Disney’s Thai-themed Mickey cartoon takes Thailand by storm

A new Thai-themed Disney cartoon featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse in a floating market has taken the Thai public by storm. Over 4.5 million people have viewed the video, featuring a song that many Thais are sharing and turning into memes and loops.

Thailand is not home to any Disney theme park, but Mickey and Minnie Mouse and other Disney characters and cartoons have long been popular in the Kingdom. Disney themed fashions, especially among children and teenagers, are a common sight.

In the new short film by Disney entitled “Our Floating Dreams,” Mickey and Minnie fight with each other for a spot to sell their wares in a floating market. Mickey sells pineapples, while Minnie cooks and sells fried rice. In the end, they make peace and decide to sell pineapple fried rice.

Thailand is famous for its floating markets. They are extremely popular with tourists as well as locals. The markets are a throwback to earlier times when many Thai villages and cities were built alongside rivers and canals. Few towns had roads, and the canals served as both a means of transport and a gathering place for people selling food, clothing and other goods in their small boats.

In “Our Floating Dreams,” Mickey and Minne encounter chipmunk brothers named Chip ‘N’ Dale who sell nuts in the market. To hawk their legumes, the chipmunks sing ‘There’s only good nuts in the pile, freshly picked. Come eat them all!”

The brief song has proven to be so catchy that Khaosod, and English-language newspaper website said the tune has become “the nation’s latest earworm.”

“The simple lyrics have turned into an unshakeable earworm for Thais, spawning remakes, memes, hour-long loops,” Khaosod wrote.

Photo courtesy of  http://disneythaitown.com/index.php/category/mickey-mouse/