Mickey Mouse Works is a television show that features Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Ludwig Von Drake all star in their own segments. Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Chip 'n Dale, Scrooge McDuck, Black Pete, Humphrey the Bear, J. Audobon Woodlore, Dinah the Dachshund, Butch the Bulldog, Mortimer Mouse and Clara Cluck all appear as supporting characters. Mickey Mouse Works was created to recreate the golden age of Disney's animated shorts, featuring some of Disney's most popular characters. By using basic colors and the original sound effects, tremendous effort was put forth to capture the look and feel of classic Disney. Each half-hour episode consisted of a variety of cartoons, varying in length from ninety seconds to twelve minutes. These shorts fell into three general types: the brief gag cartoons, the longer character-based cartoons, and the more classically-based "Mouse Tales" (usually the show's longest segment). The character-based segments also included "Silly Symphonies," carrying on the tradition of that series of theatrical shorts. With no established schedule or routine, Mickey Mouse Works was designed to look like one spontaneous flow. Adding to that feeling were the show's opening credits, which ended differently each week, the only constant being an elaborate interruption from a spotlight-stealing Donald Duck. While most skits involved individual characters, some have Mickey, Donald, and Goofy running a special service group. Most Goofy skits have him doing a "how-to" segment, always accompanied by a narrator. When the show was replaced by Disney's House of Mouse in January 2001, it was never seen again afterwards. However, when the shorts were shown right before Toon Disney's Big Movie Show on weekdays, they were shown with the Mickey Mouse Works closing credits. |
