Mickey Mouse has been a symbol of joy for viewers around the world for 100 years now. But few may know the dark storylines in which the cartoon has been embroiled in over the years.
American cartoonist Floyd Gottfredson once pictured a dark arc for Mickey. READ MORE:Mickey Mouse has been a symbol of joy and delight for 100 years now - with Disney celebrating its centennial this year.
According to some reports, the sombre arc was suggested by none other than Walt Disney himself, writes Comics Alliance. It initially included art from Ub Iwerks - famous for being Walt's business partner and an incredible animator - but he left the company, leading to Floyd Gottfredson's taking over the comic strips.
In a Medium blogpost titled The Dark Side of Mickey, writer Jasmin James also revealed how, despite being a mouse, Mickey was often depicted joking and taking part in animal cruelty. The post recounts the notorious Steamboat Willie animation, where Mickey begins to use animals as musical instruments. The Disney cartoon featured a character who was the prototype for Mickey Mouse and was later discovered in a British film archive.
It comes as today, Disney - the firm started by Walt Disney in the United States in 1923 - celebrates its 100th anniversary. Accompanied by his wife and children, he found the family crest of his reputed ancestor Sir William d'Isney, on the 14th-century figure's tomb in Norton Disney's St Peter's Church.
He added that there is a '99 per cent' possibility that Disney's name originates with from the French family memorialised in St Peter's Church.
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