Updated October 6, 2010 10:57pm
Updated October 6, 2010 10:57pm
Michael O'Reilly is the third child to Seamus and Marian O'Reilly and the most arrogant. Nicknamed "Mickey" by some of his friends, Michael likes placing on a pedestal. At the local tavern, he pretends that he is bold and brave with lies. He'll claim that he knows how to battle cats, win at card games, and that he laughs in the face of danger. But the underlying reality is Michael O'Reilly is a spineless coward who is uncomfortable in his own skin/fur.
During his childhood, Michael was put in charge of looking after his baby sister, Charlotte. As typical of middle children, he was often under the impression of being left out. Charlotte got all the attention while his older siblings, Fenris and Fiona, were already grown up and leading more productive, responsible lives. This made Michael feel second-rate to his older siblings and jealous of his little sister. He even got in trouble for Charlotte's follies, leaving Seamus to repeatedly make the point that Michael was "supposed to set a good example as an older brother." But how could he set a good example when he couldn't figure out what a good example is? Although Michael attempted to talk reason with his father, it often turned into personality conflicts. To make matters worse, Seamus always seemed too busy to notice him most of the times. And when he did, Seamus could only respond "Why don't ya make yerself useful? Look after yer sister." Michael felt like a child that just existed. Only overhearing his father tell tales to the rest of the family seemed to lift Michael's spirits. It was then he assumed that if telling stories were good enough for Seamus, then it would be good enough for him. He used this method as a means to make something of himself like his father advised. This would normally sound like a good idea to make his father proud of him. But at the age of eighteen, Michael's idea of making something of himself was to gamble everyday at the tavern. Fortunately for him, he had a lucky hand and always won in a good game of cards (that is, if you considering being a skilled cheater fortunate). With each game, Michael O'Reilly became more wealthy ... and more swelled in the head. Even though he made more than enough money to live like a king, it was never enough. His gambling did not meet Seamus's approval, as was his original idea, leaving Michael to raise the stakes higher. He bragged about his "hard-earned money" to his so-called friends at the tavern (who were just as conceited as he was), when more rational folk around him knew too well the kind of bat he was. In fact, most Nearly every Irish folk despised him. Being overly proud of his looks, Michael thought he was quite the lady's man, using this as an advantage to woo the ladies. Obviously, these attempts failed since most females had better sense. One woman even splashed beer in his face. Even Michael's older siblings and nephew, Fidget, did not approve of this irrational behavior. This was also possibly the reason why Charlotte left, fearing that her father's stories caused more harm than good.
Michael's narcissistic ways continued for a while. He took delight when his arrogant friends showered him with praise, but could never understand why he couldn't get the same praise from his father or his family. But one night, Michael's arrogance would get him into serious, life-threatening trouble. As he left the tavern drunk, he and his equally conceited pals were unfortunate enough to encounter a hungry cat. His friends pushed him to the front, believing wholeheartedly in Michael's lie about fighting cats. As to be expected, Michael cowered as he stared wide-eyed at the ca, quivering like a frightened little boy and causing his friends to despair. The cat chased them. Michael was able to dodge the cat's attacks for some time, but it didn't last for long. With one swift motion, the cat's paw struck Michael while he was flying in mid-air, causing him to collide against a tree. His left leg struck a hard blow to the tree first, leaving him with a broken leg. Moaning from the pain, Michael cried to his friends for help. To his unpleasant surprise, his friends had run away, more concerned for their own lives rather than his. How else would one react after trusting in a lie? Fearing he would soon become the cat's supper, Michael's mouth quived and his eyes blurred with tears. Little did he realize that he would be saved ... by his own nephew. Michael watched in awe as his nephew fought the cat and won. After the cat ran away in defeat, Fidget helped to escort his uncle home. Michael attempted to regain his composure through falling back on his foolish habits again, but Fidget had about enough of it. The two argued; Fidget accused Michael for driving his mother away to her death. Surprisingly, this was the first time that Michael actually learned that Charlotte was dead. And for first time in his life, the reality of his actions and lifestyle began to sink in: His family and everyone who knew Charlotte (she was well known) knew all about her death, and assumed that he care more about the money than for his sister, which was just not true. Despite the jealousy he felt toward her, he never wanted to see Charlotte get hurt. She was even willing to help him in any way she could. But Michael was too caught up in his selfish pride that he failed to see anything else ... and everyone knew, except him! Michael was so overcomed with guilt and helplessness that his narcissism vanished, and wept bitterly for Charlotte.
News of Michael's folly reached his family, including his father. Angered by what happened, Seamus confronted his son. Seamus told Michael how ashamed he was of him, how he had disgraced his own family. Michael retaliated by pointing out that his father never had time for him, that Michael did everything for him and it was never good enough. Michael revealed all the hurt and anger he bottled up from his youth. His son's pain took Seamus aback; he realized that he and Michael needed to sit down and talk. From that moment on, Michael O'Reilly's life was changed forever.
So what has become of Michael O'Reilly? He now lives with his father in hopes to make amends for all the pain he caused. At the same time, a girl named Arlana (supposedly Michael's new girlfriend) helps to keep him out of trouble. Although Michael still has a habit of boasting, he learns to keep it under control, as he remembers all too well its costs. Michael no longer feels the need to impress anybody and he has his nephew to thank.
In order to develop Michael O'Reilly's persona (as well as his appearance), my base model was the character J. Thaddeus Toad (left) from Kenneth Grahame's novel, The Wind in the Willows. Mr. Toad's conceited but remorseful persona was the kind I wanted for Michael. Although Michael's character was complete, my next challenge was to find the right voice. The first person I looked to was Frank Darro (1st center) who played the character Lampwick from Walt Disney's Pinocchio. As with Mr. Toad, Darro's portrayal of Lampwick also fitted the persona for Michael. As much as I like his voice, Darro's was not the right one for Michael. Therefore, I looked to Brian Henson (2nd center) (son of the well-known muppeteer, Jim Henson). Henson's portrayal of Hoggle from Labyrinth was also a match as far as Michael's character. I had thought of using his voice as it was husky and just the kind of voice I wanted. Unfortunately, Henson's voice was a little too deep for the part. In the end, I chose veteran actor, Mickey Rooney (right), as the huskiness and pitch of his voice was exactly what I wanted.
*All properties of Fidget and The Great Mouse Detective are copyright 1986 by Walt Disney Studios. All other characters represented in The Fidget Connections are copyright 2002-2009 by Leila Acevedo. The following images were borrowed from the links under "References."
The Fidget Connections Copyrights & Disclaimer Back to the Palace