Few images in entertainment are quite as recognizable as the three simple circles that make up Mickey Mouse's face. The image is so well known that the fact doesn’t even need to be present for the image to be recognizable. Over the decades, those three circles have been recreated as “Hidden Mickeys” in the background of Disney movies, as well as all over Disney parks.
There are so many hidden Mickeys out there that it’s all but impossible to be aware of all of them, but there’s one I have to admit I was surprised I didn’t know about simply because it’s so unique. There’s a Hidden Mickey you can only see for a brief period of time, on November 18, in the queue of Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Attractions Magazine caught the image before it disappeared.
The fact that the Hidden Mickey is only visible today is important because November 18 is the anniversary of the debut of Steamboat Willie, the first animated short with synchronized sound, as well as the official debut of Mickey Mouse. We can call this Hidden Mickey Mickey’s birthday present.
This is, for lack of a better word, insane. Let’s break this down and realize just what Walt Disney Imagineering had to do to make this happen. First, some lunatic had the idea to create this, then they had to design the showbuildng of Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid in a particular way so that, based on where the sun would be located in Orlando, Florida on November 18 every year, it would shine through a gap in the structure onto a wall and create the three circles to make the Hidden Mickey.
It’s also worth noting that this might be one of the few attractions where an idea like this is even feasible. Most queues for Disney World attractions are in enclosed areas, because it can get very hot, and also very wet, in Orlando. So the parks need queues that are protected from the elements. A Little Mermaid attraction, however, essentially needs to have at least some of the faux rock that we have here to make the theme work.
I’m sure doing this wasn’t that complicated for Walt Disney Imagineering, as the group is made up of some pretty smart people. Still, it’s wild to me that anybody would even think of this, never mind actually execute the idea.
That said, I love everything about this. I can’t imagine I’ll ever get to see this particular Hidden Mickey. Just being in Magic Kingdom at the right time to be able to see it would be a logistical challenge, but I love that it exists.
