To say that we love Mickey Mouse in this household is an understatement. Walk through our house and you’ll see glimpses of Mickey throughout – from our picture frames that feature photos of our Disney trips to my Mickey Mouse hand oven mitt and cookie jars in the kitchen. Our three kids have grown up loving Mickey Mouse and my husband and I love it! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a HUGE favorite in our house and as soon as I heard about Mickey and the Roadster Racers, I knew my kids would be so excited!
Last month, I had the chance to sit down and screen the first episode of Mickey and the Roadster Racers plus interview Executive Producers Rob LaDuca and Mark Seidenberg (who are AMAZING, BTW! I could have chatted with them for hours!). We learned a ton from them about their background and how they created Mickey and the Roadster Racers!

(Disney Junior/David Moir)
Encourage Your Kids to Be Creative
Wondering how these two guys got into the business of working with the most famous animated characters of all time? Lots and lots of drawing! Make sure to encourage your kids to draw because Rob shared, “I was just one of those kids my parents didn’t know what to do with, ’cause I was always doodling and drawing. We owned a restaurant, so my father would bring home butcher paper, put it in on the wall, and I would just go crazy, you know, drawing constantly. And it developed into this! So let your kids doodle, that’s all I want to say.”
Mark chimed in, telling us, “I always was drawing when I was a little kid, and, of course Mickey was one of the first characters that I drew, ’cause he’s all circles, and he was really easy to draw. And later on, when it was college time, I was really interested in being a cartoonist. And I went to art school, and I went to film school, and I was totally bit by the animation bug. And it was really great. Years later, then Rob and I are working at Disney, which was the place that I always wanted to work at.”
Bringing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to the Screen
Rob and Mark shared that with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they wanted to “bring life back to the characters, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie and Daisy. And making them lots of fun. You know, the show dealt with curriculum. Clubhouse dealt with mathematics. We wanted to make it more than just, let’s say, Mickey talking to the kids like a teacher. We started creating musical numbers. And we made sure that Goofy was Goofy!”
To Rob and Mark, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is all about friendship, loyalty, sportsmanship, teamwork – and I agree! It’s such a fun show that can teach your little ones a lot.
Creating Mickey and the Roadster Racers
Disney Junior asked Rob and Mark to develop a new show and they asked what was the most popular Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? What were the most popular DVDs or shows? Disney Junior came back and told them Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally! Mark and Rob were excited about that because “that involved every character who had their own little car that kind of fit their personality.”
- Mickey’s car is his normal car from Clubhouse but it turns into a classic American roadster!
- Goofy’s car transforms into a bathtub – so goofy!
- Minnie being elegant, and into fashion, has a bow car – the design comes from a French car called a Delahaye that had very smooth curves, and looked kinda like a bow.
- Daisy loves flowers and her car turns into a snapdragon!
- Donald is a sailor so his car is a cabin cruiser and is the only roadster at this point that can go on land, and in the water.
When creating the different cars you will see in Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Rob and Mark got a lot of inspiration from Jay Leno’s car collection! He gave them a tour of his huge car collection and they brought a lot of the artists to sketch ideas. Jay gave the tour himself and then Mark and Rob pitched the idea of him doing a character for the show – Billy Beagle, an announcer! Jay said yes and you’ll see him in the first episode!
More Characters and More Settings in Mickey and the Roadster Racers
I’m so excited that with Mickey and the Roadster Racers that you’re going to see MORE. That means characters like Hilda the Hippo, Horace Horsecollar, Mortimer Mouse and more Chip and Dale and Clarabelle!
You’re also going to see more towns and settings beyond just the Clubhouse! I can’t wait to see more of Hot Dog Hills!
Talking about Walt Disney
“This was a character that he held so close to his heart, you know. This was his beginnings. So it’s a real honor to expand Mickey into the future. Walt was a total innovator. Whenever there was a chance to use a new technology, Walt was always the first to experiment with sound and color, and, you know, all kinds of things. I like to think of this as an extension. If Walt was alive today, he would have been the first one to use computer animation. There was a lot of studio people who didn’t want to experiment with computer animation way back when. But I know Walt would’ve charged right into it. He brought us, you know, animatronics, and, you know, all the parks. He was such a thinker that…I love that we can expand on his vision.”
Watch the exclusive “Mickey and the Roadster Racers” Behind the Scenes Featurette!
I had such a fun time watching Mickey and the Roadster Racers and talking with Mark and Rob! We also had a VERY special guest that day – Mickey Mouse in his new Roadsters costume!

(Disney Junior/David Moir)
Mickey and the Roadster Racers premieres on January 15th at 9am and 9:25am EST on both Disney Junior and the Disney Channel. Two more episodes will debut on January 16th at 9am and 9:25am EST on the Disney Channel. You won’t want to miss this fun show!
Connect with Mickey and the Roadster Racers
Disclosure: Thanks so much to Disney for bringing me out to San Francisco for the event. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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