From the Dec. 16, 1966 edition of The New York Times:
“One day, when Mr. (Walt) Disney was approaching 60 and his black hair and
neatly trimmed mustache were gray, he was asked to reduce his success to a
formula. His brown eyes became alternately intense and dreamy. He fingered an
ashtray as he gazed around an office so cluttered with trophies that it looked
like a pawn shop.” Walt replied: “I guess I'm an optimist. I'm not in business
to make unhappy pictures. I love comedy too much. I've always loved comedy.
Another thing. Maybe it's because I can still be amazed at the wonders of the
world.
“Sometimes I've tried to figure out why Mickey appealed to the whole world.
Everybody's tried to figure it out. So far as I know, nobody has. He's a pretty
nice fellow who never does anybody any harm, who gets into scrapes through no
fault of his own, but always manages to come out grinning. Why Mickey's even
been faithful to one girl, Minnie, all his life. Mickey is so simple and
uncomplicated, so easy to understand that you can't help liking him.”