Could Timothy Mouse also be characterized as a fool in the Elizabethan or Shakespearian sense?
“Pop quiz: what is one character archetype that appears in almost every Shakespeare play AND Disney movie?
Joe BUnting
I’ll give you a hint by listing some characters: Bottom, Puck, the Iguana in Tangled, Dori in Finding Nemo, the Clown in All’s Well That Ends Well, the Carpet in Aladdin. Got it yet?
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The fool acts as the hero’s conscience. I realized this when I remembered Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio. “Remember, Pinocchio,” says the Wish Upon A Star Lady, “be a good boy, and always let your conscience be your guide.”
Since the fool is already unfashionable, they have the freedom to always speak the truth, even when it is awkward or even dangerous to do so.
However, he also understands it’s often his humor that allows him to speak truth. As Oscar Wilde said, “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.””
More about the fool as common archetype here.