The Mickey Mouse Club Alum Loves Disney For Being “Weird”

Portraying an iconic Mattel toy alongside Margot Robbie’s Barbie may be a new pinnacle in Ryan Gosling’s career, but, before landing Oscar nominations and attaining critical acclaim, he’d been singing and dancing away as a Mouseketeer.

Ryan Gosling in Barbie (2023) | Warner Bros.

That’s right, The Mickey Mouse Club was the opening gambit of Gosling’s ascent toward stardom. But over the years, the Canadian actor has come to form a mercurial relationship with Disney for a rather peculiar reason that may or may not be true.

Ryan Gosling Has a “Love-Hate” Relationship With Disney

If there’s one thing Ryan Gosling loves about Disney, it’s Disneyland, so much so that he’s visited the theme park more times than he can count, and a lot of times, by himself (via Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast). But if there’s one thing he despises about Disney, it’s to do with the rodent that embodies the globally renowned company.

In a conversation with Conan O’Brien on his talk show, Gosling, 43, spilled the beans about a possible Disney theory which, if true, essentially dishonors the popular Mickey Mouse. It’s also this potentially bizarre side of the esteemed multimedia brand that the Barbie star loves the most (via YouTube).

Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy (2024) | Universal Pictures

Okay, I’ll give you an example of why I love and hate them [Disney]. This – I don’t know if this is true or not and I do not want to get sued by Disney […] There is a belief that Disney has been breeding an army of cats. Yes, and they’re not just ordinary cats, they have a special set of skills. They’re like Commando cats and they live in a barracks […] They live on the outskirts of the park [Disneyland] and at night, when they close the park, under the cover of darkness, these cats ascend into the park and they eat all the mice.

So that’s what makes Disney twinkle in Gosling’s eyes – Commando cats demolishing the Disneyland mice, because “[Disney] they’re so weird and they think of everything,” he said. But that’s the irony.

The Reason Why Ryan Gosling Hates Disney

The Micky Mouse Club alum remarked how the face of Disney, the famous rodent that more or less represents the entirety of the brand, is ironically enough the least safe at The Happiest Place on Earth, at least if the Commando cats theory holds any veracity.

The thing that’s so messed up about it all, why I hate them, is that the whole empire of Disney is built on the back of one mouse […] If you’re a mouse and you go into Disneyland, you are not leaving alive

Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake in a promo for The Mickey Mouse Club | Walt Disney Co./Everett Collection

Even the talk show host couldn’t help but agree with the La La Land star. “It’s a death sentence,” he said in assent.

While Gosling’s time as a child star at The Mickey Mouse Club had been a little “depressing,” (via Interview Magazine) he recently opined that his experience as a Mouseketeer ended up helping him with his Oscar-nominated role of Ken. “I was a hamster in The Mickey Mouse Club, just to figure it out. And all these ridiculous things. I could relate to Ken and the need to find yourself and distinguish yourself,” he told Variety.

Barbie, starring Ryan Gosling, is available for streaming on Max.