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Mickey Mouse Removed From Disney Park, Replaced With Newer Characters From a Different Studio

disney parks castle and mickey mouse crossed out
Credit: Becky Burkett/Disney/Canva

Mickey Mouse is being removed from one Disney Park and replaced by multiple newer characters from a different studio.

drawings of mickey mouse with lines through them

Credit: Disney/Canva

Disney Finally Loses Mickey Mouse

You don’t have to count yourself among the millions of Disney fans around the globe to have come across at least a headline or two about the demise of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse this week.

Mickey Mouse Plane Crazy

Credit: Disney

The new year began on Monday, and while the date of January 1 begins a new year and is often symbolic of a fresh start, a reset, and a chance to set and achieve new goals, it represented the end of an era for Walt Disney’s most iconic and dynamic characters.

Walt Disney’s Original Mickey Saved Him

Created by Walt Disney after a sneaky producer at Universal named Charles Mintz took Disney’s first character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, because of a contract loophole, Mickey Mouse was “born” on a pad of paper during a train ride from New York to California, as Walt Disney traveled back home with his wife Lillian after a short getaway. Walt had received word about Oswald’s demise and knew he needed to think of another character fast.

Trolley Troubles - Chronique Disney - Critique du Cartoon d'Oswald

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in “Trolley Troubles”/Credit: Disney

“He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when the business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb, and disaster seemed right around the corner,” Walt wrote about Mickey in his 1948 essay titled What Mickey Means to Me.

Mickey was later “refined” by animator Ub Iwerks before he made his debut in his first animated shorts, titled Plane Crazy (1928) and The Gallopin’ Goucho (1928). But Mickey’s most iconic animated short was Disney’s third Mickey cartoon–and the first in the world ever to include sound. It was titled simply Steamboat Willie (1928).

steamboat willie

Credit: Walt Disney Animation

On Monday, however, Walt’s very first iteration of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain, meaning the Steamboat Willie version of the iconic character is forever at the mercy of anyone and everyone with an interest in making him their own, and already, the beloved character is being used for less than “When-You-Wish-Upon-a-Star” purposes.

Mickey Mouse Replaced at Disneyland 

On Tuesday, news of the removal of Mickey Mouse at Disneyland was shared.

From April 26 through August 4, 2024, Disneyland Resort will host Pixar Fest, a lively celebration of all things Pixar films and Pixar characters. As part of the celebration, a new sculpture featuring various Pixar characters will greet fans on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park.

pixar fest nighttime show disneyland sleeping beauty castle

Credit: Disneyland Resort

As part of the celebration, a brand-new sculpture will be erected on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park, but it means the removal of one made in the likeness of Mickey Mouse.

The sculpture will replace the Mickey Mouse sculpture that was erected in celebration of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary. The sculpture made headlines only days after it was placed on Main Street, as it suddenly disappeared from the park so that a misquote from Walt Disney could be corrected.

mickey mouse sculpture disney 100 disneyland

Credit: IDreamofaDisneyWorld, Instagram/Canva

The new Pixar sculpture will be a prominent feature for guests as they enter Disneyland Park, but some fans are saddened by the fact that Mickey had to yield his spot to make room for the new addition.

About Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!

12 comments

  1. No reason to get rid of the Mickey Statue, it is public domain, meaning free to use the old version of Mickey, they did not lose the right to use his likeness. Think it is overkill on their part. What’s next, removing Mickey altogether from the parks and merchandise?

    • Exactly, they still are the historic creators of Mickey, Mickey is still a huge part of Disney, even if Disney isn’t the sole owner of the earliest versions now. Everybody else is using Mickey now, Disney might as well too. Besides, they are the OGs, that’s not changed.

  2. Walt Disney is rolling in his grave. Just horrible to take Mickey Mouse away. It feels like a death to the family. We have all grown up with Mickey Mouse.
    It is just a shame.

  3. I will never be returning now, mickey mouse is dead so is the park, I do hope it ends up closing one day

  4. NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I THINK THEY GET RIDBOF MICKEY. I think Disneyland will die as well. Piece by piece. Such a glorious happy place couldn’t last in this wicked world.

  5. Just crazy to think of any Disney park without Mickey. I will not be going to one without Mickey. It shows how the company is now ran. I grew up with Mickey and plan on passing that joy to my kids. Now I will be rethinking this. Walt is surely rolling over in his grave.

  6. It’s very sad, Disney is loosing their morals, purity and standards. We can see they are being courpt from within, from Disney plus is no longer family friendly the kids have access to grown up show and why would they ALLOW MICKEY MOUSE to be a realsed to the public. Somethings are meant to be kept reserved to uphold the right standards. Mr. Disney has stated Mickey Mouse was his precious character. Some stuff you just DON’T allow and because of those things and MORE I believe Disney is going down all together. Even if they we’re to keep afloat, it makes them so questionable and not trust worthy as people and for our kids… I don’t care what they say to the public. There actions speak louder than their words.

    • They didn’t have a choice public domain laws means it’s automatically entered. Also from the sounds of things the sculpture may be put back after the event.

  7. Disney won’t be Disney if there is no Mickey Mouse. He is the face, heart, soul, and what IS & started Disneyland

  8. If Mickey Mouse is going to be removed from Disneyland then it isnt Walt Disney’s Dream.. Might as well remove Disneyland Logo and name it Pixar.
    And leave Disneyland in Walt Disney’s legacy.