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| Mickey Mouse Works | |
|---|---|
| File:Mickey mouse works-show.jpg | |
| Also known as | Disney's Mickey Mouse Works Mouse Works |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Mickey Mouse and Friends by Walt Disney Ub Iwerks |
| Developed by | Roberts Gannaway |
| Written by | Roberts Gannaway Rick Schneider-Calabash |
| Directed by | Roberts Gannaway Tony Craig Rick Schneider-Calabash |
| Voices of | Wayne Allwine Tony Anselmo Russi Taylor Bill Farmer Diane Michelle (season 1) Tress MacNeille Corey Burton John Cleese Jim Cummings Jeff Bennett Maurice LaMarche April Winchell Estelle Harris John O'Hurley Alan Young Jason Marsden Rob Paulsen |
| Narrated by | John Cleese (The Nutcracker 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 (105 segments) |
| Production | |
| Production company | Walt Disney Television Animation[a] |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC (Disney's One Saturday Morning) |
| Original release | May 1, 1999 – December 16, 2000 |
| Chronology | |
| 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] It is the first Disney television animated series to be produced in widescreen high definition.
Mickey Mouse Works is similar to 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, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Chip 'n Dale, Scrooge McDuck, Pete, Humphrey the Bear, J. Audubon Woodlore, Dinah the Dachshund, Butch the Bulldog, Mortimer Mouse, Jose Carioca, and Clara Cluck appear as supporting 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. The shorts from the series were later used in House of Mouse.
The show returned to Disney Channel in Canada from December 1, 2015 to September 2, 2016 and came back from December 5 to 30, 2016. However, like 101 Dalmatians: The Series, only about half of the shorts aired, and most of the ones that did air were edited down (this was most likely due to scenes that were dubbed inappropriate for preschoolers). In Finland, the show was renamed Akun Tehdas ("Donald's Factory") due to how immensely popular cartoon icon Donald and his "Duckverse" comics was among Finns. Gags were entirely removed as well due to possible redundancy – though sounds were left in still. In France, the show was called Mickey Mania.
Mickey Mouse Works was produced to recreate the golden age of Disney's animated shorts featuring Disney's most popular characters and Mickey Mouse's first revival series. 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 a variety of cartoons, which are skits, varying in length from ninety seconds to twelve minutes. These shorts fell into three general types: 90-second gag cartoons, the 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:
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.
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. However, when the shorts were shown right before and after Toon Disney's Big Movie Show on weekdays, they were shown with the Mickey Mouse Works closing credits. Minnie Takes Care of Pluto was not re-run in House of Mouse due to its dark content. For unknown reasons, Pluto Gets the Paper: Vending Machine was not on House of Mouse either.
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:
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | May 1, 1999 | October 30, 1999 | |
| 2 | 12 | November 6, 1999 | December 16, 2000 | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | Unknown | May 22, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | May 29, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | June 5, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | 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 | Unknown | June 19, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | 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 | Unknown | September 18, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | September 25, 1999 | |
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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 | |
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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 | Unknown | October 30, 1999 | |
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| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Unknown | November 6, 1999 | |
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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 | Unknown | January 22, 2000 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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.