New Mouseketeers on the block
> YouTube lifestyle personality Charis Ow leads six Malaysian teens as members of the new local Club Mickey Mouse
MANY of us would have been familiar with the famed Disney variety show, The Mickey Mouse Club, which was created by Walt Disney in 1955 and featured a group of bubbly, talented youngsters who would entertain television audiences the world over.
The show underwent several revamps before officially going off-air in 1996. It also enjoyed a brief revival in South Korea in 2015.
This year, Malaysia becomes the first country in the world to host a brandnew version of the show, called Club Mickey Mouse, with a whole new batch of local talents chosen to be the first group of Mouseketeers.
Club Mickey Mouse, which premiered on Sept 15, airs every Friday at 1.30pm on Disney Channel (Astro channel 615).
It aims to be a uniquely Malaysian variety show geared towards entertaining children and families through music, comedy, games, and celebrity guest appearances.
Among these guests are popular local personalities such as actress Nur Fazura, actorsinger Fattah Amin, and hip-hop star Joe Flizzow.
Helping to guide the new team is 26-year-old YouTube lifestyle personality Charis Ow, who is the head Mouseketeer.
Joining her in the new team are Ahmad Faiz Najib, 15, from Johor Baru, and Nur Alianatsha Hanafi (Natasya), 14, from Selangor, both winners of the Club Mickey Mouse Star Search earlier this year.
Rounding up the team are Dheena Menon Jayadeep, 13, from Negeri Sembilan; Erissa Puteri Hashim, 14, from Kuala Lumpur; Mohd Wafiy Ilhan Johan, 15, from Sabah; and Gabriel Noel Pountney, 16, from Selangor.
With a digitally-savvy audience in mind, Club Mickey Mouse is offering a one-of-a-kind, multiplatform experience, including SONY Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Ltd’s Singapore Branch (SIES) announced that the PlayStation 4 ‘FIFA 18’ Bundle Pack would be launched on Sept 29, at a suggested retail price of RM1,499.
The bundle includes a PS4 console interacting with fans on social media.
Fans also get to enjoy exclusive digital content, including 16 digital-first episodes of Club Mickey Mouse Extra, on Disney Channel Asia’s Facebook page, as well as on the club’s website at www.clubmickeymouse.my
Club Mickey Mouse is also available on Astro GO and On Demand.
In an email interview, the Mouseketeers shared their excitement for the show.
What made you want to be a Mouseketeer? Charis: “I have always admired [former] Mouseketeers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling ever since I was a little girl. “For us to now be Malaysia’s first-ever group of Mouseketeers, and to be in the same club as these famous personalities, is a dream come true! “I am a Disney fan and I grew up watching Disney movies. Plus, I also love to act, sing and dance, so when I heard that Disney was looking for Mouseketeers, it was too good an opportunity to miss.”
What has the experience been like so far? Charis: “The entire experience has been awesome! Being able to do what I love as a career is a blessing and it’s been such a fun journey working with everyone.
“The Mouseketeers and I get along well with each other, and we’re like a family now.” What do you think being a Mouseketeer means? Charis: “Being a Mouseketeer is very important to us and carrying on the legacy is such a great honour. As hosts of Club Mickey Mouse, we get to hang out and connect with Malaysian kids and families on topics which they find relevant and entertaining.
“Club Mickey Mouse is full of music, comedy, games and celebrity guest appearances, which I think audiences will really enjoy.”
Name your favourite Disney character. Natasya: “My favourite Disney character is Elsa, because she embodies positive values which inspire me.”
Erissa: “My favourite Disney character is Moana because I admire her courage and I want to be like her – to try out something new without being afraid.”
Gabriel: “My favourite Disney character is Aladdin, mainly because he isn’t the typical prince. He started out as an urchin from the streets, and I love how he builds his way up to become a prince.”
What is your favourite segment on the show? Wafiy: “The dancing segments are my favourite, and I have a real blast dancing together with the other Mouseketeers!”
Faiz: “It’s hard to pick a favourite segment, because every segment of the show is so fun! We all get to hang out together, and sing, dance, act, meet local celebrities, play games, and it’s all very Malaysian too – we speak in a mix of English and BM, and we talk about topics which matter to Malaysian kids, so I think every segment has its own uniqueness.”
Dheena: “My favourite parts of the show are the performance and interview segments.”
What do your friends and family think about you being a Mouseketeer? Charis: “Our friends and family are all so proud of us! Whenever they see promotions of Club Mickey Mouse on social media or on Disney Channel, they get so excited.
“Plus, our followers on social media have been super supportive as well – tagging us in photos and videos to let us know that they are looking forward to the show.
“We are definitely thankful and humbled by the amount of love that they have been showing us.”