November 8th, 2018 
Jerry Beck 
Today, Disney officially opened Mickey: The True Original Exhibition in New York City’s Meatpacking District, welcoming guests from around the globe to the 16,000 square-foot immersive pop-up celebrating the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse.
Opening in the same city where he made his big screen debut in “Steamboat Willie” on November 18th, 1928 at the Colony Theatre, Mickey: The True Original Exhibition invites guests to join in the anniversary celebration and experience Mickey Mouse like never before. Featuring thoughtfully-curated original art, larger-than-life photo opps, branded activations, and a new line of commemorative merchandise, the exhibition runs now through February 10th, 2019.
Honoring Mickey’s 90-year impact on popular culture, creativity and the arts in all its forms, the exhibition showcases installations from more than 20 contemporary artists worldwide, including Daniel Arsham and Katherine Bernhardt, alongside a historic Mickey-inspired work from legendary artist Keith Haring.
Haring’s drawing, Untitled (Mickey Mouse), 1981, is accompanied by a hand-selected assortment of original photos of the artist alongside some of his most famous Mickey Mouse pieces, captured by his close friend and photographer Tseng Kwong Chi, throughout his career in the 1980’s. The portraits of the two friends, who bonded over a shared love of pop culture and icons, are showcased together for the first time in this exhibition.
All of the original and historic pieces are featured throughout more than a dozen thematic rooms, each carefully curated and artfully designed to highlight a chapter of Mickey Mouse’s story. Along the way, guests will discover larger-than-life photo moments, including a replica of Steamboat Willie’s vessel, black-and-white immersive scenes from classic cartoon shorts, a transformative reinterpretation of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Walt Disney’s masterpiece film, Fantasia, and a recreation of the 1990’s All New Mickey Mouse Club set.
Fans will also get a glimpse into the Disney Archives collection featuring iconic Mickey Mouse inspired consumer products across the decades as well as the Academy Award for the Creation of Mickey Mouse, on loan from The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
Exhibition details include:
Hello Mickey!– Introduces the many facets of Mickey including his playful personality. Featured artists: Katherine Bernhardt, Ariana Papademetropoulos, and Michael Bosanko.
Iconic Design– Shows Mickey, an instantly recognizable character and form, in a whole new way. Featured artist: Daniel Arsham
It’s Black & White– An entirely black-and-white world bringing Mickey’s comic strips and cartoon shorts to life. Featured artist: Brian Roettinger
Ink & Paint– Pays homage to the team of artists and painters in Disney’s legendary Ink & Paint department including photos from Mindy Johnson’s book “Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation”
Burst into Color– A vivid, vibrant color room in honor of Mickey’s acclaimed technicolor debut, The Band Concert. Featured artists: London Kaye, Michael John Kelly, Amanda Ross-Ho and Disney artists Stacey Aoyama and John Quinn
Sorcerer’s Way– Transports guests to the magical world of Walt Disney’s masterpiece and Mickey’s first feature film: Fantasia. Featured artist: Oliver Clegg
Mickey Mouse Club– Celebrates the 60+ year legacy of the Mickey Mouse Club television series. Featured artist: Brian Bress
The original costumes from the 1950s series are on display
Original Muse– Showcases how Mickey has inspired artists around the world to create, reinterpret, and reimagine. Featured artists: Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong Chi, James Jean, Keiichi Tanaami, Tanya Aguiniga, PEACEMINUSONE, Javier Sanchez Medina, Tetsuya Nomura, and Oliver Payne.
The Collection– Illustrates how tactile, functional works of art brings Mickey into fans’ everyday lives. Featured artists: Darren Romanelli aka DRx and Shinique Smith.
Kenny Scharf’s Mickey Mouse-inspired cosmic cavern will also be on display and open to the public in Mickey’s Maker Shop. Exhibition tickets are not required for entry.
Commemorative Merchandise at Mickey’s Maker Shop
Within the experience, ‘Mickey’s Maker Shop’ is a retail store offering exhibition-branded merchandise, select pieces from 90th anniversary ‘True Original’ Mickey Mouse capsule collections and custom products that can be personalized on-site. Fans can also shop limited-edition merchandise through timed product drops throughout the exhibition run. The shop is open to the public; exhibition tickets are not required for entry. Select exhibtion and Mickey 90th merchandise can also be purchased on shopDisney.
J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein’s huge new Taschen book makes its debut at this exhibit
Exhibition Sponsors Create Branded Activations
Exhibition sponsors have created interactive activations that engage guests of all ages. With the help of Google Home, attendees can join in a special game show with Mickey Mouse and his friends. Following the announce of Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones – Mickey Mouse’s 90th Anniversary Edition, Beats will continue to celebrate Mickey and his influence on music with listening stations and a photo gallery in the Exhibition lounge. Finally, Brooklyn-based and family-owned ice cream maker Ample Hills Creamery will share complimentary scoops of birthday cake ice cream from their Disney Mickey Mouse Collection.
About “Mickey: The True Original Exhibition”
Running from November 8, 2018 – February 10, 2019, ‘Mickey: The True Original Exhibition’ will be open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 60 10th Avenue, New York. Tickets are available for $38 per person: Click here. With selected time slots already selling out for its November debut, guests are encouraged to plan early. The exhibition is not open on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years.
For more on the exhibition and behind-the-scenes content, visit Disney.com/MickeyTrueOriginal.
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