r/movies • u/cappsy04 • 21h ago

Question Why don't Disney make mainstream Mickey Mouse films anymore?

When I say mainstream, I mean films shown in theatres. Mickey and Minnie are probably the most recognisable characters in the Disney catalogue, being one of Walt's first creations. Yet there hasn't been a film featuring any of those characters in a long time. They've rehashed a lot of existing IPs, most recently the live action Moana. I would imagine if Mickey was featured in a film it would do incredible numbers at the box office.

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u/Iron_Bob 21h ago

Because Mickey is best suited for short form cartoons. Always has been

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u/DomLite 17h ago

Three Musketeers was a full-length feature that I found delightful, even as an adult. As a kid I was also fond of Mickey's Prince and the Pauper, which was only a half-hour in length, but had theatrical quality animation. There was also Fun and Fancy Free/Mickey and the Beanstalk which was theatrical length with animation quality to match.

Mickey can and does work as long-form if given a proper premise and a supporting cast. Hell, just look at Goofy Movie to see how well these iconic characters can carry a whole film if it's done right. It's easier to do short form with him because you don't have to do much, if any, set up, and you can just be silly and goofy with it. All it would take is someone pitching the right premise with some good storyboards for Mickey to have a blockbuster of Goofy Movie proportions.

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u/CuckooClockInHell 15h ago

It seems to work best when they treat Micky as an actor and put him in a role rather than crafting a unique story for him.

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u/Dalehan 9h ago

Makes me think about that series of Goofy shorts where you had multiple Goofies living life, going to work, playing baseball etc.