''Mickey's 60th Birthday'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

broadcast on ''

The Magical World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' on November 13, 1988 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse character. Like ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 19 ...

'' (which had been recently released at the time), much of the footage featured in the film is live-action with newly made animation (although some of the animation used for some scenes was made from existing footage) provided by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. It was rebroadcast on Disney Channel Europe on November 18, 2008 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the special, as well as Mickey's 80th birthday. As an NBC spectacular, the special features the cast of several contemporary NBC television shows, including ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States ...

'', '' Cheers'', '' Hunter'', ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' and ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

''.

Plot

''Mickey Mouse's 60th Birthday'' special is being taped and as his appearance in the show draws to a close, Mickey (voiced by

Wayne Allwine Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009) was an American voice actor, sound effects editor and foley artist for The Walt Disney Company. He is best remembered as the 3rd official voice of Mickey Mouse. He is the longest-tenured ...

) finds himself trying to decide how he should present himself to his audience. Rummaging through an old trunk, he finds the magic hat from ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving ...

'' segment of '' Fantasia'' and considers using it, but he is warned by an evil sorcerer (voiced by

Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''Transformers'' animated series, reprising the role many times since 2007. He has also voiced many other ...

) who owns the hat (who was not

Yen Sid The following are fictional characters from Disney's 1940 film ''Fantasia'', its 1999 sequel ''Fantasia 2000'' and the 2014 video game '' Fantasia: Music Evolved''. Characters in this list are sorted by the film and segment in which they appear. ...

) that he shouldn't be using other people's magic when he has his own, which Mickey initially doesn't understand. With that in mind, Mickey goes out on stage along with his birthday cake, provided by

Roger Rabbit Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private ...

(voiced by

Charles Fleischer Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for appearing in films such as ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', '' The Polar Express'', '' Rango'', '' ...

), who realizes that he placed a stick of dynamite on the cake instead of a candle. In his attempt to put the dynamite out, Roger ends up destroying the set, which prompts Mickey to use the magic from the hat to repair the damage. The audience screams for more and Mickey agrees to do so, but when he does, he suddenly vanishes. The sorcerer, annoyed that Mickey disobeyed his warning, decides to teach the Mouse how to find his own kind of magic, by casting a spell on him in which anyone he runs into fails to recognize him as Mickey Mouse. The Mouse is then returned to the real world, where he's found by Andy Keaton of ''

'', who mistakenly believes him to be a good impression of the real thing. Andy shows Mickey off to Mallory and Jennifer, but when they're not convinced, and even Andy turns him down, to Mickey's dismay. He later goes to the bar from '' Cheers'', only to realize he has no money to buy himself a drink. He then sings the "Happy Birthday" song to

Rebecca Howe Rebecca Howe is a fictional character of the American television sitcom ''Cheers'', portrayed by Kirstie Alley and created by Glen and Les Charles. Rebecca appeared in 147 episodes of ''Cheers'' between 1987 and 1993 and in one episode of ''Wi ...

, cheering her up so much that she takes him out to dinner and a movie. Meanwhile,

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

has organized a search party, led by Sergeant Rick Hunter (from ''Hunter'') to find the missing Mickey, which was reported on a local news show. In the process, anchorpersons Dudley Goode (

John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...

) and Mia Loud (

Jill Eikenberry Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama '' L.A. Law'' (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Go ...

) begin to suspect Donald Duck (voiced by

Tony Anselmo Tony Anselmo (born February 18, 1960) is an American voice actor and animator. He has been the official character voice of Donald Duck since 1985 following the death of the original voice actor, Clarence Nash. He has also provided voices for Do ...

) after being told of how upset he was that he wasn't going to appear in Mickey's special. Their suspicions go even further when they find old footage in Donald's trash of Donald doing his own version of ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...

'' theme song, and Donald is soon arrested after he tries (unsuccessfully) to testify his innocence (he claimed that the kidnapper was either

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...

(voiced by Russi Taylor), " the guy who framed Roger Rabbit", the Wicked Witch or Porky Pig). Donald is to be represented by the legal firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak. As they continue with their reports on the search, the reporters show various clip montages of Mickey and various tributes. As the special nears its end, Mickey returns to

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

, where a custodian ( Cheech Marin) mopes over the fact that he can't see any point in his profession if the guest of honor isn't going to show up for his own birthday party. A fellow custodian (

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) ( née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby ...

) then sings a song called "It's Magic" to cheer him up, with Mickey accompanying the ensuing song-and-dance number. At this point, the sorcerer reappears and congratulates Mickey now that he's finally found his own magic inside him and thus breaks the spell. Just as the sorcerer exits, Roger rushes up to Mickey and instantly recognizes him. The news of Roger having "found" Mickey is brought to the news and the innocent Donald is released from jail just in time to join Mickey's birthday celebration. Soon, a parade appears, taking Mickey to

Sleeping Beauty Castle Sleeping Beauty Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of Disneyland and formerly at Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on the late 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. It appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures logos from 198 ...

