Mickey Mouse is one of the most well-known and iconic characters on the entire planet, and he has been for decades. One would think that he’ll end up “outliving” every single person alive today, and that’s why it is so hard to imagine that Disney would ever have Mickey Mouse killed off.
Rumors have started flying around the internet in the past week, and it is all due to an article posted by Empire News that states Disney is doing just that. The report goes on to say that Mickey Mouse is being killed off in a Christmas, 2015 special called The Magical Life and Times of Mickey Mouse .
The report states that members of the press were in disbelief as Disney spokesperson Michael McDermott made a statement.
“The film is, in fact, what the title suggests – it’s about the wonderful and magical life of the great Mickey Mouse and the joy his has brought children and adults alike across the globe since his creation in 1928…until his death in 2015.”
That would be incredibly strange, and it would be something that would shock the world, but McDermott didn’t actually say any of that. Actually, there isn’t even a Michael McDermott working for Disney, and if there is one, he isn’t their spokesperson.
Mickey Mouse isn’t being killed off by Disney. Even if the article does have a comment from Disney CEO Don Iger.
“The Walt Disney Company is about teaching both children and adults alike that the lives we lead are special and magical, but nobody lives forever. It is the collective belief of this wonderful enterprise that in order to thoroughly enjoy something, to really cherish it, human beings need to be reminded that life is short. Live it the best you can, do the best you can by others, use your life to make a real difference.”
That sounds quite legit, but those in the know will see that something is off. The CEO of The Walt Disney Company is actually a man by the name of Bob Iger , not Don.
A lot of readers fail to realize that Empire News is a satire website and none of their news is real. They even have a disclaimer stating as much.
“Empire News is a satirical and entertainment website. We only use invented names in all our stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.”
Many people don’t end up reading website disclaimers and don’t check out the fine print. This is very much like the uproar caused when rumors came about that a fifth theme park would be opening up at Walt Disney World in 2018.
What people failed to realize is that it was an April Fool’s Day joke.
Sites like Empire News take things a few steps further as they are entirely satirical. Not only do they make up statements and create people from companies, but also from those being asked for comments and witnesses.
“I think this is ludicrous. We grew up having Mickey Mouse around, he made us smile and laugh as children with just the sight of him,” said Marion Calvert, 42, of Phoenix, Arizona “I have two children under the age of 12, and I will not take them to see this terrible film.”
Another person asked his opinion said that Mickey Mouse being killed off isn’t a big deal because “he’s just a damn drawing.”
Mickey Mouse isn’t being killed off by Disney. It’s just not something that is going to happen. Not only did the “news” come from a satire website, but the thought of Disney killing off their most famous character and company icon is absurd and just asking for backlash that no-one wants.
[Image via Disney]
