Mickey's Descent Into Madness 

I've released Mickey Descent Into Madness OST on spotify and all streaming platforms! open.spotify.com/artist/10iFh3psxvBxiiyvveUJYY?si=RliKrKCcRHuYy8qA2PqZrw

"How I stretched a 3 minute joke into a fucking trilogy"

And remember folks: If disney copyright claims this its officially canon

I love the deeper meanings of this animation, the characters were never Disney characters at all. It was all the result of the broken mind of a war veteran who had to live with a horrible mistake he made. His slow and steady fall into madness caused his sense of self and reality to blend with so many things he had seen before until he couldn’t tell the difference between the reality he’s trapped in and the fiction he watched as a kid. It was all a blur, a blur that only gained clarity when he realized and accepted his mistake and the way it affected everyone and himself

I just realized that the reason Mike/Micky saw everything as the cartoon and his reality was so distorted was because once he got back from his mission the CIA put him through MK-ULTRA to make sure he stayed quiet and genuinely believed in what he did. His lying and keeping the file was his psyche in some way absolutely refusing to believe that and refusing to let it go. His mind tried to crawl into his childhood, making everything a cartoon to cope, but it didn't work. No matter what he couldn't leave the war, couldn't leave what he did. Irregardless of how hard he tried.

the fact that a shitpost turned into a legitimately high budget saga never fails to amaze me

The worst punishment for Mickey was to not be punished at all

You tricked me. You made me think I was going to watch some meme-ish nonsense, but I ended up watching a dramatic masterpiece.

11:22 I like how with everything Mickey says to the interrogator he immediately responds because it’s all expected but when he says goofy the interrogator pauses because he has to think about what he means

When i saw the twist that they weren’t Disney characters at all, that was when I realized this wasn’t a shitpost anymore. This was art.

Yes officer? That’s it. That’s it right there. The shitpost that spun out of control and became an amazing story. Please arrest it. It’s making me sad

it's no coincidence that steam boat willie goes public and youtube recommends this video again

One thing I just realized is that when the voice is asking him if he destroyed the documents, his voice flutters a little when he says "yes", unlike the monotone nature of all of his other answers. He kept the documents all that time, despite his orders to destroy them, because he couldn't bring himself to destroy the thing his best friend gave his life to protect. That's amazing storytelling right there in my opinion. It was only because he never destroyed the documents out of respect for his friend's determination that the only friend he had left gave up when he was forced to read them.

There's no one else in the world who can do what you do.

It started from a shitpost that escalated into a cinematic masterpiece

My father was in Vietnam. I only found this out after he died. It cleared up a lot of his solitary quirks that I never understood when he was alive, and I wondered why he never told me himself… After seeing this video I can’t help but think: Perhaps it was because he was perpetually battling his own descent into madness, and none of us realized it at the time.

The fact that this man managed to create four memorable fleshed-out characters that are interesting and identifiable with, using fucking Disney cartoon characters no less, a premise that should be comedic (not gonna give away the twist), and putting them in a story that conveys the horrors of war, PTSD, and what it does to a person, all in 17 minutes is a phenomenal achievement. My only complaint is that this video is not a full-length movie. 9/10.

When they showed that they're real people, It's not a parody anymore. It's a full on drama about the Vietnam war.

"Give a farmer seeds and he'll create food, give a musician a melody and he'll create music, give a soldier an enemy and he'll create nothing, he only destroys, kills" - Mickey Mouse, 2020

Its honestly insane, how war drove this man insane. To the point where he kills goofy. But watching as he slowly starts remembering reality. This was a man who was driven so mad, that everyone everything turned into cartoon characters. Or maybe, this was a way to tone it down. But the fact that before he was sounding like the actual mickey, but now, it's a whole different voice. It's just honestly insane what could happen to a man after he truly snaps.

