Disney plans huge TV celebration ahead of Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary
By Mia Johnson
Disney announced it’s celebrating Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary at the end of the year with a TV spectacular featuring music, tributes and more.
Get ready to put on your mouse ears, Mickey Mouse fans, because Disney is about to throw one large TV celebration to ring in 90 years of Mickey Mouse.
That’s right, nearly a century ago, the famed and struggling Walt Disney hit his stride when he came up with the iconic character and his companion, Minnie Mouse. This celebration marks 90 years since Mickey hit the big screen in Steamboat Willie on Nov. 18, 1928. Disney announced on Tuesday that to celebrate this milestone, they’re planning a heap of events for the mouse, the myth, and the legend.
ABC will run a 2-hour long special on Sunday, Nov. 4 as part of the celebration. The show, Mickey’s 90th Spectacular, will feature performances, rare short films, and tributes for everyone to enjoy. No specific lineup has been announced yet, but it’s likely some of Disney’s biggest stars will show up that day.
In the last few years, Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell have been huge Disney stars because of Frozen. Dwayne Johnson and Lin-Manuel Miranda have also been a big part of the Disney fabric with their roles in Moana. Given their popularity, fans would likely be excited to see those stars hit the Shrine Auditorium stage that day in Los Angeles. Some sneak peaks of upcoming Disney films like Mary Poppins Returns would also be a surprise, but we won’t push our luck.
Then again, this is a celebration about Mickey Mouse. So hopefully these other movies won’t steal the mouse of the hour’s thunder. Even going to the Disney theme parks, you’ll quickly recognize that Mickey isn’t the king of the castle anymore. Now, Disney princesses and other acquired brands like Marvel and Star Wars are overshadowing the character who built a legacy. So this might the time again for Mickey to reclaim his shine.
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Early this year, Disney Parks also announced it’s celebrating Mickey’s 90th anniversary with activities throughout the parks. This includes a celebration that will be held on Nov. 18 at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World with extra activities and merchandise — and members of the fan club D23 will get access to special Disney panels at Disney World in November. With this much in store, we can only imagine what Mickey’s 100th-year celebration will look like. That’s only 10 more years to go!