Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is a documentary about the cultural reach of Disney's most recognizable character and the meanings audiences have attached to him over roughly a century. Through interviews with animators, historians and executives, the film examines how a cartoon mouse that began as a simple design became a shared reference point across generations and borders, and how his changing portrayals have tracked shifts in the society that embraced him.

Jeff Malmberg directed the film, which came before his 2023 documentary The Saint of Second Chances. Morgan Neville, Chris Shellen and Meghan Walsh produced it through ABC News Studios and Tremolo Productions. Among the 22 credited cast members are animator Floyd Norman, scholar Carmenita Higginbotham, animators Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn and Randy Haycock, and then-Disney chief executive Bob Iger, all appearing as themselves. The film runs 89 minutes.

Reaction has been moderately positive. On IMDb it holds a 6.9 rating from about 1,100 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 90 voters. The two scores point to a documentary that found a modest, generally favorable audience rather than a wide one.