I tried showing my friends this video. All of them scoffed at it saying "What is so special about it" or "It's alright." or "Why is it Mickey Mouse themed?". This has got to be the most meaningful and deep 17 minute video of my life. The way the film displays PTSD and the effects of war are amazing. Being able to see all the characters interact with each other after what Mickey has done to Goofy is phenomenal. Please keep making more films like this, it is an eye opening experience with the writers and VAs make it sound and feel in the moment.

I'm saving this, just in case disney goes petty and pulls it down

“The truth, Mickey, is that you’re here because you wanted to be something you’re not: a hero.”

12:07 The guitar chord just as "Goofey" disappears and we see the man himself for the first time, it still haunts me. This is absolutely amazing, well done.

That last shot of the trio going from adults to being kids again is haunting

the most anticipated by the entire internet connoisseur world has arrived

Ok... so Mickey gets MK Ultra'd to forget about the documents that he killed his best friend for. The mind control makes him think of himself and his friends as cartoon characters. That's fucking something.

Lost a old buddy not long ago who served in Nam. Miss him everyday. Wasn’t only a friend but also felt like a grandfather. Rest in peace Mark. I’m sorry you had to go through that hell.

*It wasn’t Mickey, it was Michael all along.*

"i lost 30,000 men in a blink of an eye and the world just fucking watched" -Mickey

"We wanted a full length Vietnam mickey story, and for our sins we got one."

I can't believe how a joke video turned into a masterpiece film, my words can't describe just how good this video is, excellent animation, very good writing and just perfect execution overall

Steamboat Willie's has entered into the public domain and Donald Duck will soon too. Wondering if we're gonna get more full budget works like this

The fact that Disney cartoons have historically been used for the USA’s war propaganda machines also makes it all even more of a masterpiece about the horror that was the Vietnam war.

This is legitimately better than 95% of anything Hollywood produces. . . . and it started as a parody shitpost. Never change.

My grandfather served in 'Nam. For most of his tour he served over there and then in the final year of his tour he was stationed in D.C. where he was called "baby killer" everyday he went to work. It messed him up to the point he took up drinking which caused rifts with his family and ultimately led to his death. That war... that war wasn't something anybody was prepared for. The Vietnamese were slaughtered and the Americans came back mentally scarred (if they came back at all).

Mickey got the worst punishment for a guilty man; no punishment at all

Remember, if Disney copyrights this, it's considered canon.

Remember: if Disney claims this, demand they hire Ethereal Snake.

Holy shit.. i came in expecting a joke, ended tearing up. Whole room felt like it was spinning. This was probably one of the greatest stories ive seen. This went hard

"The clubhouse has gone silent ever since the gang came back from the war. Years gone by, only few remain. A man, a broken man brought to suffer the weight he caused by himself. A weight that made the memories of the war into a vicious hellhole in one's mind." -Pluto

Remember kids: If a studio or company of their designated character/show claims/copyrights a video, then it’s canon, thus creating an alternate timeline

This started as a fucking parodie, now it has its own lore......and that’s amazing

I always find myself coming back to watch this again and again. A series that started as a joke turned into an amazingly well put together story about PTSD and how truly terrible mickey is as a person. Bravo

Used to be a funny, 2 and half minute video about mickey in Vietnam. Now it's a half hour long seris about Mickey taking on the full guilt of his actions.

Remember, if Disney claims this, it’s canon.

The backgrounds are insane, holy dang!

i love how this not only started as a shit post but became a full saga, but also how it tells a deep and horrifically real story of ptsd and survivors guilt

It never ceases to amaze me how much talent exist in this world and how artists like this can do stuff that even the mega studios seem incapable of these days

Mickey’s downfall ultimately being that he couldn’t look Max in the eye, and that being the same thing that Goofy asked of Mickey before he was killed, is so absurdly good. You have an incredible talent.

"People keep telling me life goes on, but to me that's the saddest part... Ahyuck"

Refreshing new art. I believe something way deeper is going on with this short film. Few people remember that senseless war… yet so many were scarred by it for generations. Great work.

