With the sad news of losing Wayne Allwine comes the realization that now someone else will be doing the voice of Mickey Mouse...
While it's been known that Wayne was suffering from diabetes, it wasn't known by most of us that it was as bad as it turned out to be. I've talked to several sources around the lot and it's interesting how things have/are developing.
It's been known around the lot that Wayne's been coming into work with a walker. Everyone thought he was in bad health but no one expected it to be that bad. The people in Disney Character Voices, knowing that he wouldn't last forever with his health deteriorating, had begun screening for the fourth voice of Mickey Mouse months ago. They wanted to find an understudy for Wayne to mentor like Jimmy MacDonald did to him. They've cast a wide net inside the company's creative departments. Anyone inside Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios or Disney Toon Studios who is interested are being tested to see who does the alter ego of Walt best.
A decision hasn't been made yet, but possibly later this year we'll find out who takes the character onward and further into the 21st Century. Remember whoever gets these gigs tends to last 25 to 30 years. It's strange, but nothing last forever.
Except maybe Mickey Mouse...
