While flipping channels the other night, I came across Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Channel. While not a particular fan of most current Disney programming, I never saw any harm with Clubhouse, especially since the beloved voice actors of the classic characters were willing to lend their talents to it. That said, I stopped to watch the show for a bit, and noticed something strange: our dear friend Mickey didn’t sound quite like himself.

I wasn’t entirely surprised since I knew that the amazing Wayne Allwine had tragically passed away on May 19th, 2009. It was such a sudden tragedy, I had forgotten how much time had passed since. Wayne was an incredibly brilliant and humble man, whose Mickey was my personal favorite, and it was hard to see anyone replacing him.

Upon doing some research, I discovered that Bret Iwan has been doing Mickey’s voice for the last few projects, including Epic Mickey. Indeed, while I did notice a difference, Bret’s Mickey sounded pretty similar to Wayne’s. He no doubt has some work to do, but hopefully will bring happiness to kids for years to come.

In an awesome twist, the Clubhouse episode I watched was the one dedicated to Wayne’s memory. Awesome.

Listen for yourself. Two recordings are supposedly Wayne, while one is Bret. Can you tell the difference? Click Here.

Also, watch the short versions of the Mickey cartoons here, to hear more Bret.