Who knew Russi Taylor had it in her to be so... terrifying.
I did Cartoon Network, and I did Nickelodeon. It's now Disney Channel's turn.
Consider this a belated Halloween special.
What's The Work?
Mickey Mouse (2013) is a series of shorts created by Paul Ruddish, which consists of Mickey and his friends going on wackier adventures than previous iterations of Disney's golden boy. Think of it as a modernized version of the old Mickey Mouse shorts. It was so successful that it spawned 5 seasons, a park-ride, a sequel series called The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, and several specials. This one being a Halloween special called: The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!
After a night of trick or treating, Mickey, Donald and Goofy take Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, as well as Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie, back to the mouse's home, where Mickey plans to finish the night off by telling the kids the 'scariest story ever'. However, this being Mickey Mouse we're talking about, he ain't very successful at it. The first two stories are very comical in nature, with the first being about Mickey as Frankenstein's monster... who begins singing a Hollywood/disco number. And the second being about Mickey, Donald and Goofy being vampire hunters... hilarity ensues.
However, after both stories fail to actually scare the kids, these last ones start to make fun of him for not being scary. Offended and enraged by this, Mickey decides to pull all the stops with his third story, which... is the subject of today's proposal.
Who Is She?
Granny is the main antagonist of this third and final story. It's about Huey, Dewey, Louie, Morty and Ferdie who are portrayed as trouble making orphans who love to steal pies all across a small town. It seemed like there would never be an end to their crime spree... until one day, they come across an old lady selling the most delicious pie they've ever seen in their young lives. The kids decide to swindle the old lady, taking the pie while "promising" to pay for it later. Unbeknowst to them however... this is what Granny intended.
The kids all eat the pie, and it turns out to be so delicious they end up becoming addicted to it. Soon they are attracted to a mysterious aroma coming from deep into the woods. They find Granny's house, which is a seemingly humble cottage reminiscent of the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel. The kids manage to break in and split up to find the pie. Unfortunately the kids end up getting caught one by one, with only Huey left.
Huey manages to make it to the kitchen, and discovers the pie he and his brothers were so desperate to find, and proceeds to dig into it. However, he ends up getting caught by Granny, who reveals to him the secret of her delicious pie: she bakes them with little boys. But not just any little boys. She specifically chooses rotten little boys... and unfortunately for Huey, she considers him the "most rotten little boy she's ever come across." After stating this, she reveals her true form: a hideous wicked witch, with yellow eyes, blood red eyes, sickeningly green skin, and a spine-chilling laugh. Huey runs for his life as Granny chases after him, throwing her entire arsenal at him to capture him. Huey manages to trap her in her basement and it seems like he will escape, but the witch manages to reemerge from the ground and trap the poor boy in her clutches. The terrified boy can only watch as the witch turns him into her next pie.
And with this, the kids (as well as Goofy and Donald) are scared out of their minds and run up to bed.
Moral of the story: Don't take food from strangers.
The real moral? Do not mess with Mickey Mouse.
Mitigating Factors?
Absolutely none at all. She has no redeeming qualities or moral agency that gets in the way. She's a psychotic and malicious woman who kidnaps children and bakes them into pies. She's essentially reminiscent of The Coachman from Pinocchio, except that at least he doesn't eat the children he kidnaps.
Just like mother used to make them. :,)
Heinous Standard?
Normally she would have to compete with other characters like Pete, the Beagle Boys, or even the heroes like Mickey and Donald, when it comes to see how she stacks up to their crimes.
However, I feel she doesn't need to be compared to any of those guys because she's a fictional character in-universe, meaning that she exists within her own continuity and doesn't have to compete with other characters.
The only other characters she probably would have to be compared to are the boys themselves, who are notorious pie thieves who enjoy stealing from the town and causing mass panic. Needless to say, Granny is so much worse. Because not only does she have crimes like grooming, kidnapping, and killing children to bake them into pies, the boys end up becoming her victims, meaning that she outranks them in heinousness easily.
Is She Silly Enough?
This is probably the trickiest part in this entire proposal. Generally, the story treats her very seriously, and all of her actions and crimes are played for horror.
However, I feel that she's still silly enough to count for a very good reason... she's from a story told by Mickey Mouse.
Despite the horror of the situation, there's still plenty of slapstick to be found. And Granny still falls victim to some comedic shenanigans, like being tricked into being locked out of her house, as well as when she falls to the basement. Not to mention the over-the-top expressions the characters make that could rival 2020's SpongeBob, including Granny herself.
So despite being a terrifying character, she is still a Paul Ruddish's Mickey Mouse character at the end of the day.
Conclusion?
A definitive yes from me. But I'll let you guys decide.