The Mouse, the Myth, the Legend: io9 Spoke With Disney’s Real Head Honcho

When I accidental Disney, what’s the archetypal happening that pops into your head? The reply is, obviously, Mickey Mouse. Mickey has been the awesome of the institution for astir 100 years and is 1 of the astir recognizable characters successful the world. At that age, with that level of popularity, it’s not casual to get a fewer minutes with him. But that’s precisely what io9 was capable to bash this past week.

Last week astatine D23, we got to chat with the Mouse himself. The 1 Disney CEO Bob Iger bows down to. Makes Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shingle successful his shoes. And the incomparable Minnie Mouse anemic astatine the knees. We spoke to Mickey astir each the hard hitting topics you’d privation to cognize about: Disney’s labour issues, the Ron DeSantis debacle, Disney+’s presumption and conditions.

I’m kidding, unfortunately. We talked astir Star Wars, Disneyland, and cosplay.

Thanks to a blend of question seizure technology, real-time animation, and the authoritative dependable of Mickey Mouse, Bret Iwan, here’s our interrogation with Mickey Mouse.

io9 Senior Reporter Germain Lussier and Mickey Mouse – Disney

Germain Lussier, io9: How you doing, Mickey?

Mickey Mouse: Well, I’m doing swell. How are you, pal?

io9: I’m doing precise well.

Mouse: I’m gladsome to perceive it.

io9: All right, truthful I person immoderate questions here.

Mouse: You do? Okay.

io9: You’ve had specified a legendary career. We’re present astatine D23. We’re celebrating each things Disney. What tin you archer maine astir your memories astir moving with Walt?

 Mouse: Oh, gosh. So galore bully memories moving with Walt. You know, I’ve been with Walt since the beginning. Steamboat Willy, Plane Crazy, Fantasia. Got into a small messy concern there, but helium fto maine disconnected easy.

io9: [Laughs] Yes you did.

Mouse: It’s been truthful large to ticker him make each this magic. The instauration of Disneyland, each the films. Walt was a dreamer. And I anticipation that we each bash our portion to support that imagination alive, to support the magic alive.

io9: Oh I agree. I agree. I deliberation 1 of the things that Disney’s done to support the magic live implicit the past mates of years is bring truthful galore caller members into the family. We’ve got Star Wars, we’ve got Marvel, we’ve got Pixar, Avatar—what is it similar expanding the Disney household with these caller worlds?

Mouse: Oh, it’s great. I deliberation it conscionable gives america truthful galore much chances to archer truthful galore much stories. And that’s what Walt was each about. Good story, right? [chuckles] The magic lies successful the stories.

io9: Now, I’m wearing a Star Wars shirt. I’m evidently a large Star Wars fan. Do you person a favourite Star Wars movie oregon story?

Mouse: Oh, that’s a pugnacious 1 [chuckles]. It’s hard to take conscionable one, huh? I truly emotion The Mandalorian bid lately. But I emotion the classics similar A New Hope. Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi. It’s hard to take one.

io9: Of course, I wholly understand. What astir a favourite Star Wars character? Anybody that you possibly emotion watching oregon emotion dressing up as?

Mouse: I deliberation Han Solo’s beauteous great.

io9: That’s my guy!

Mouse: Is he?

io9: Yeah, Han Solo’s my favorite.

Mouse: A scruffy-looking nerf herder, huh?

Mickey interrogation – Disney

io9: [Laughs] Exactly. You got it. Obviously implicit the years you’ve had a accidental to formal up arsenic truthful galore antithetic large Disney characters. Does anybody basal retired that you truly emotion the mode that you look dressed up as?

Mouse: Wow, that’s a bully question. Let’s see. Speaking of Star Wars, I did formal up arsenic Luke Skywalker 1 time. That was beauteous fun.

io9: Is determination anybody that you haven’t been capable to formal up arsenic that you would similar to?

Mouse: Well, I deliberation I’d emotion to formal up arsenic the Mandalorian.

io9: But past you person to screen your face. Everybody wants to spot your face.

Mouse: Aw, you’re conscionable being nice.

io9: No I’m not! Now, I don’t cognize what you tin accidental astir this, but a large statement among Disney fans is which they similar better. Disneyland oregon Disney World. I unrecorded here, I’m a Land guy. Where bash you basal connected the debate?

Mouse: It’s a truly hard choice. But if you’re going to unit maine to take one, due to the fact that we’re present successful California, due to the fact that it’s Walt’s archetypal park, I’d person to spell with Disneyland. But I emotion however unsocial they each are.

io9: Yes. I’m going backmost to World successful a mates weeks, I’m present this week, and it’s wonderful.

Mouse: Oh, that’s great. I’ll spot you there.

io9: [Laughs] Yes, you will.

Mouse: I’m doing the aforesaid itinerary.

io9: You spell backmost and distant erstwhile you can, right?

Mouse: Yeah, erstwhile I can.

Mickey’s Runaway Railroad – Disneyland

io9: What was it similar to yet get your ain thrust with the Runaway Railway?

Mouse: Oh, gosh. That was rather the experience. It didn’t rather spell the mode we intended it to go.

io9: [Laughs] No.

Mouse: I’m not casting immoderate blame.

Both: [pause, past successful unison] Goofy. [Laughs]

io9: Yes, exactly, exactly. Now, you’re famously the logo for Disney Animation. What is your narration with Luxo, the logo for Pixar?

Mouse: The Pixar lamp?

io9: Yeah.

Mouse: Well, helium doesn’t person overmuch to say, but it’s ever a agleam spot successful the conversation.

io9: [Laughs] If you and Minnie are location astatine night, and you enactment connected Disney+, what are you guys going to watch?

Mouse: Well, we emotion to ticker the classics. We’d commencement astatine the opening with Snow White. Then Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi. Yeah.

io9: And my past happening would be, what are your thoughts connected this caller up-and-coming dependable actor, Bret Iwen?

Mouse: Oh, he’s a bully pal of mine. We get on beauteous well. He’s fixed maine immoderate advice. I’ve fixed him some. It’s been a large moving narration truthful far.

io9: Well, that’s wonderful. So bully to conscionable you and speech to you.

Mouse: It is truthful large to conscionable you too. I anticipation you bask the remainder of D23, the eventual instrumentality event.

io9: I can’t wait. Thank you truthful much, Mickey.

Mouse: So long, pal.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.