My Year With The Mouse

In all the times I have walked up and down Main Street I have never once stepped foot inside the Main Street Cinema.

Until now.

But you saw that coming, didn’t you?

Steamboat Willie is, as everyone knows, the first film in which our pal Mickey appears

Trivia time! Who was the original voice of Mickey Mouse?

A. Walt Disney
B. Walter Disney
C. Walter E. Disney
D. Walter Elias Disney
E. That guy who built Disneyland

Did you guess the correct answer? Yay! We’re all winners here at My Year With The Mouse!

The Main Street Cinema’s luminous marquee promises two other movies:

Because the fine sport of polo is just rife with comedic opportunities…

…as is traffic

Did you know that the working title for the movie Speed was “Traffic Trouble”?

It wasn’t. I totally made that up.

The difficult-to-photograph-but-when-have-I-ever-let-that-stop-me pole promises six (SIX!!!) different cartoons running continuously and simultaneously.

Mickey sure looks pleased with himself here

The sign also says “exclusive engagement” and that, my friends, is a fact. No other Disney park runs 6 classic cartoons in the Main Street Cinema. The Mouse-in-law’s Cinema is a shop.

Admission to the Cinema is free, although you’ll have to get past Tilly and she’s kind of hard core.

Hiding behind that bulletproof glass and all

I mean seriously, look at this woman. She’s totally going to throw you out if you make a ruckus.

You can tell by the look in her eyes

Interestingly, a close look at the tickets she’s peddling reveals that they are not, in fact, admissions tickets.

Identification check?

I mean seriously, it says right there on the ticket “NOT GOOD FOR TAXABLE ADMISSIONS.”

For a fleeting moment I wondered if the ID check tickets were like the kind you get at the fair that proves that you’re over 21 and you can buy beer, and then I wondered if perhaps there aren’t 6 different cartoons being shown continuously and simultaneously and there’s actually a hidden bar back there. I mean this curtain looks totally ominous.

When is a cinema not a cinema? I don’t know, make up your own punchline.

But no, it’s actually a smallish room with a platform in the middle and six screens each showing cartoons. And no alcohol. You’ll have to cross the Esplanade for that one.

Continuously and simultaneously, I might add

A sign outside indicates that the platform is for children.

Also an oldey timey turnstile

Here are some pictures of the cartoons. I did photograph all six but I’ll go ahead and spare you now. You’re welcome.

In which Minnie tortures a goat, causing musical notes to emit from its mouth

Violence is not the answer, Mickey!!

OMG MY HEAD IS ON SIDEWAYS!!!

If it seems deserted, don’t fear! Each screen has a VERY rapt audience.

I wanted to touch them because they looked fuzzy, but I did not

Although the cartoons were not originally silent, the only soundtrack that plays is Steamboat Willie.

So here’s a fun little way to spend a few air-conditioned minutes. I’ll admit I always breezed past it because why would I come to Disneyland to watch cartoons? But these aren’t just any cartoons! They’re Disney cartoons!

Six of them!

Continuously!

Simultaneously!

Stop by a have a look.