I've watched this so many times and the backgrounds still amaze me. They're designed and shaded so well, and fit so well with the theme of each scene. It helps enhance the mood of the scene. Excellent work!

Duty to Country - Mickey Duty to Cause - Donald Duty to Others - Goofy Even in war a soldier fights for different reasons, but true duty is to know which one is right.

The genius of using the Disney characters. That’s probably all they actually do remember outside the horrible scenes on the battlefield(Disney made hella footage for soldiers and propaganda during war)

Bruh, this was unexpectedly amazing. Algorithm auto played it, and I couldn't look away.

I think this is unironicly my favorite piece of art along with "mickey never came back" I can't explain why but the fact that the character are mickey and friends make the drama matter 100% more to me,

>Barges into youtube >Ruins people's childhood >Doesn't elaborate further >Continue posting

Fun Fact: If this masterpiece gets taken down, then it’s canon

3 men dead but one’s still breathing.

This is better than 90% of Netflix shows.

It's....beautiful.

The fact that they were revealed as actual people. Incredible. The fucking storytelling is so insanely well made.

Why can't things like this be shown in theaters? This is art.

The ability to showcase the utter torture of the human soul when forced to do something regrettable is a strong human emotion worth exploring and this encapsulated it beautifully. I was truly moved.

beyond amazed by this

Remember, if this gets copystriked by Disney, it means it’s canon!

Realizing that Gabriel probably never got to see max only makes this sadder :(

No one’s talking bout the end credit scene, it’s just beautiful, really adds to everything

I love how mick’s insanity is explained by the use of characters, you can see moments of sanity in the glitches. This isn’t a story of Disney characters in Vietnam, it’s the story of a Vietnam vet turned detective that copes with what he saw and did by imagining his friends, family and himself as Disney characters. It’s the only way he can remember, as you can clearly see the military wiped (or tried to) his memory, leaving only his childhood for reference. And because of that he mistakenly sees people as Disney characters. This story is actually really sad. And I did not expect this out of a shit post.

I did not expect the ending Mickey: The voice of chaos Donald: The voice of peace Goofy: The voice between the two trying to make sense.

man, im choking the f up. This was art

How did you make this?! As someone with ptsd, I’ve never seen something so accurate to how it feels. The perfect, eclipsing guilt

What hurt Mickey wasn’t Donald finding out that he’d had killed Goofy, but instead the realization that his past had caught up to him

Oh shit, I love the twist of Mickey being MK-Ultra'd to forget what he saw, which broke his already damaged mind even more, causing it to take his memories of the Mickey Mouse cartoons he watched as a kid and conflate them with reality - which, in the end, made him hallucinate himself and others as Mickey Mouse characters. Great fucking work, Snake, cheers.

EtherealSnake somehow made an emotinal masterpiece that shows the tragedy of war. And its made even sadder by the fact that Mickey ruined both of his friends lifes. And now he has to live with it. With no punisment.

I created a playlist named hall of fame and this is the first video on it. Cried, touching and amazing work!

