There have not been stars attached yet on the new incarnation which is titled 'Club Mickey Mouse', but the show is slated to premiere as a Facebook exclusive series later this year.
- May 3, 2017
AceShowbiz -
The Mouseketeers are coming back. Disney is reportedly reviving 1955's TV show "Mickey Mouse Club" through a new series titled "Club Mickey Mouse". The most interesting part is that it will be a Facebook exclusive series instead of airing on TV just like its predecessor, CNBC reports.
"That's the beauty," Josh Mattison, vice president of digital ad sales for Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, said during its Digital Content NewFront presentation in New York on Tuesday, May 2. "We're not bound to one format," he added.
Mattison later continued, "We're not bound to one length. ... You don't have those same lines when you're not producing 11s and 22s [referring to 11-minutes and 22-minute standard length TV series]. What makes sense for a consumer? How long would you spend looking at something?"
"Branded content is a priority for Facebook. We're going to be working with them on a bunch of things," Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales for Disney, said. Ferro added, "It's really a partnership with Facebook where we come to the market together."
"Club Mickey Mouse" is one among other nine programs created in partnership with Facebook Anthology. "Coin", an animated gaming-themed show, is also part of the Facebook Anthology program alongside an IBM-sponsored Star Wars series called "Science and Star Wars".
The original "Mickey Mouse Club" debuted in 1955 on ABC, launching the career of Annette Funicello. An incarnation was later born in 1977, followed by another one in 1989, starring Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and JC Chasez as the Mouseketeers.
There hasn't been a casting announcement yet, but it reportedly will be announced at a later date. "Club Mickey Mouse" will make its debut on Facebook later this year.
