WHAT do Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have in common?
Before they became international stars, they started as hosts, or Mouseketeers, of The Mickey Mouse Club show.
And, for the first time ever, Disney Channel is bringing the iconic variety programme for children to Malaysia.
Now, young Malaysians have the chance to be the country’s first ever Mouseketeers as Disney is looking for a boy and a girl, aged between 11 and 16, to host the show.
“The Mickey Mouse Club Star Search will discover the next generation of young stars who will inspire kids and families across Malaysia,” said Media Networks of The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia vice-president and general manager, Amit Malhotra, in Petaling Jaya recently.
“It will be a refreshed, modern take on The Mickey Mouse Club, focusing on entertaining and relevant local content.
“We are thrilled to be working exclusively with Astro in Malaysia to bring this iconic variety show to Disney fans.”
From now until June 15, applicants can visit www.MickeyMouseClub.my to submit video auditions of themselves singing, dancing and acting.
There will be on-ground auditions as well in Kuala Lumpur (May 13 and 14), Johor Baru (May 20) and Penang (May 21).
Detailed information can be found on the website.
Amit said judging for the search would be carried out by Disney personnel looking for those who were multitalented .
“Justin Timberlake is an example of someone who can sing, dance and act.
“Malaysia was chosen since
it has lots of talents and potential.”
He added that The Mickey Mouse Club show would provide Malaysian fans with more ways to celebrate their love for Disney through local expression and creativity.
The Mickey Mouse Club first aired in the United States in 1955. It has been revived, reformatted and re-imagined over the decades to remain relevant to viewers.
“Disney will produce 13 30-minute episodes that feature games, music, comedy and celebrities,” said Amit, adding that there would also be engaging digital content on Astro and Disney’s social platforms, social media campaigns and competitions for fans.
“This will include a web series. Storytelling is very important to Disney and we hope to engage fans and viewers with effective localisation,” said Amit.
The series will premiere in September on Disney Channel (Astro Channel 615).