Disney to premiere new Mickey Mouse shorts on TV

The Disney Corp. means a lot of things these days: Marvel superheroes, “Star Wars” and Pixar among them, but the company is going back to basics for its latest Disney Channel series, titled simply, “Mickey Mouse.”

The new series will feature short adventures starring the company’s mascot getting involved in slapstick hijinks the way he used to back in the 1930s. In a deliberate attempt to get away from the modern look of computer animation, the new Mickey Mouse shorts will be done in traditional 2-D animation and feature a Mickey Mouse styled as he was in the 1930s, back when his short films were nominated nine times for best animated short film.

Adding to the retro style, the background designs are inspired by the look of Disney cartoons in the 1950s and ‘60s, and it’s said that the production team is paying homage to other Disney icons along the way. So there will be plenty to pick apart for Disney trivia buffs, as well as for kids.

PHOTOS: Mickey Mouse through the years

Mickey Mouse made his first short film appearance in 1928 with the famous “Steamboat Willy.” The Disney studio regularly produced animated shorts starring Mickey until 1953, with the short film, “The Simple Things.” After that, Mickey appeared here and there, and starred in “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” in 1983, but only two more short films were produced, “The Prince and the Pauper” in 1990 and “Runaway Brain” in 1995.

When he began, Mickey embodied the pluck and get-it-done attitude of his creator, Walt Disney. But over the years, Mickey has slowly been transformed into a bland corporate icon. The new shorts appear to be an attempt to revive the character’s initial feistiness, much as the video game “Epic Mickey” sought to reestablish the more adventurous aspects of his character.

The shorts will also feature other iconic Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie Mouse. The first one, “No Service,” will premiere Friday, June 28, on the Disney Channel.

Another short, “Yodelberg,” will premiere June 29. Then the rest will air on Fridays, beginning July 5.

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