Mickey 90: The True Original Exhibit Is A Must See

Mickey is 90 y’all! This past Thursday an exhibit opened in honor of the iconic mouse’s start and long lasting legacy. Over 20 artists are featured in the 16K square foot exhibit dedicated to the Disney mascot and his equal Mini. The exhibit curated by artist Darren Romanelli, celebrates 90 years of Mickey Mouse’s influence on art and pop culture. In true Disney fashion, this isn’t just a gallery to walk and admire paintings on a wall, it is an experience. You walk up to the yellow door, pull the Mickey ear door handle and you are in a wide black room where a screen fills the full wall in front of you.

My immediate reaction (knowing Disney World) was at first “Are we getting on a ride or nah!?” The host welcomes you and lets you in on the details of the exhibit and the rules walking through. You learn it is an interactive experience to immerse you in the history and future of Disney’s Mickey Mouse. You then watch a short animated music video of sorts set to beats by James Fauntleroy all made from Mickey Mouse samples. This sound designers work is displayed in various rooms throughout the exhibit. I’ll be honest the beats are pretty dope. You are then taken through a neon exhibit of Mickey by Jeff Kelly right beside the famous boat from the first ever Disney cartoon. Get this, you can get in the boat! You can turn the helm, and whistle along too.

Most of the exhibits in the first section honor that first black and white cartoon from a mash up of different artists reanimating…