The Sorcerer's Apprentice's production cost ballooned to $125,000—three to four times greater than the usual Silly Symphony, according to producer Ben Sharpsteen. Knowing that The Sorcerer's Apprentice would not make back its budget, talks began in to expand the project and produce a full-length feature, of which The Sorcerer's Apprentice would be a segment. This would evolve into , which would become Disney's third , following the critical successes of in and in . While the film is lauded today as a cinematic masterpiece, Fantasia was a financial and critical disappointment upon release in 1940. Rather than make a comeback as Walt had intended, Mickey would continue to decline. There were several contributing factors to Mickey's decline. For one, it was perceived that the essence of Mickey's character was too subtle and human for most storymen to capture accurately—the one exception being Walt Disney, himself. However, Walt had become too preoccupied with feature films to contribute to the shorts. Animator would explain, "The story guys were not capable of doing a Mickey story without Walt. He was the only one who could get the feeling of that personality." In a interview, Disney stated, "Mickey's decline was due to his heroic nature. He grew into such a legend that we couldn't gag around with him. He acquired as many taboos as a Western hero—no smoking, no drinking, no violence.", Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy plan to rescue the missing animals from the Clubhouse Farm! Watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior!, Explore the world of Mickey Mouse & Friends! Stream movies and series, watch videos, read character bios, shop products, view photos, and more. Oh boy!.