 2000 | |
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21 | 8 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Mortimer" / "Minnie Visits Daisy" / "How To Wash Dishes" / "Domesticated Donald" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | June 10, 2000 | |
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22 | 9 | "Mickey's Mix-Up" / "Whitewater Donald" / "Mickey's Christmas Chaos" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | September 16, 2000 | |
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23 | 10 | "Donald's Fish Fry" / "Presto Pluto" / "Mickey's Cabin" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | October 21, 2000 | |
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24 | 11 | "Pluto Gets The Paper: Vending Machine" / "Mickey's Answering Service" / "Pluto's Magic Paws" / "Mickey's Big Break" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | November 18, 2000 | |
Note: This short, along with "Minnie Takes Care of Pluto", was one of the only two Mouse Works shorts that didn't show up again on House of Mouse for unknown reasons.
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25 | 12 | "Bird Brained Donald" / "How To Be A Gentleman" / "Donald's Pool" | Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway | Unknown | December 16, 2000 | |
Note: This is the only standard-length Mouse Works short to be shown in two different episodes of House of Mouse.
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Home media
[edit]Some shorts are available in Europe on DVD under the title Mickey's Laugh Factory. While some shorts have the Mickey Mouse Works title card background, others have the House of Mouse version (the Mouse Works version has various mechanics in the background including a Mickey-shaped one and one with the Mouse Works text inside it, but the House of Mouse version has various moving swirls).[4] Cartoons include Hickory Dickory Mickey, Mickey Tries to Cook, Organ Donors, Mickey's Airplane Kit, Street Cleaner, Mickey's New Car, Bubble Gum, Mickey's Big Break and Mickey's Mix-Up.[4]
In Disney's Learning Adventures: Mickey's Seeing the World, there were two cartoons featured: Around the World in Eighty Days and Mickey's Mechanical House (both as two stories).
On November 11, 2008, the eighth wave of Walt Disney Treasures was released. One of the sets released in this wave, The Chronological Donald, Volume Four, features a handful of Donald-centric shorts from both Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse as bonuses, including Bird Brained Donald, Donald and the Big Nut, Donald's Charmed Date, Donald's Dinner Date, Donald's Failed Fourth, Donald's Rocket Ruckus, Donald's Shell Shots, Donald's Valentine Dollar, Music Store Donald and Survival of the Woodchucks.
References
[edit]- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 387–389. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 263–264. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Korkis, Jim (25 August 2010). "A New Mouse Voice In Town by Wade Sampson". Mouseplanet. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ a b "Mickey's Laugh Factory". Amazon.co.uk. 14 March 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2008.
- ^ Animation outsourced to Toon City Animation.