It all began with a mouse…

See where Mickey made his name and travel back through the years to discover the “ears” as you rarely see them today…

If you’re thinking — “Didn’t Videopolis always play old Mickey cartoons?” — you’d be right. Only this year, they’re the main event. Now, OK, a big screen playing a video loop doesn’t quite match the theatre’s former resident — Broadway-style musical spectacular The Legend of the Lion King, whose set can still be seen hiding behind the drapes — but here’s the unfortunate truth: Seating just 400 in its actual theatre seats, this place was never meant for a such a big-budget, expensive show in the first place. For a worthwhile cost-to-audience ratio there, something at least as big as, say, Animagique‘s 1,100 seat theatre would be needed.

With budgets stretched, guest interest dipping and The Lion King served by two, more impressive musicals in London and now Paris, the plug was pulled in January 2009. However, since the thinking behind Mickey’s Magical Party is to put shows out in the streets, where as many people as possible can see them, Videopolis Theatre, still frequented by restaurant diners, risked becoming a little dead. Some quick thinking later, and we have… Cinéma Mickey!

These days, the actual pasts and personalities of the classic Disney characters are all to often reserved for the specialist DVD series and home viewing. Children instantly adore Mickey Mouse and friends without ever being properly introduced to them; a testament to their perfected creation, but also a crying shame. Now, the popular animated shorts playing inside Videopolis can be enjoyed on a giant, crisp screen. Not quite the lavish Disney spectacle we’ve come to expect, but a welcome filler and an entertaining rest stop all the same.

Full animated shorts listing:

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