There are few figures in popular culture that carry as much raw emotional power as Mickey Mouse.
As a character, Mickey Mouse has engendered love and laughter from countless viewers for more than 90 years in popular culture. As a corporate symbol, Mickey Mouse has elicited more complicated emotions. Both are grappled with in “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse,” a new documentary that will debut at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on Saturday and will be headed to Disney+ later this year.
Director Jeff Malmberg wrestles with the uber-Mickey – the Mickey that embodies the American ideals of optimism and kindness, and the Mickey that stands for some occasionally iffy practices by a multinational corporation.