The Voices Behind Mickey and Minnie - Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor (Part 1/3)

This interview comes from the Walt Disney Treasures box set "Mickey Mouse in Living Color: Volume Two." Meet Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, the wed, real-life couple behind Mickey and Minnie Mouse ever since 1977 for Wayne, and 1986 for Russi. The two still voice the famous mouse duo today, and in my opinion, do an incredible job. What I enjoy so much about Wayne's performance of MIckey is that it has this grounded quality that makes it more real, and a lot more enjoyable than the straight-up falsetto that people came to associate with Mickey after Walt's retirement as the character (Walt Disney, who will always be the best Mickey, of course). Wayne is a very, VERY close second, though, and has brought Mickey to the modern world in a beautiful, outstanding way. The same goes for Russi's performance as the modern Minnie Mouse. The gorgeous range of emotion that she gives to that little character is incredible - there's a strength there, a heightened sense of comprehension, and a dash of sauciness...all without losing that dainty, ultra-femme persona that made Minnie who she was in the first place. What really strikes me, though, about these two, is how well they play their characters off of each other. Mickey and Minnie's romantic banter, and their little spats, with each other have never felt so genuine. So, thanks, Wayne and Russi - for doing such a marvelous job of bringing these characters into the new age and keeping them more than alive.

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YouTube | January 4, 2009

Tags:. .straightup. .sauciness. .falsetto. .spats. .heightened