Catching Up On Disney Classics – Walt Disney Presents: Annette on The Mickey Mouse Club

If you’ve been to any Disney Stores or Disney Theme Parks recently, you may have noticed that right now, retro classics are having a MAJOR resurgence in popularity.

One Disney classic in particular is majorly trending, and that is… *drumroll please*… The Mickey Mouse Club! This is such a hot topic at Disney right now, that the new and fully remodeled World of Disney at Downtown Disney in California just dedicated an entire wing of their mega outlet store with ONLY Mousketeer gear, and even had some original Mousketeers as ribbon cutting guests of honor for the newly unveiled remodel.

Now, if you are under the age of 50, you MIGHT NOT be familiar with the classic and original Mousketeer TV show and mini-serials that Disney produced in the 1950’s. I’m not just talking random snippets, flashbacks and recaps while watching current Disney programing. And it’s not even our generations fault that we are so woefully negligent in this facet of Disney classic geekery… Disney has kept these episodes under tight raps for DECADES.

But Disney geeks rejoice!! Disney is slowly releasing Mickey Mouse Club serials like The Hardy Boys, Spin and Marty, and Annette to DVD as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series. Not interested in shelling out the major bucks to add these to your collection? Never fear… YouTube is here!!! Pretty much ALL of these episodes have been uploaded for free viewing. But if you’re interested in getting your Disney culture cred amped up with some retro 1950s Disney binge watching, you better hurry… who knows how long these episodes will be up and live before Disney yanks them down.

I’m having my kiddos watch through the Annette series with me, primarily because over the years Annetter Funicello have become THE darling of Disney Mousketeers. Even if you have never seen an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club in your life, you surely have heard of Annette. So this is a great place to get started if you wanted to learn more about this little slice of Disney history and culture.

About Walt Disney Presents: Annette

Walt Disney Presents: Annette is a television serial that ran on The Mickey Mouse Club during the show’s third and final season (1957–1958). It consisted of 19 episodes and starred Annette Funicello as Annette McCleod, a poor, orphaned country girl who moves into town with her upper-class Uncle Archie and Aunt Lila.

Most of the plot has to do with her experiences in her new high school trying to fit in with all the new kids she meets in her new community. At first, she’s excited to finally have a solid home. But it’s the other kids in town that give Annette something to worry about. Some are snobs, some are obnoxious, and the ones she does get along with are the sort of people her aunt believes are beneath her. With a new crush on the popular boy in school, Annette becomes the target of his jealous girlfriend. It is a big old heaping helping of pre-teen romance drama, 1950’s style.

The theme song “Annette” was written and originally sung by Mickey Mouse Club leader Jimmie Dodd on a 1956 episode of the Mickey Mouse Club. The show had a couple of lovely, simple songs, including “Lonely Guitar,” “How Will I Know My Love?” and “Meetin’ at the Malt Shop after School.” And it’s probably the best single program to show why girls loved Annette. Her character’s simple sweetness and honesty was what a whole generation of girls aspired to in the decade that Disneyland was born. 

Have you ever watched this classic Disney TV serial? Do you plan to? Share below!