AI Can’t Replace Mickey Mouse, Says Voice of Disney Mascot

Bret Iwan, the actor who is the voice of Mickey Mouse, speaks during an interview with AFP on June 20, 2023 at the Disney Studio lot, in Burbank, California. (AFP)
Bret Iwan, the actor who is the voice of Mickey Mouse, speaks during an interview with AFP on June 20, 2023 at the Disney Studio lot, in Burbank, California. (AFP)
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AI Can’t Replace Mickey Mouse, Says Voice of Disney Mascot

Bret Iwan, the actor who is the voice of Mickey Mouse, speaks during an interview with AFP on June 20, 2023 at the Disney Studio lot, in Burbank, California. (AFP)
Bret Iwan, the actor who is the voice of Mickey Mouse, speaks during an interview with AFP on June 20, 2023 at the Disney Studio lot, in Burbank, California. (AFP)

Aw, gee! The technology driving artificial intelligence sure is swell, but it could never capture the essence of Mickey Mouse, according to the man who voices Disney's mascot.

As part of Disney's upcoming 100th anniversary celebration, AFP spoke with animators, archivists and Mickey voice actor Bret Iwan about the company's past and future, including the potential for AI -- a topic currently roiling Hollywood.

"Gosh, I would say, of course there's amazing technology being developed with AI, and it's so impressive," said Iwan.

"But I don't think anything can replace the heart of a character and more importantly, the heart of storytelling."

Artificial intelligence, and the threat it poses to professions across the entertainment industry, has been a constant source of hand-wringing in Hollywood this summer.

AFP's visit to Disney's sprawling studio near Los Angeles came during the ongoing strike by writers, in part over fears that AI could replace them.

The issue is also among demands being negotiated by Hollywood actors who are worried about AI cloning their voices and likenesses, and who could strike as soon as Thursday.

But for Iwan, character and storytelling are "unique to a performer, a writer, an animator, an artist, a creator."

"I have to believe that that part is what's going to hold out, and keep real people doing the job for a while!"

Iwan is one of just four people to have ever been Mickey's official voice.

Mickey's falsetto was first voiced by company founder Walt Disney himself, with 1928's "Steamboat Willie." Two other men each voiced the character for more than three decades.

"I hope I get to do it as long as this holds out," said Iwan, pointing to his vocal cords.

'Replicating realism'

In animation -- perhaps the art form most associated with Disney -- the role of sophisticated computers is well-established.

Computer-generated animation has long overtaken traditional hand-drawn artistry as the genre's dominant form.

While humans are still designing and creating those films, the use of AI to generate the credits for the Disney+ show "Secret Invasion" recently triggered anger.

Eric Goldberg -- the Disney animator who designed the Genie in "Aladdin," and a stalwart champion of hand-drawn animation -- believes AI is unlikely to impact his work.

"I think AI has less of a chance of affecting hand-drawn animation than it does computer animation, because AI is about replicating realism," he said.

"The characters that I do, the Genie's head can turn into a toaster! Which you can't do with an AI character!"

"So hand-drawn gives us a little bit of an advantage that way."

Goldberg recently finished training five new Disney hand-drawn apprentices, and believes there will always "be a core of us who want to see hand-drawn animation."

"Because we have to use our imaginations so much to represent hand-drawn characters, because of the flexibility of what they can do, I don't think AI is going to be a problem to that side of medium," said Goldberg.

"As long as there are people who still want to do it!"



International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion 

Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Fans of K-pop band BTS wait for photos near an ARMY Bomb during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS' debut anniversary in Goyang, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Thousands of international fans of K-pop megastars BTS gathered on Friday in the suburbs of Seoul amid mounting excitement over an expected reunion of the group after its members complete mandatory service in the South Korean military.

This year's BTS Festa marks the 12th anniversary of the group, which last performed together in 2022 and has not toured since 2019 because of the global pandemic and subsequent military service obligations of its members.

It was unclear if any of the recently discharged performers would appear at the festival organized by the group's management agency, HYBE.

But that did not dampen the enthusiasm of fans, some of whom flew in from around the world hoping to spot some of the superstars at the gathering or at a pair of solo concerts by BTS rapper J-Hope as he wraps up his "Hope on the Stage" world tour.

"I want to enjoy everything because there are many things to do here and ... I hope to see the guys maybe," said Karla Linan Saucede, 33, who travelled from Mexico with her sister and friends.

"It's gone past excitement and into almost being numb," said Ayla O'Ryan, 45, from Scotland, adding that she planned a visit this month to practice Korean in the capital so that she could attend.

BTS' members Jimin and Jungkook discharged from the South Korean military on Wednesday, become the fifth and sixth to complete their service. Members RM and V were discharged on Tuesday and the last to finish will be Suga on June 21.

While details of a reunion have not been released, the group is expected to hold its largest ever world tour in 2026, says NH Securities, one of South Korea's largest investment firms.

Shares in HYBE jumped 11.3% in June as brokerages raised their sales estimates and target price for the agency ahead of the group's comeback.