Inclusion of Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in concert marks a notable departure for performance arts in Pyongyang Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong-un in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters. Performers dressed as some of America’s best-known cartoon characters pranced as footage from Snow White, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast and other popular Disney films played on a huge backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV on Saturday. The inclusion of characters popular in the west – particularly from the US, North Korea’s wartime enemy – is a notable change in direction for performance arts in Pyongyang. In recent years, performances such as the Arirang mass games featured performers dressed as panda bears paying homage to China, North Korea’s ally. This appears to be the first time Disney characters have been included in a major performance, though Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been popular among children for several years

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