After a magnificent 10-year run, Disney is finally retiring its beloved Mickey Mouse shorts. With the release of Steamboat Silly on Disney+, the animated series ends with 121 shorts.
Developed by artist Paul Rudish, the Mickey Mouse shorts first debuted in June 2013 on Disney Channel. The series was a fresh and contemporary take on Mickey Mouse while paying homage to the art diretction and storytelling of Walt and his animations from the 1920s and '30s. Episodes offered a slapstick feel of the classic Mickey Mouse.
Each cartoon short, which runs between 3-7 minutes, presents Mickey Mouse in various silly situations that that "showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness." Starring alongside Mickey in the series were his comical pals Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Diasy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.
The Mickey Mouse series ran from June 2013 through July 2019. The series was then succeeded with The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse which premiered on Disney+ on November 18, 2020 to coincide with Mickey's 92nd birthday. Despite the name change, The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse offered the same humor and art style as its predecessor. The Disney+ series ran for only two seasons and was comprised of 25 episodes.
It's fitting that the final episode of the series features Steamboat Willie as the 1928 animated short film is considered to be the debut of both Mickey and Minnie Mouse. With its release, the series that pays homage to the classic animation of the 1920s and '30s has now come full circle.
Both series, Mickey Mouse and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, can be streamed on Disney+. Like every other episode in the series, Steamboat Silly features a fun and chaotic adventure featuring the iconic Mouse. The synopsis reads:
"Mickey and gang must stop hundreds of old film reel versions of Mickey from wreaking havoc all over town."
It's also interesting that the final episode features Steamboat Willie as the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie will enter the public domain in 2024. This means that Disney will lose its copyright protection on the earliest iteration of Mickey Mouse.