I really liked the originality in approach for this documentary. Though created by Walt Disney, the film focused on a biographical approach to the character which I enjoyed. Yes, and it was made apparent the life-long link between creator Walt and creation Mickey. I liked the historical approach to the development of Mickey's shorts, and the effect the character had on the world. Plus ultimately the effect the world had on the mouse. Personally, I only had one detractor which was the choice in musical score. Given it was Mickey, and literally Walt's baby, I wanted something better for the mouse. At times I found it diminishing rather than enhancing, or at least invisibly accompanying, the subject matter.

The film provides a decent history of Mickey Mouse in film and also shows some other art forms that were inspired. It does not shy away from problematic aspects and even mentions Disney's obsession with copyright which have been quite problematic. However a great shortcoming is the complete lack of reference to comic strips and comic books. They have been just as important for the rise and popularity of Mickey Mouse and it is a great disappointment that its missing. Floyd Gottfredson's daily newspaper strip was iconic and spread the Mouse worldwide while Walt Disney's signature appeared on each and everyone suggesting that Disney was the actual artist. Later artists like Paul Murry or Romano Scarpa should also not be forgotten. There are still comic books named after Mickey Mouse that are published regularly in numerous countries worldwide. So this was a bit of a letdown. Instead, the interviews somewhat dragged down the documentary without adding more information, which made it a bit boring, especially at the end.

When I watched this doc I had no expectations whatsoever. I expected to see a celebration of Mickey as a company mascot and cultural icon, and nothing else.

I was actually surprised that it touched some subjects that would be considered "controversial" for Disney, like referencing Mickey as a punk and counterculture icon, his 80's-90's-early 00's corporate era and even Mickey in Vietnam. Its always good that a documentary that is made for higlighting the best moments of its subject also takes time to show some of its worst, for contrast.

A good watch if you like to see what the little mouse has meant for people all around the world for almost 100 years now.