Escapay versus Mickey Mouse

[Escapay]

An imaginary interview with Mickey Mouse, as we discuss his new personal manager, have a brief duet, and he gushes about his first time working with older brother Oswald...

Hi, and welcome back to "Escapay versus..."! With me today is the one and only Mickey Mouse!

Hiya, folks!

So, Mickey, what have you been up to these days?

Oh, a lot, always a lot! I've got to be at so many parks at so many times and do so many things. Not to mention filming new episodes of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"!

Meeska, Mooska...

Mouseketools!

(both laugh)

How's the new season of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" coming along?

It's going great so far! I've got a new personal manager this season.

Personal manager? Oh yeah, you're working with Bret Iwan now, right?

Yep! And I couldn't ask for a nicer manager. Wayne was great, I was so upset when we lost him. I didn't know if I wanted to continue doing "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

So how did Bret figure into this?

Wayne had been working with him previously, and we had a few business lunches together. I think Wayne always intended to retire and hand the reigns to Bret. That it happened so suddenly was a shock to all of us.

I look forward to seeing your new work on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

Thanks! It's going to be a whopper of a season!

Are there any chances you'll have more television appearances in the future?

I think it all depends on if there's any projects that catch my interest. I've already got a lot of responsibilities. Now if there's any new projects, I have to be selective about which ones I do and which ones I stop working on.

Is that why "House of Mouse" ended in 2003?

Partly. I love being Emcee and the club was a great place for everyone, but I really had a lot on my plate. We were just starting pre-production on The Three Musketeers and I had just done "Kingdom Hearts" the year before. And boy, I was exhausted! My doctor said I needed to cut out at least one thing, and so I picked "House of Mouse," it was the most "expendable."

Do you ever miss it?

Sometimes. It was a lot of fun just hanging with everyone and showing cartoons. I simply didn't have time to run the House anymore, and when I gave my two-weeks notice to Pete, he started crying. But hey, we sure did have fun, and that's what's important! Have fun when you can, enjoy it!

Like that song "Enjoy it" from In Search of the Castaways.

I love that song! Hey, you wanna sing a few lines with me?

Really?

Sure, it'll be fun!

Okay...

I'll get some music.

(he runs off to get a Disney Karaoke CD and puts it in a player. The music starts.)

Why cry about bad weather? Enjoy it!

Each moment is a treasure, enjoy it!

We are travelers on life's highway, enjoy the trip!

Each lovely twist and byway, each bump and dip!

(both laugh, Mickey shuts off the player.)

Thanks, Mickey. I've always wanted to sing a duet with you.

Aw, anytime!

So, back to your current projects. Can you tell us anything about "Epic Mickey"?

I loved working on that game. I got to work with Oswald for the first time.

How was that?

It was great! As a family, we always wanted to keep our professional lives apart. He did his shorts, I did mine. We didn't want to work together because we didn't want people comparing us, and also he was contracted to Universal anyway. They retired him later on, but he had always wanted to settle down anyway and have a family. But yeah, working with him professionally was great!

Oswald plays your enemy of sorts, right?

That's what drew us to it. It provided this great sibling rivalry and drama that we could play, because it was different from real life. Os and I are nothing like the "Epic" version, we hang out when we can and every few years there's a great big Mouse & Rabbit reunion with everyone from all sides of the family showing up, even some of his pals from Universal. But to be able to do such a dramatic story was too good for us to pass up.

Who was signed on first?

I was, since they were doing this over at Disney. There was some legal stuff that Oswald had to sort out, and once he did, he was completely on board. From the get-go, the project sounded so interesting and so different from what we normally did that both of us jumped at the chance and knew we'd figure out how it'd work.

Are you guys going to do any other projects together?

I don't know. Oswald enjoys his family life, and I'm always busy with Disney. Maybe they'll let us have a reality show!

(both laugh)

Do you ever want to go back to the big screen again?

I'd love to. We were actually planning this big "event" film that would celebrate a great deal of Disney's animated characters.

The Search for Mickey Mouse, right?

Yeah, that one! All of us were excited for it.

So what happened?

I'm not sure if I can say.

(he turns to the moderator, asks a few questions in hushed tones)

Sorry, can't say much. It's a project that...well, anything can happen to it, and I don't want to say one thing and then the studio say another.

I totally understand. But what can you tell us?

Well, it would've seen us working with Basil. He's a cousin of mine, on my mom's side. Minnie and I last him at the RSC a couple years ago, he was in an all-mice version of "King Lear." It was great catching up with him, and we'd really like to work together one day.

Maybe you guys can do The Great Mouse Detective 2?

Hahaha, no. We've had requests for that for years, but he won't do it without Ratigan.

I'm getting a notice from the moderator to wrap things up. So let's go through a few quick questions before you go.

Is it like the ten questions that Lipton asks on "Inside the Actors Studio"?

Do you want me to ask those instead?

No, that's okay. I want to know what your questions are!

What's your favorite type of pie?

Cheese!

Have you ever seen a squirrel dance?

Yes. When I guest-hosted the 16th Annual Animaniacs Talent Show, I introduced Slappy Squirrel, who did her own tap dance to "Shoes with Wings On."

Would you ever float around on a cloud and drop water balloons on people?

That's not very nice!

Boxers or Briefs?

I've got all-purpose red pants with buttons.

Who's your favorite Mouseketeer?

Everybody!

Do you believe in Ghosts?

I worked with them in "Lonesome Ghosts"!

Favorite song to sing in the shower?

"They Can't Take That Away From Me"

Slipcovers: Yay or Nay?

If it makes the person happy, yay for them!

Who invented post-its?

Art Fry.

Finally, one more question. In ten words or less...what do you think of the company today?

I love working with them, every project's fun and exciting!

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview, Mickey!

You're welcome! I'm glad to have done it!

And that's all the time we have today, folks. Tune in next time when I interview The Lace Collar!

The "Escapay versus..." Series:
Escapay versus Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Escapay versus Walt Disney in the Great Beyond
Escapay versus Mickey Mouse
Escapay versus The Lace Collar - coming soon
Escapay versus The Members' Choice! - details to follow

Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. I don't know if Mickey Mouse ever hosted an Animaniacs talent show or if he really knows who Art Fry is. And I'm too lazy to call him up and find out. Everything that "Mickey Mouse" says is a fictional depiction of him.

albert

[Flanger-Hanger]

I do love that song "Enjoy It!"

Thank you for interviewing the mouse for us Scaps, I can't wait to hear what the collar has to say.

[pinkrenata]

An Animaniacs talent show? Rock on!

I patiently await your interview with the one and only Lacy Collar.

[Wonderlicious]

Cool interview!

I patiently await your interview with the one and only Lacy Collar.

Me too! I'm there with bells on*!

*or should that be lace?

[pinkrenata]

Cool interview!

I patiently await your interview with the one and only Lacy Collar.

Me too! I'm there with bells on*!

*or should that be lace?

How about a lacy collar embellished with bells? Now that would be something...

[Wonderlicious]

How about a lacy collar embellished with bells? Now that would be something...

Will this do?

[pinkrenata]

Wonderlicious, you really know how to brighten my day.

Question of the day: If the original lace collar had been embellished with bells, do you think Disney would have had such an issue with releasing Song of the South on DVD? Furthermore, could the film have garnered a Best Costumes Oscar Nomination? Sadly, we can only speculate.

[Disney Duster]

Actually Mickey Mouse may wear briefs.

He wore them in the cartoon about the mechanical house in Disney's House of Villains.

I loved "Who's your favorite Mouseketeer?" "Everybody!"

[REINIER]

Scaps, marvelous as always

Do proceed