hough Mickey Mouse remains the definitive icon for Disney, the company rarely puts him in the spotlight these days. But now, a new series of 19 retro-style shorts, set to premiere on the Disney Channel in June, is expressly designed to remind everyone why Mickey Mouse is so important in the first place. (Watch the first new short, "Croissant de Triomphe," below.)

Mickey Mouse already appears on Disney Channel's CG-animated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is aimed at children ages 2 to 5 — but this new series of shorts is designed to appeal to an older, broader audience of kids ages 6 to 14, and their families. According to Entertainment Weekly, the 19 short cartoons "will combine throwback and modern elements," with special hidden homages to classic Disney cartoons for hardcore fans to geek out on. And longtime Mouseketeers shouldn't be surprised if they get a sense of deja vu after watching the short below. "The design aesthetic for the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts reaches back almost 80 years and borrows reverentially from the bold style of [Walt Disney's] 1930s design," explains a press release at Disney.com.

The first cartoon, "Croissant de Triomphe," is set in Paris, with Minnie Mouse running a sidewalk cafe that runs out of pastries — prompting Mickey himself to go on an emergency croissant run. Slashfilm reports that future cartoons will be set in other major cities across the globe, including New York, Beijing, Venice, and Santa Monica. Watch "Croissant de Triomphe":

Scott Meslow

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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, Outside Magazine, and Think Progress.