While Mickey Mouse wasn’t Walt’s first character or creation, none can argue that he certainly become one of his favorite. Many would say, including Walt himself, that Mickey Mouse truly started the Walt Disney Company as it is known today. Prior to Mickey, Mr. Disney did achieve mild success and notoriety with a few other characters, but none garnished him the fame and credibility as his early Mickey Mouse cartoons. If there were never a Mickey Mouse, there would never have been a Snow White, Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Enjoy these quotes from Walt on Mickey Mouse.
“Mickey Mouse is to me. a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end. He popped out of Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner. Born of necesity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for extending our organization to its present dimensions and for extending the medium of cartoon animation to new entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us.” – Walt Disney
“All we ever intended for him or expected of him was that he should continue to make people everywhere chuckle with him and at him. We didn’t burden him with any social symbolism, we made him no mouthpiece for frustrations or harsh satire. Mickey was simply a little personality assigned to the purposes of laughter.” – Walt Disney
“The life and ventures of Mickey Mouse have been closely bound up with my own personal and professional life.” – Walt Disney
“It is understandable that I should have sentimental attachment for the little personage who played so big a part in the course of Disney Productions and has been so happily accepted as an amusing friend wherever films are shown around the world. He sill speaks for me and I still speak for him.” – Walt Disney
“When people laugh at Mickey Mouse it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.” – Walt Disney
“We felt that the public, and especially the children, like animals that are cute and little. I think we are rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea. We wanted something appealing, and we thought a tiny bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of Chaplin- a little fellow trying to do the best he could.” – Walt Disney
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing- that it was all started by a mouse.” – Walt Disney
More Quotes from Walt Disney
Inspirational Business Family Disneyland