Mickey Mouse’s official birthday portrait unveiled

Disney unveiled Mickey Mouse’s 90th-anniversary official birthday portrait at San Diego Comic-Con.

Walt Disney Animation Studios animator Mark Henn created the portrait titled “Spreading Happiness Around the World.”

The new work was unveiled during the panel “Celebrating 90 Years of Mickey Mouse with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.”

D23 and the Walt Disney Archives, in partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios, commissioned Henn to paint the official birthday portrait.

“It is one of the great honors of my career to be asked to paint Mickey’s 90th birthday portrait,” Henn said. “I was greatly inspired by the portraits painted by John Hench. I wanted to capture some of the same style and sense of youth that John achieved in his portraits.”

Henn is a veteran animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios starting as supervising animator for Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” Jasmine in “Aladdin,” Young Simba in “The Lion King”, title characters Mulan and Pocahontas, and Princess Tiana.

In 2000, Henn traded his pencil for a director’s chair on the award-winning short John Henry, based on the popular American legend. He most recently served as a 2D animator for the “Mini Maui” character in “Moana,” the lead 2D animator on “Big Hero 6” and “Frozen.” Most recently, he is working on “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Mickey Mouse made his debut in “Steamboat Willie” on Nov. 18, 1928. Disney is celebrating the anniversary in a variety of ways this year:

• This fall, ABC will air a star-studded celebration of Mickey.
• D23 will present Destination D: Celebrating Mickey Mouse, a two-day event at Walt Disney World Resort featuring panels, presentations, and fun-filled entertainment.
• Disney Channel will debut season five of the Mickey Mouse animated shorts.
• Walt Disney Parks and Resorts around the world will celebrate Mickey’s 90th on November 18, marking the day with commemorative merchandise, photo locations, and more.
• Beginning in late 2018 and into 2019, the World’s Biggest Mouse Party, saluting Mickey and Minnie, will take place at Disney Parks worldwide.
• Disney On Ice will salute Mickey as the “True Original” host of Disney On Ice since its inception in 1981 by creating Mickey’s 90th pre-shows for productions touring the United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
• Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Special Celebration, a new production showcasing Mickey Mouse’s memories throughout the years, will launch in Japan in July 2018 and continue touring throughout the Asia-Pacific region until August 2019.
• In France, 38 design and art schools will take part in “Mickey Is Art,” a unique contest in which students will craft works of Mickey, inspired by their favorite artistic movement. The winning designs will be displayed this summer in 12 major train stations in France and for sale this September at Galerie Glénat in Paris.
• Disney store will continue to celebrate milestone moments for Mickey Mouse with the Mickey Mouse Memories Collection (launched in January 2018), a monthly, limited-release series of 12 collectible plush, mugs, and cloisonné pins inspired by Mickey’s most memorable movie roles.
• Disney Publishing Worldwide will introduce more than 30 titles globally as part of Mickey’s 90th, including books, arts & crafts, and comics.