The timeless American cartoon character, Mickey Mouse is getting a makeover. The Walt Disney Company is making efforts to reconsider everything that we know and love about Mickey from his walk to his talk. Mickey hasn't changed much since his conception in the early 1930s. He has been a beloved cartoon character for generation upon generation of American children, making Mickey one of if not the most timeless cartoon characters of America.
But with the changing times, Disney is reconsidering their character for the new generation, recognizing that "Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people." A new video game, for instance, called "Epic Mickey" portrays a darker character, both "cantankerous and cunning." I think it says something to these "recent young generations" of America that Disney needs to make Mickey more evil and violent to be appealing. I wonder how parents feel about this change. We've all grown up with Mickey and its almost inconceivable to think of him as having violent superpowers.
Mickey brings in more than $5 billion in merchandise for the company annually. So this is a do or die situation for Disney.
But with the changing times, Disney is reconsidering their character for the new generation, recognizing that "Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people." A new video game, for instance, called "Epic Mickey" portrays a darker character, both "cantankerous and cunning." I think it says something to these "recent young generations" of America that Disney needs to make Mickey more evil and violent to be appealing. I wonder how parents feel about this change. We've all grown up with Mickey and its almost inconceivable to think of him as having violent superpowers.
Mickey brings in more than $5 billion in merchandise for the company annually. So this is a do or die situation for Disney.
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