She was as bubbly and cheerful as Minnie Mouse herself, so it was only fitting that Russi Taylor took the mantle of Minnie Mouse’s voice in 1986. She brought Minnie to life during the Totally Minnie era and beyond, giving Minnie a sweetness grounded in reality that made her a perfect pair with sound artist Wayne Allwine, who had recently begun voicing Mickey Mouse. The pair secretly fell in love and married in 1991, something Disney wanted to keep under their mouse ears, until an on-air radio personality asked straight out: “Are Mickey and Minnie’s voices living in sin?”
Wayne didn’t miss a beat. Mickey was heard to say, “Well, no! We live in Toontown!” but Wayne and Russi admitted that yes, they were married, and Disney decided to let the world know that the world’s most adorable couple were, in fact, the world’s most adorable couple.
Wayne would serenade Russi both as himself and as Mickey, playing his ukulele, and sometimes she would sing along. They were wonderful people. One time, when my daughter Alice fell out of a tree and was injured, they called her on the phone, as Mickey and Minnie, and told the six-year-old that they liked climbing trees but didn’t like falling, and hoped that she’d get better “real soon”.
When Wayne died in 2009, Bret Iwan and Chris Diamontopolis took over Mickey’s voice, Bret for the gentler, preschool and park work and Chris for the old-school adventurous Mickey in the Mickey shorts and games. Russi kept doing Minnie to the very end. It might be some time before we hear who will take over as Minnie, but we wish them the very best. They have some pretty big polka-dotted pumps to fill.
“Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor,” said Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive of The Walt Disney Company.
“For more than 30 years, Minnie and Russi worked together to entertain millions around the world — a partnership that made Minnie a global icon and Russi a Disney Legend beloved by fans everywhere.
“We’re so grateful for Russi’s talent as well as the tremendous spirit and great joy she brought to everything she did.
“It was a privilege to have known her and an honor to have worked with her, and we take comfort in the knowledge that her work will continue to entertain and inspire for generations to come.”
But Russi wasn’t just Minnie Mouse. She was Huey, Dewey and Louie PLUS Webbigail Vanderquack on the original DuckTales (she recently guested on the new version as emo teen Donald Duck), she was baby Gonzo on Muppet Babies, and of course Martin Prince, Uter, Terri and Sheri and a ton of other voices on The Simpsons.
from AVClub:
Russi, born in 1944, recalled meeting Walt Disney:
“I was with my mom and my brother, and it was late at night at Disneyland,” she said. “We had just come off the Mark Twain Riverboat and were getting some popcorn. I looked over and saw Walt sitting on a bench, so we introduced ourselves and shared our popcorn with him. At one point during our chat, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up, and I said, ‘I want to work for you!’ So he said, ‘Ok!’ — and now I do!”
Memorial plans have not yet been released, but I think it’s pretty certain there will be some kind of remembrance at this year’s D23 Expo.
Please join us in sharing loving thoughts and memories to Russi’s family and friends. She will be deeply missed but left this world a happier place with the joy and laughter she gifted us.
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