Mickey is a beloved character that has grown and changed with the world, yet he always remained the beacon of joy and love and innocence he was when Walt first imagined him while on a train heading to California. His initial success of Oswald the rabbit had to be jettisoned, due to the fact he was not the owner of the character. So, when Mickey came to light, Walt did things differently and made sure the mouse was truly owned by the Disney Company. As a matter of fact, the little fellow is trademarked, so nobody else can use him.

Mickey’s first film, “Steamboat Willie,” was a major step forward for Disney. By combining audio with the animation, he began the empire we know today.

As the country changed, so did the Disney Company, and Mickey Mouse. The depression affected everyone, including the animated characters, but Mickey and his friends managed to bring joy and hope to kids who could only afford a ticket to the movies. Lifting spirits is what Mickey does so well — just watch kids run to him in Disneyland. He is the symbol of youth, love, happiness, wonder and innocence.

In World War II, Mickey and his pals supported the war bonds effort, rationing and helping the armed forces while becoming a symbol of the United States — leading to his being banned from Germany and Japan.

Through drawings by animators, the ink and paint process, the various shapes Mickey has taken over the years and the history of his character, this documentary provides a well-rounded look at how one mouse has captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world.

Director Jeff Malmberg had a two-fold intention when making this film. First, he wanted to explain how hard animation is to make. And second, he wanted to bring out the love and joy Mickey has meant to generations of people.

“I grew up in the late ’70s and ’80s and to me Mickey was a nightlight. I still loved him. And I loved to go to Disneyland and get my picture taken with him. But I didn’t even know he was a cartoon character,” Malmberg said. To kids, Mickey was always just Mickey.

“One of the things we wanted to highlight was how labor-intensive and beautiful the hand-drawn process is.” Viewers are taken on a journey as three animators create a minute-long short about Mickey’s evolution.

Today, the Walt Disney Company is huge. But as Walt himself said, “I only hope we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse.”

To use the chant from The Mickey Mouse Club, “Yay, Mickey. Yay, Mickey. Yay, Mickey Mouse.”