The long-lost ‘Mickey Mouse in Vietnam’ film Disney didn't want you to see

By VnExpress   March 14, 2017 | 12:05 am PT
Keep in mind that it’s not the usual happy-go-lucky Mickey story.

One of the perks of surfing the internet with no real purpose in mind is that you can stumble across all sorts of surprises.

And apart from those Trojan horse viruses (and other things that may require an immediate wipe of your browsing history), let’s say the internet goddess tends to reward those who love to wander around the worldwide web.

Here’s what is going to happen to you when you randomly google “Mickey Mouse” from Vietnam: you will find an amazing one-minute anti-war film that you will spend the rest of the day thinking about.

The underground silent short film was created in 1968 by Lee Savage and Milton Glaser. The concept is very simple: the iconic character is shipped to Vietnam and only moments after his arrival, he’s dead, his smile fading.

Various media reports suggest the film had been lost for many years until it was discovered in 2013 and posted on video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo, despite Disney’s alleged efforts to destroy every copy. (The version in this article was retrieved from Foo Bar on YouTube.)

In an interview with Buzzfeed in 2013, Glaser said the famous Disney character was chosen as a symbol of the U.S.

“Well, obviously Mickey Mouse is a symbol of innocence, and of America, and of success, and of idealism — and to have him killed, as a soldier is such a contradiction of your expectations,” he was quoted as saying.

Glaser confirmed that the film was made for the Angry Arts Festival, which he described as “a kind of protest event, inviting artists to produce something to represent their concerns about the war in Vietnam and a desire to end it.”

Glaser is one of the most respected graphic designers in the U.S., best known for the I ❤ NY logo.

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