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Michael Was To Pair With Mickey Mouse in Music Video

GreenEyes

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Wow, I didn't know this! That's awesome. I wish it would have happened.
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Were Michael Jackson & Mickey Mouse actually supposed to team up for a music video back in the 1980s? Profiles in History has the proof

But if I had to pick the one item from Wednesday's animation art auction that is the true gem, that one thing which Disney enthusiasts & pop culture fans are going to completely lose their minds over, I'd have to say that it was Item No. 374. Which is this set of 12 storyboards for a never-shot music video which was to have started Michael Jackson & Mickey Mouse.

1321.Michael_2D00_11.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved

Yep, back in the late 1980s, the King of Pop wanted to do what his idol -- screen legend Gene Kelly -- had never been able to pull off. And that was dance with the world's most famous cartoon mouse.

http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...-1980s-profiles-in-history-has-the-proof.aspx
 
Aaw, would have been great to see them two icons dancing together.
 
The animation story board is going up for auction Tomorrow

Just a quick heads-up to all you animation & theme park history buffs out there: Profiles in History is holding an animation art auction on Wednesday, July 31st that you really don't want to miss.


8306.Michael_2D00_12.jpg

This 22.5-by-30-inch board (which is covered with 12 drawings that are each 5.5 by 6.5 inches) are now all that remains of that proposed Mickey & Michael team-up. And given how many Mickey Mouse & Michael Jackson fans there are out there ... Well, I'd have to say that -- when this animation art auction is all over on Wednesday afternoon --

1321.Michael_2D00_11.jpg
Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


​
I will be very surprised if this piece of pop culture history doesn't wind up going for a multiple of the amount than the people at Profiles in History currently suggest that it will. Which is a relatively lowball bid of $600 - $800.

Upcoming Auctions & Events
http://www.profilesinhistory.com/buyers/upcoming-auctions-events/
Click to expand...



For those who haven't heard this story before: Back in 1944 when Kelly was still pulling together the dance routines that he wanted to perform in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's then-upcoming musical, "Anchors Aweigh
ir
," he reportedly reached out directly to Walt Disney and asked for his permission to use Mickey Mouse in a musical number that would combine live-action footage & animation in a way that had never been done before.

6758.Gene_2D00_1.jpg

The Gene Kelly Audio Animatronic figure from the "Singin' in the Rain" sequence in
the Great Movie Ride at WDW's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

As the story goes, Walt allegedly initially gave Gene permission to use Mickey in this soon-to-begin-shooting screen musical. But then Roy O. Disney reportedly nixed the idea, arguing that since the Studio still owed millions to the Bank of America for earlier production loans, it just wouldn't be wise for Disney to lend out the Studio's biggest star to the competition for free.
So since Gene now couldn't dance with Mickey in "Anchors Aweigh," Kelly was then forced to go with the second most famous cartoon mouse in the world. Which is Jerry the Mouse of "Tom & Jerry" fame. And while the finished version of this musical number still wound up being a wow ... To hear Michael tell this story, whenever these two legendary entertainers got together to talk about Hollywood history, Gene would always eventually wind up moaning about how Roy O. Disney had ruined his chance to work with Mickey Mouse. Which is why he had to settle for the second best cartoon mouse instead.

0160.Gene_2D00_2.jpg

Copyright Warner Home Video. All rights reserved


Now jump ahead to September of 1986. Which is when "Captain EO" had just opened at Disneyland Park. Which -- to Michael Jackson's way of thinking, anyway -- meant that The Walt Disney Company now owed him. And given that Michael was already been developing "Moonwalker
ir
" at this point (i.e., a "Fantasia
ir
" -like concert film that Jackson dreamed of building around some of the songs featured on his soon-to-be-released album, 1987's "Bad
ir
") ... Well, he wasn't going to settle for second best. Michael now wanted to do what Gene Kelly hadn't been able to do 40+ years earlier. Which is why Jackson reportedly reached out to Michael Eisner and personally pitched Disney's then-CEO about Michael & Mickey possibly teaming up to do a dance routine together for this yet-to-be-shot motion picture.

Now as I understand it, it was Jackson himself who hired a former Disney artist to put together the storyboards that were used for this pitch...

Which starts out with the King of Pop telling the kids he's babysitting that it is now time to go to bed.
1781.Michael_2D00_A.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


And as Jackson is herding this boy & girl into their bedroom,
Michael notices that these kids have left some of their toys behind on the floor.


5707.Michael_2D00_B.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved



But as Michael bends over and picks up that Mickey Mouse doll,
the King of Pop's magical touch then somehow brings this plush toy to life.
7245.Michael_2D00_C.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


At first, Michael & Mickey just dance & interact inside of that kids playroom.
2133.Michael_2D00_3.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


But then with a wave of that magical paintbrush which so often appears in Disney productions ...
7140.Michael_2D00_4.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


... Mickey & Michael find themselves dancing through a surreal animated landscape that borrows a number
of ideas & key creative concepts from the Benny Goodman sequence in Disney's 1946, "Make Mine Music
ir
."
5621.Michael_2D00_5.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


The borrowing from other earlier Disney animated films continues as Mickey -- just as he did in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice"
sequence in "Fantasia" -- lose control of the magic that powers this fantasy world. And as giant dinosaur-like
musical notes threaten to eat the world's most famous mouse, it's up to the King of Popto rescue this rodent.


