• Several of the shorts included on Volume Two are preceded by Maltin introductions that help modern audiences put such dated concepts as dialect humor and now questionable material into historical perspective.
• Mickey’s updated look (supervised by animator Fred Moore), including a flesh-colored face and round eyes with pupils, was first done for 1940’s Fantasia, but audiences got their first look at the new mouse a year earlier in The Pointer.
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (based on the music by Paul Dukas) was originally conceived as a stand-alone short by Walt and composer Leopold Stokowski, but when it proved to costly, it was combined with other segments to become Fantasia. It was also the only segment of the original film to appear in the sequel, Fantasia 2000.
• The Little Whirlwind (1941) was the last time Mickey wore his famous red-buttoned shorts on the big screen until 1995’s Runaway Brain. This was also the first time Mickey’s ears were given a shaded, concave appearance, a look that (thankfully) didn’t last long.
• The Nifty Nineties (1941) included an actual period song (“Father Dear Father�?) and caricatures of famous Disney animators Ward Kimball and Fred Moore.
• 1941’s Orphan’s Benefit (featuring Donald’s classic attempts at reciting “Little Boy Blue�?) is actually a remake of the 1934 black and white short of the same name.
• Mickey’s Birthday Party (1942) was re-released for Mickey’s 25^th anniversary in 1953.
• New animation with Ludwig Von Drake was created to replace the Edgar Bergen footage in Mickey and the Beanstalk when the short aired on the Disney television program in the 1960s. It’s a shame that that version was not included on this set.
• Mickey’s Delayed Date (1947) was the first Mickey short with production credits.
• 1951’s Plutopia, which actually opens as a Pluto short, is officially classified as a “Mickey and Pluto short�?, and appears on both of their filmographies.
• MIA, for better or worse: Mickey Mouse Disco, a 1980 short that consisted of existing footage of Mickey and the gang, set to the title track of the infamous record album of the same name.
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol was originally released in a double bill with a reissue of The Rescuers in 1983. Besides the leading players (which also included Daisy Duck, Pegleg Pete and a silent Minnie Mouse), various characters from Three Little Pigs, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Robin Hood can be seen in the background. This was the first Mickey short to credit the voice talent.
• The Prince and the Pauper debuted with The Rescuers Down Under in 1990. In a grand Disney tradition, it begins with a storybook, which opens up to tell the tale.
• In Runaway Brain, Toy Story 2’s Kelsey Grammer voiced Dr. Frankenollie, named after famed Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson. The short, which has become a cult favorite for its wild take on Mickey, was originally released in 1995 with A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.
• The Pointer, Mickey and the Seal, Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Runaway Brain were all nominated for the Best Animated Short Academy Award.

Through the years, Mickey has amassed quite the resume of interesting jobs, both in film and on television:

1. Steamboat captain (Steamboat Willie, 1928).
2. Bandleader (The Band Concert, 1935)/Orchestra conductor (Symphony Hour, 1942).
3. Clock cleaner (Clock Cleaners, 1937).
4. Ghost-buster (Lonesome Ghosts, 1937).
5. Taylor (Brave Little Taylor, 1938).
6. Sorcerer’s apprentice (Fantasia, 1940).
7. Farmer (Fun and Fancy Free, 1947).
8. Club founder (The Mickey Mouse Club, 1955-1959).
9. Counting house clerk (Mickey’s Christmas Carol, 1983).
10. Nightclub owner and emcee (House of Mouse, 2001- 2002).