The timeline in this video was a little confusing because of a lack of context. But Goofy's headstone made it clear that he was 34 to 35 years old when he died, and was an NCO to boot, most likely an E7 (Staff Sergeant). The ending scene shows the three of them visiting the old church when they were younger, probably on the verge of being deployed to Korea in 1951-52, or meeting each other while on leave. The three of them survived that war, and were either active duty or in the reserves subsequently. At one point they passed the Ranger course and got their tabs. -All of them appear to be Irish Catholics, born and raised in a nameless working class East Coast city. -The church wasn't completely abandoned, but was still retained by the Parish for unknown reasons, as it still had running electricity. -Mickey and Gabriel "Goofy" Gibson were both US Army sergeants. But Donald was a Warrant Officer, because he was a helicopter pilot. -Max was born in 1952-53, and was approximately 14 to 15 years old when his father died. He was probably pushing 30 when he kidnapped Donald. -The base they were sent to raid was a CIA operations station that had to be abandoned because of NVA activity. Army Rangers were sent in after the spooks abandoned the facility to "sanitize" it, literally burning the buildings to the ground and destroying all sensitive material that the Rangers couldn't carry with them. Goofy was given a specific list of documents to be recovered, and he had strict orders to disregard and burn everything else. And Mickey had similar orders, including shoot-to-kill orders to ensure the mission was successful. -Mickey grew up under an alcoholic father and a weak willed mother. His father seems to have been a volatile drunk of an unpredictable nature, and probably couldn't hold a job. The Army gave all three an escape from hardscrabble lives, but it was especially meaningful for Mickey because it gave his life both order and meaning. He was emotionally scarred, however, and had a violent temper of his own. But was still very self aware, albeit in a self-pitying way. His psychosis was a result of both a violent childhood and the punitive (and drug laced) interrogation he was subjected to by his superiors after the mission. Brainwashing is the wrong term so much as restrictive conditioning. -Paternal considerations are what drove Goofy to disregard his orders. All three men were a generation older than the typical draftees they were leading, old enough to be their fathers. Even before this mission Goofy had come to the conclusion that the war was a futile sacrifice of the young, and thought that Mickey had similar doubts. -Both Goofy and Max harbored death wishes. Both willingly accepted death at Mickey's hands.

My god. they were never actually Disney characters to begin with.

As a soldier this hits home

6:37 Huey Dewey and Louie?!

"I feel like a man dying of thirst watching a man drown" - krilin

Spoilers: When Goofy was revealed to be a human being, and the fact that he kinda looked like Shaggy, i was expecting to see Mickey morph into Scooby Doo just to add some new layer of mindfuckery to everything.

I know it started as a meme but this is one of the most beautiful animations ive ever seen. I often come back to it. It makes me think a lot about accountability and guilt

I really wish we had more things like this to watch, I truly love mostly any type of content, but I especially love it when there's care in every aspect of it being made! (Plot, animation, voice acting, cameraworks, real life acting, etc) By the time I'm typing this, in 3 months this video will be two years old. Crazy how time flies, I remember watching this when it first came out!

Holy shit boys, you got Ethereal Snake, MeatCanyon, Minute Hour, Drue Langlois, Umami, Joel Haver, Surreal all interested in in-depth storytelling using originally creative outlets, and all communicating amongst each other. I've been pretty pessimistic about RU-vid's future in the past, but I legitimately think we're entering a Golden Age of Awe-inspiring Content. I think I just regained my hope for humanity and a new reason to live.

War doesn't determine who is right... only who is *left.*

Its insane this is some of the best drama available right now

I watched this when it came out and this is the 10th time I go back to it and it still makes me cry like the first time.

This is the best thing I have seen in a very long time

"A psychological thriller masterpiece of a childrens' cartoon series" -IGN, probably

It broke my soul to see this, it has so much to tell, sublime, it may sound cliché but this is a love letter to art and cinema. Thank you for making such wonderful footage.

when a 17 min video its more deep and meeningful that the 90 min movies

This isn’t a joke anymore, THIS IS ART

the scariest thing about this is that things like this happens to real people who never got out of that war

This is a piece of art ngl, i literally watch this all the time. Its a so complete work of art, you can literally "put yourself into the characters place" and feel what they feeling. Am not a depressed guy, but this can make me sad, teach me, even give me energy. It gives me goosebumps, make me think a lot on the Vietnam war, even made study more about it. Thanks for this masterpiece

Why did I question the fact I am willingly watching the entirety of this and stay

*"Mickey couldn't adapt to civilian life. War was all he knew."*

Remember if Disney claims this, means it’s canon

this is actually surprisingly heartfelt and really emotionally affecting. Thanks for making it :)