5751.Michael_2D00_6.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


Before things get totally out of control, Mickey & Michael finally manage to make their way back
to the relative safety of that kids playroom which they started out in ...


4645.Michael_2D00_7.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


... where Mickey now decides that he's had more than enough music & magic for one night.
And as the Mouse climbs up onto the dresser ...
1882.Michael_2D00_8.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


... and as Michael clicks off the lights in the playroom ...
6076.Michael_2D00_9.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved


... the camera swings back to the dresser, revealing that Mickey is now once again just a plush plaything.
3404.Michael_2D00_10.jpg

Copyright 2013 Profiles in History. All rights reserved
​

Isn't that a cute -- if somewhat slight -- concept to build a late 1980s-era music video around? Michael Jackson certainly thought so. And even though he and Disney's lawyers reportedly repeatedly tried to find a way to make this live action / animated musical extravaganza actually happen, in the end, they just couldn't get the financials to line up.

Long story short: Given that Michael had made "Captain EO" for the Disney Parks, Jackson -- being the shrewd businessman that he was -- felt that Eisner should now give him a sweetheart deal. Make him only pay pennies on the dollar for the rights to use Mickey Mouse in this proposed music video.


4314.Michael_2D00_13.jpg

Mickey Mouse bows down before the King of Pop during a
1980s-era visit to WDW's Magic Kingdom. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved


Whereas Michael Eisner ... While he recognized what a huge deal it would be from a promotional point of view for both the Company & its most famous character to have Mickey Mouse & Michael Jackson appear together in a music video, he still wasn't willing to sell Disney's corporate symbol short. And when Jackson wasn't able to get Eisner to budge on the proposed budget for the project ... Well, that's when Michael suddenly found himself in Gene Kelly country. That if he still really wanted "Moonwalker" to have an animated sequence in it, Jackson was now going to have to creatively compromise. Which is why the proposed Mickey-and-Michael musical number got ditched in favor of a new Will Vinton-produced Claymatian sequence built around Jackson's "Speed Demon" song.

0160.Michael_2D00_14.jpg

Copyright Warner Home Video. All rights reserved


So was Jackson angry with Eisner specifically and The Walt Disney Company in general for not allowing him to use Mickey Mouse in this proposed music video? Well, as you watch the "Speed Demon" sequence in "Moonwalker" today, it's hard not to look those two huge, obnoxious & grossly overweight Disney fans with their Mickey Mouse ears who are prominently featured in this portion of that motion picture ...
2703.Michael_2D00_16.jpg

Copyright Warner Home Video. All rights reserved


... without thinking that these two Claymation characters have to be some sort of crude attempt at payback.

Anyway, this 22.5-by-30-inch board (which is covered with 12 drawings that are each 5.5 by 6.5 inches) are now all that remains of that proposed Mickey & Michael team-up. And given how many Mickey Mouse & Michael Jackson fans there are out there ... Well, I'd have to say that -- when this animation art auction is all over on Wednesday afternoon --

I will be very surprised if this piece of pop culture history doesn't wind up going for a multiple of the amount than the people at Profiles in History currently suggest that it will. Which is a relatively lowball bid of $600 - $800.


So what did you folks think of the artwork for this proposed Mickey & Michael music video? If this project had actually been completed, would you have been that much more likely to see "Moonwalker" when it was released to theaters back in 1989 and/or have purchased this Michael Jackson movie when it then became available on VHS?

0333.Michael_2D00_15.jpg

Copyright Warner Home Video. All rights reserved


http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...es-in-history-has-the-proof.aspx#.Uff2B41wquk
 
What an amazing story! :) Next time I watch the Speed Demon video and see the two fat guys on the bike, I'm going to see it in a total different light now. LOL!

This is one project that SHOULD have happened.;D
 
GreenEyes said:
I will be interesting to see how much this will go for at auction tomorrow.
Click to expand...

$600 plus premium. I thought it would fetch more. (I'm surprised that the artist is ..er .....anonymouse). I wonder who had this in their keeping, and sold it.
 
Michael and Mickey dancing together? How amazing and cute would that be!!!
 
The storyboards look adorable and so fun! Too bad it never happened, but at least we know about it. Loved to see the whole story qbee posted develop :girl_dance:
 
I wonder what song Michael had in mind for this sequence. Any guesses?
 
I wonder, in the back of my mind, if "Moonwalker" was not as successful as it should've been, which was why Frank Dileo and Michael Jackson parted ways.

This is one investment Michael should have invested in, dancing with Mickey Mouse. Michael spent a lot of money on the Beatles catalog in 1985 and then a big sum on buying Neverland ranch, 3 year's later, but he should have paid for Mickey Mouse, then "Moonwalker" would've been more successful or at least in the US. Dancing with Michael Mouse would have been so much better than "Speed Demon." The sophistication of Michael and Mickey would have been synonymous for eternity!


6a91f272.jpg
 
I wish the estate would buy this storyboard for the musuem they will have one day-and I LOVED the story behind it.
 
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