Mickey: Sixty Years with You

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

Logo (1987-Early 1990s)


Visuals: On a gray/white gradient background, there is a closeup of a blue filmstrip with circles forming into Mickey Mouse in the center of it. As Mickey animated and morphs into various incarnations of himself, the right and left of the strip shows the text "1928" counting up by itself until it reaches "1988", and the background changes into a green/white gradient background and a pink/white gradient background. The strip goes blank and zooms out to reveal a pink circle with a green banner at the center of it, and the strip below it, all on a yellow background with pink Mickey silhouette patterns. We see Mickey, in a tuxedo and a top hat, jump on the top of the filmstrip. He swings his hat out of the frame and winks at the audience. The words "SIXTY·YEARS WITH YOU" fade in the circle, while the banner reads "MICKEY", and the filmstrip shows a frame of Mickey from Steamboat Willie. Mickey then blinks his eyes twice.

Trivia: The animated bits of Mickey in his various forms are lifted from Steamboat Willie (1928), Thru the Mirror (1936) and The Little Whirlwind (1941).

Variants:

  • This exists as both filmed and videotaped.
  • This logo was repurposed for a Walt Disney Television logo (see the 4th logo on said page).
  • A sped-up version appeared on a trailer for Oliver & Company, ending with Tinker Bell appearing and waving her wand to make the logo disappear.
  • A short version exists that starts with Mickey just about to pose with the text on the circle and banner starting to fade in.
  • In commemoration of Mickey’s 60th birthday, The Disney Channel aired a few interstitials between programming in late 1988 entitled "Mickey Trivia", which opened with a variation of this logo. In this version, the text "MICKEY TRIVIA" in yellow fades in after the filmstrip hits 1988, at which point the logo stops.
  • The logo was altered in Japan; the sides of the filmstrip at the beginning no longer have year marks and the pink circle now reads: "MICKEY•MOUSE". Below that reads: "PRESENTS A" (in a light blue color), and below that text: "COLORFUL Disney CLASSIC" ("Disney" in its corporate font in pink, the rest in rainbow colors).

Technique: Hand-drawn animation.

Audio: A celebratory instrumental synth orchestral fanfare based on the Mickey Mouse Club theme song.

Audio Variants:

  • The last note is held out longer in most versions; Mickey's Magical World being an exception.
  • The long or short 1988 Walt Disney Television music was sometimes heard on that variant.
  • On an Italian Super 8 print of Bambi, the logo is silent.
  • The Mickey Trivia variant uses the first few seconds of the production music track "Mountain Dew (B)", a piano piece composed by Graham Preskett.
  • On an NBC airing of Alice in Wonderland (1951) in 1988, the logo's music is in low tone.
  • On the Japanese VHS of Starring Mickey and Minnie, a Japanese announcer is heard.

Availability:

  • Can be seen on theatrical releases from Walt Disney Pictures at that time, preceding said company's logo.
  • The "Sixty Years" variant can be seen at the end of the Walt Disney Mini Classics VHS of Mickey's Magical World (preceding the copyright information screen) and on 1988 reissue prints of Bambi.
  • The Mickey Trivia variant was seen between shows and movies on The Disney Channel in late 1988, and has been preserved on a YouTube compilation of The Disney Channel commercials from October 31st, 1988.
  • The altered Japanese version was seen on a few Japanese releases, including the laserdisc of Mary Poppins, the VHS release of Dumbo as well as Japanese theatrical prints of Disney titles. It also showed up on A Walt Disney Christmas and Starring Mickey and Minnie.
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