On December 28, 2022, TikToker Meghan Davis, @meghan.j.davis, made a disturbing observation about Minnie Mouse's ears on the platform. She shared the short video with the caption:
“Disney, why do [you] make these choices?”
The clip went viral with over 500,00 views and amassed 100,000 comments before it was set to "Friends Only."
After hours of watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her little daughter, Meghan discovered that Minni Mouse's ears rotated around her head to ensure both ears of the iconic Mickey Mouse silhouette were seen.
The video left internet users astounded, with many claiming it was far worse than they originally thought.
Internet users express their shock after watching Meghan Davis explain her observation on Minnie Mouse's ear animation
The video starts with Davis stating she will be showing a clip that is unsettling and urging everyone not to scream. This was immediately followed by a video featuring Minnie Mouse walking and dancing around a Christmas tree. Every time the rodent turns, her ears rotate to insure that the ears are always flushed to the camera, like in Disney's original 2D animation design.
Davis went on to add that it drives her bonkers every time she sees the ear rotation. At one point during the video, she calls it a horrific discovery, leaving her feeling sick.
Netizens were also in disbelief at the discovery, with many expressing their shock. One user even pointed out that it takes more effort to animate the rotation rather than angling back the ears since the modeling is done after a real-life suit.
Later, Meghan explained that the Minnie Mouse post was shared in jest through another post with a clip from the Mickey Mouse Funhouse Christmas Special: Wish Upon a Christmas. She captioned it with:
"The ears just rotate around her head to preserve the Mickey Mouse silhouette. That's all. It's not that serious. I thought it was funny."
In her videos, Davis also pointed out that an earlier iteration of the show's titular character was modeled after a Mickey Mouse suit.
More surprising discoveries about Disney animations
Minnie Mouse's ears are not the first time Disney has come under the limelight after a shocking discovery. A few years ago, fans found that old animated Disney films recycled clips from previous movies.
Fans found striking similarities in clips of films like Christopher Robin from Robin Hood and Moghli from Jungle Book. As it happens, this discovery left internet users shocked.
In an interview with Geekdad, Disney alumni Floyd Norman explained that the reason behind the recycled clips was not just to save money and time, as previously believed. Explaining that the director Woolie Reitherman, the man behind all the movies in question, preferred to play it safe and believed in a tried and tested ideology, he stated:
"It’s a lot faster and easier to just do new animation, and it’s a lot more fun for the animators. But Woolie liked to play it safe and use stuff he knew would work. That’s all it was."
Floyd further explained that Walt Disney didn't even notice the similarities as he was more focused on the bigger picture. However, the discovery left many fans confused and disillusioned with their childhood movies.