, where Minnie is. People in the parade throw him up to the balcony of Sleeping Beauty Castle where Minnie is standing. Finally, Mickey and Minnie are reunited. Also making cameo appearances are several reporters for NBC stations, including

Allison Rosati Allison Kay Rosati (born February 12, 1963) is the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscast co-anchor for WMAQ-TV in Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago, in the United States. Early life Rosati was born in Dover, Delaware and grew up in Pine City, ...

WGRZ-TV WGRZ (channel 2) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill R ...

and

Sue Simmons Sue Simmons (born May 27, 1942) is an American retired news anchor who was best known for being the lead female anchor at WNBC in New York City from 1980 to 2012. Her contract with WNBC expired in June 2012 and WNBC announced that it would not ren ...

WNBC-TV WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo statio ...

Cast

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

as Mel Fellini *

as Charlie the Stage Manager and the voice of

as Dudley Goode *

as Mia Loud *

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...

as Himself * Brian Bonsall as Andy Keaton *

Justine Bateman Justine Tanya Bateman (born February 19, 1966) is an American writer, director and producer. Her former acting work includes ''Family Ties'', '' Satisfaction'', '' Men Behaving Badly'', ''The TV Set'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and '' Californ ...

as Mallory Keaton *

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

as Alex P. Keaton
(flashback clip) *

Tina Yothers Kristina Louise Yothers is an American actress and singer. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of three, she is best known for her role as Jennifer Keaton on the hit NBC series ''Family Ties'', as well as for her roles in numerous ...

as Jennifer Keaton *

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

as Himself *

Fred Dryer John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, screenwriter and former professional football player. He was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 years, participating in 176 games starting in ...

as Sergeant Rick Hunter * Michael Tucker as Stuart Markowitz *

Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama '' L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama ''NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...

as Victor Sifuentes * Alan Rachins as Douglas Brackman, Jr. * Richard A. Dysart as Leland Mackenzie *

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series '' L.A. Law'',

as Arnie Becker *

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series '' L.A. Law''. Underwood has ...

as Jonathan Rollins *

Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series '' L.A. Law' ...

as Michael Kuzak *

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom '' Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...

Norm Peterson Hilary Norman Peterson is a regular fictional character on the American television show ''Cheers''. The character was portrayed by actor George Wendt and is named Hilary after his paternal grandfather. Norm appeared in all 275 episodes of '' ...

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

Woody Boyd Woodrow Tiberius Boyd is a character on the American television show '' Cheers'', portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Woody came to Cheers at the beginning of the fourth season of ''Cheers'' in 1985 in the episode "Birth, Death, Love and Rice". Wood ...

Ted Danson Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...

Sam Malone Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. The protagonist of the series, Sam, a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox basebal ...

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

Frasier Crane Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane (born ) is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom ''Cheers'' and the titular protagonist of its spin-off ''Frasier'', portrayed by Kelsey Grammer. The character debu ...

Rhea Perlman Rhea Jo Perlman (born March 31, 1948) is an American actress. She played head-waitress Carla Tortelli in the sitcom '' Cheers'' (1982–1993). Over the course of 11 seasons, Perlman was nominated for ten Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting ...

as Carla Tortelli *

John Ratzenberger John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)About John
from Ratzenberger's official website is an Americ ...

Cliff Clavin Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. (born 1947 or 1949) is a fictional character on the American television show '' Cheers'' played by John Ratzenberger. A postal worker, he is the bar's know-it-all and was a contestant on the game show ''Jeopardy!'' Cliff ...

* Kirstie Alley as

* Cheech Marin as the Disneyland custodian *

as the Disneyland dancer *

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

Dorothy Zbornak Dorothy Zbornak is a character from the sitcom television series '' The Golden Girls'', portrayed by Bea Arthur. Sarcastic, introspective, compassionate, and fiercely protective of those she considers family, she is introduced as a substitute tea ...

Estelle Getty Estelle Gettleman (née Scher; July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008), known professionally as Estelle Getty, was an American actress and comedian best known for her portrayal of Sophia Petrillo on ''The Golden Girls'' (1985–92), for which she won ...

as Sophia Petrillo *

Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on '' Maude'' (1972–78), Aunt Fran Crowley on '' Mama's Family'' (1983–84), and Blanche ...

Blanche Devereaux Blanche Devereaux is a character from the sitcom television series '' The Golden Girls'', and its spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Blanche was portrayed by Rue McClanahan for 8 years and 204 episodes across the two series. The charact ...

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...

Rose Nylund Rose Nylund is a character from the sitcom television series ''The Golden Girls'' and its spin-off, '' The Golden Palace''. She was portrayed by Betty White for 8 years, totalling 204 episodes. Rose was supposed to be played by Rue McClanahan, ...

* Burt Reynolds as Himself *

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Holly ...

as Herself * Phil Collins as Himself * Annette Funicello as Herself * Bette Midler as Herself *

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

as Herself

Voice cast

as Mickey Mouse *

as Donald Duck *

as the Wizard * Russi Taylor as

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0221395 1980s American television specials 1980s animated television specials Animated crossover television specials 1988 television specials 1988 in American television Disney television specials Walt Disney anthology television series episodes NBC television specials American children's comedy films American films with live action and animation

Plot

Cast

Voice cast

See also

References

External links