When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.

When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.

The Story of Mickey Mouse

He [Mickey Mouse] popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner.

Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.

Born of necessity, the little fellow [Mickey Mouse] literally freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for expanding our organization to its present dimensions and for extending the medium cartoon animation towards new entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us.