Fourth annual Bakersfield Mouse-Con brings youthful joy back to longtime Disney fans
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The magic of Disney was alive and well Saturday at the fourth annual Bakersfield Mouse-Con.
Dozens of Disney fans flocked to the Kern County Fairgrounds to see the people that bring Disney characters to life, as Bakersfield’s Disney fan convention came back for a fourth year.
The annual Mouse-Con is one event two Disney super fans never miss.
“The voice of Donald Duck is here, which is a pretty big deal,” said Disney fan Madeline Wentworth.
While 17 News couldn’t get ‘Donald’ to quack, it didn’t take the magic away from Wentworth and Charley Welch, who dressed up as Donald Duck and Merida from Brave, respectively.
A closer look at Kern’s 2024 primary candidates: 1-on-1 with CD-22 incumbent Rep. David Valadao
“[Donald Duck is] my favorite Disney character,” said Wentworth. “Just always been really funny to me, and he’s real grumpy.”
Welch, another super fan, says Merida holds a special place in her heart.
“She’s actually my favorite Disney princess, and I’m Scottish so, I love she’s also Scottish,” said Welch. “It fits into the whole heritage thing.”
Rick Farmiloe, a Disney animator with over four decades of experience was signing autographs for his work on films, including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.
“A lot of us started as animators on the Great Mouse Detective in 1986, and we all kinda grew together,” said Farmiloe.
After watching ‘Pinocchio’ when he was five years old, Farmiloe had aspirations of becoming an animator.
Beardsley Junior High School starts donation campaign to improve students’ lives through shoes
“I got to work on Abu, the monkey, who reminded me of my son Grant, who was about three years old at the time and acted a lot like Abu,” said Farmiloe. “Had a little temper and stuff, it was kinda fun to instill some of my son in that character.”
Artist Nicholas Montgomery created a work of art with all the animated movie titles, characters, voice actors and quotes from 1955, paying tribute to Walt Disney and Mickey.
“It took me about 2 months to complete it,” said Montgomery. “It was worth every minute of time.”
Bambi, Darth Vader, air-brushed Mickey tattoos, comics, food and fun have come and gone at Mouse-Con Bakersfield, but the magic never leaves.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
