Mickey’s New Avataar

Mickey Mouse, created by Walt Disney in 1928, is the icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse is one of the most popular animated characters ever produced.

Who doesn't know Mickey Mouse? Mickey Mouse has been known to be a charming, scared, adventurous mouse, his character having appealed to millions across the globe since his birth in 1928. He is the most recognizable icon in the world, and is by no means just a "cartoon character" any more. He is the illustrious mouse with human characteristics. Mickey Mouse is about much more.

And now Walt Disney Co. wants to come along and change everything for Mickey Mouse. He is no longer going to be the adorable, vulnerable mouse we've all known for all these years. Mickey Mouse will be transformed to Epic Mickey, a new video game in which the impeccable character of the Mouse will be altered to be tetchy, sly and heroic at the same time. Yet, the name Epic Mickey will still be familiar to children and the Mouse is still inquisitive, adventurous and eager.

I feel that this a tad too much for even the legendary Mickey Mouse to handle! The projection of so many grey characteristics for our dear little Mouse seems too extreme for his personality to handle. It almost seems like Mickey Mouse will play the next "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", so stark are the variations in his character. When I read an article a month ago on http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/After-makeover-Mickey-is-no-more-Mr-Nice-Guy/articleshow/5201279.cms, I was wondering what the reaction would be towards Epic Mickey. He looks mean, like the evil alter ego of the good Mickey Mouse.

Will this new venture of Disney be a success? I do hope so, because if they are risking tampering with a character that has stood the test of time for so many years, they better know what they are doing. It will break more than a few hearts globally to witness the death of our darling Mouse. Disney is riding on the hopes of this new venture and there has been a lot of buzz created online pre-launch of the game. However, like the changed Coca Cola, Disney faces the peril of tweaking the image of a character so well-known and liked, that they must remember, they own the brand of Mickey Mouse, not the character itself.