The All-New Mickey Mouse Club
Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
In 1955 Walt Disney introduced the original Mickey Mouse Club, an American variety show that aired on ABC until 1959. About twenty years later in the 1970’s a new era of Mouseketeers were introduced. The reboot only lasted for two years (1977-1979), but it definitely wouldn’t be the last version of Mickey Mouse Club!
In 1989 Disney decided to once again recreate the famous variety show, but this time as The All-New Mickey Mouse Club or “MMC” for short! Although it was the third version, this Mickey Mouse Club reboot went on to be a star in it’s own right.
It Was Filmed at Disney-MGM Studios
The All-New Mickey Mouse Club ran from 1989-1994, and aired on the Disney Channel until early 1996. This show was the start of several new and exciting things brought to us by Disney! Did you know that it was filmed in front of a live studio audience at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida? Being that Disney-MGM Studios was the newest, most exciting park on property (that also happened to specialize in all things lights, camera, action) it was a perfect fit! Filming took place in the Soundstage 1, which is currently a vacant building right around Toy Story Mania.
Image: Disney Parks Blog
Remember the Backlot Tour? Back when the tour was about two hours long, the All-New Mickey Mouse Club was a part of the tour! Guests would ride by and could look through an window and watch the Mouseketeers rehearsing and filming throughout the week. Some guests of Disney-MGM Studios even had the opportunity to be a part of the audience for episode tapings! Could you imagine?! How cool!
School Came First
The All-New Mickey Mouse Club was a show full of talented Mouseketeers who could all act, sing, and dance, but as far as Disney was concerned school came first! It was made clear the the kids early on that if they wanted to perform, they had to make the grades. Since the show was airing five days a week on the Disney Channel and a lot of filming and rehearsal was involved, the cast went to school at Disney-MGM Studios too! The school building was hidden away behind the sound stages and Backlot tour in the back of the park.
Image: Disney
In an industry where performance is king, Disney kept school as a major focus for these Mouseketeers. As some of the cast grew older, MMC even held a graduation for them on the show! I think this really shows the attention to every detail that Disney made with this show — from the talent to the production to making sure that the cast well rounded in all aspects including education.
Where Stars Were Born
The All-New Mickey Mouse Club left a mark on the world even after it was cancelled, and that was through its Mouseketeers. Unlike the past versions of this variety show where only one or two Mouseketeers would go on to perform in the future, the 90’s version was a real breeding ground for talent! Several MMC kids went on to be stars whether through music, film, or both.
Image: Refinery 29
The most iconic Mouseketeers happened to be some of the newest to join the gang for the last two seasons! In fact, 25% of the 1993 Season 6 cast went on to be future superstars. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling all got their first big break on the All-New Mickey Mouse Club! Some other talents to come from this MMC generation were Keri Russell and JC Chasez. Some Mouseketeers even came back to their old stomping ground at Disney-MGM Studios to perform! (You can check out Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez in their N’Sync concert here, and Britney Spears taking a walk down memory lane at the park here!)
Club Mickey Mouse
Following the tradition of a new reboot every twenty years or so, Oh My Disney launched the newest Mickey Mouse Club in the year 2017! This generation goes by the name of Club Mickey Mouse and is showcased online and through social media versus television shows like all three other versions. The newest Mouseketeers are on the scene are ready to make their own mark on the world! I love that over 60 years later Walt’s original idea for a Mickey Mouse Club still lives on through the different decades, forging their own paths while staying true to one thing — our main mouse Mickey! You can check out the latest Club Mickey Mouse crew here!
Since I was born in 1993 I never really got a chance to experience the Mickey Mouse Club as a kid, but through YouTube and lots of online Disney searching I was able to learn about this pretty iconic part of 90’s Disney history that I wish I could’ve been old enough to experience! Starting to get as obsessed at me? Check out this documentary all about the MMC for a nice walk down memory lane!
Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our company.
M-I-C (See you real soon),
K-E-Y (Why? Because we like you),
M-O-U-S-E!
Image: Disney Parks Blog
Who is your favorite Mouseketeer?