November 14th, 2016 
Jackson Murphy 
To celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 88th Birthday (this Friday, Nov. 18th) Fathom Events held a sneak preview this past Saturday of the upcoming Disney Junior animated series Mickey and the Roadster Racers. The show debuts in January and centers on Mickey and pals Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Pete as race car drivers.
Rob LaDuca and Mark Seidenberg, long-time Disney TV Animation folks (both worked on the company’s first series, Adventures of Gummi Bears) are the guys behind the series – and this new show is their third collaboration as producers. Both were on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Never Land Pirates – and Disney Junior will debut the teaser trailer on November 18th.
I had no idea what kind of crowd there would be for a Saturday morning 10am mid-November screening, but the turnout confirmed that the Disney brand is still running on all cylinders. Around 250 people filled the theater – a combination of kids pre-school to second grade and parents/grandparents. At 18, I was the youngest non-parent in the audience – by 10 years!
For many of the little ones it was their first time ever in a movie theater. And what a way to begin that experience. The 75-minute presentation included two twenty-minute episodes of Mickey and the Roadster Racers – one set in their hometown of Hot Dog Hills, the other in Italy.
Prior to each episode, characters from other popular Disney Junior shows lead audience-participation games and sing-a-longs, included a very well-done autotune with Mickey and his friends. The youngest moviegoers were awed at seeing the stars of “Miles from Tomorrowland”, “Elena of Avalor”, “PJ Masks”, “The Lion Guard” and “Sofia the First” on such a big screen. The atmosphere was one of pure excitement and awe – two Disney staples – with everyone cheering, clapping, dancing in the aisles and playing along.
While kids loved the colorful characters and wacky action of Mickey and the Roadster Racers, adults will also find the show worth watching, thanks to some surprise star power. Car aficionado Jay Leno has a recurring role as the news reporter/race commentator. In the first episode, NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson voiced celebrity racer Jiminy Johnson, who was in town to visit Mickey & Co. And when Minnie and Daisy serve as tour guides in Italy, you can hear “Project Runway”‘s Tim Gunn (who also voices Bailywick on “Sofia the First”) as travel writer and critic, Robby Roberts.
Disney and Fathom will be repeating this in theaters across the country on Saturday January 14th, prior to the Disney Junior debut later that month.
In other Mickey Mouse news – the mouse that started it all will visit the set of ABC’s Good Morning America on November 18th, to celebrate his birthday and premiere his new music video, “What We Got.” His appearance in New York City is the culmination of his worldwide birthday tour, where he surprised fans and friends in Los Angeles, Kyoto, Shanghai, Rome, Paris, Cusco and Rio de Janeiro while making the music video. Mickey will share stories about his adventures with the Good Morning America anchors.
That same day, “What We Got” from Walt Disney Records will be available at digital retail and streaming services. The video will be featured on the Mickey Mouse Facebook page, as well as on other Disney platforms such as the Disney Parks Blog, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club and Oh My Disney.
Also on November 18th, Disney Channel will air blocks of Mickey Mouse programming throughout the day, including the premieres of two new cartoon series. Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts will have special parade moments to mark the occasion.
Mickey’s birthday is celebrated in honor of the release of his first theatrical film, Steamboat Willie, on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theatre in New York City. Since then, he has starred in more than 100 cartoons and can currently be seen on Disney Channel in the new Emmy-winning Mickey Mouse cartoon series.
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