Jaq and Gus are a pair of mice who appeared as the two deuteragonists in Cinderella and its two sequels. Both Jaq and Gus were voiced by the late Scottish actor James MacDonald, who also voiced Bruno the dog. In the sequels, Jaq is voiced by Rob Paulsen, and Gus is voiced by Corey Burton. They were also once voiced by Frank Welker in a McDonald's commercial for Cinderella toys in 1987.
In the first film, Cinderella rescues the mice from traps and Lucifer the cat, dresses them and feeds them. They perform many small favors in return. Jaq seems to be one of the leaders of the mice, planning strategies to avoid the cat, sneak food, and help Cinderella with her ball gown. The other mice gladly follow his lead. Jaq is thin, with scruffy hair, and speaks a fast kind of pidgin English.
Gus appears in the first scene of the film, trapped in a cage where Jaq finds him and brings Cinderella to rescue him. Cinderella names him "Octavius", "Gus" as a shortened form.
Jaq explains the situation to Gus, and Gus catches on and joins the mouse troop. Gus seems to be a bit slow on the uptake, but brave in a pinch, and speaks even more fractured English than Jaq, who calls him "Gus-Gus." Jaq leads Gus to help Cinderella, resulting in them accidentally playing a prank on Anastasia, leading to Cinderella getting more chores, then hearing of the invitation to the ball. After Perla tells them and the other mice to make Cinderella's ball gown, they are sent off to get the trimming, since Perla has sewing experience. They get into a fight with Lucifer in the dressing room while stealing a ribbon from Anastasia, along with Drizella's jade beads. Despite Perla telling them to "leave the sewing to the women", Gus has fun with the scissors. After Cinderella's gown is ripped by her stepsisters and transformed by the Fairy Godmother, Jaq and Gus, along with two other mice, are transformed into stallions by the fairy. They pull the Coach carrying Cinderella to the castle so that she can attend the ball. When the spell breaks at midnight, the stallions are turned back into mice.
Later, Gus and Jaq are responsible for stealing the key to Cinderella's room from the wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine, who has locked Cinderella away. There is a scary moment when Jaq gets trapped in Lady Tremaine's pocket as she decides to check the key, and Jaq receives a painful spanking. The cruel stepmother then nearly douses poor Gus with scalding hot tea before the Grand Duke stops her. The two eventually manage to escape Tremaine with the key and make it to Cinderella's doorway, only to be foiled by Lucifer, who imprisons Gus in a cup. Jaq immediately attacks, and the other mice and birds jump into battle, as well, though Lucifer manages to defeat them. Cinderella then commands the birds to retrieve Bruno, who rushes inside the château and scares Lucifer away. Jaq and Gus then hand the key over to Cinderella, who frees herself and successfully fits on the slipper. Afterward, she is taken to the castle and marries the Prince. Jaq and Gus are last seen bidding the newlywed couple farewell, throwing flower petals while dressed in miniature, imperial outfits; symbolizing their newfound status as residents of the king's castle.
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
In Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, Jaq and Gus are also present, living in the castle along with all the other mice. It is Gus' idea to make the new book of stories to replace the old one.
In Cinderella's story "Aim to Please," Jaq and Gus help Cinderella to prepare for the ball and give her support when she doubts her abilities. In this story, it is revealed that Gus possesses a great dislike for prunes. They even help Cinderella make a good chocolate dessert.
In Jaq's story "Tall Tail", Jaq, feeling useless, wishes that he were a human; the Fairy Godmother grants this wish, turning him into a footman. Using the pseudonym of Hugh, Jaq tries to help Cinderella and the others prepare for the fair. However, Pom-Pom becomes obsessed with catching the new Jaq on what she assumes to be made up of seven mice. He realizes he liked being a mouse better and returns to normal in order to stop a mad elephant from destroying the fair. Cinderella thanks Jaq for being there when she needs him.
In Anastasia's story "An Uncommon Romance", they attempt to help their old nemesis Lucifer win the affections of Pom-Pom in the castle in the hopes that the cats will leave the mice alone instead of eating them. However, Lucifer goes back on his deal when Pom-Pom tricks him into chasing the mice. The chase ends when Pom-Pom gets doused in water and dumps Lucifer out of spite. Jaq and the mice, who are not happy about the double-cross, give Lucifer a good whack on the head, with Jaq promptly telling Lucifer that "The deal is off!"
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Jaq and Gus appear as the only mice in the movie and make their opening appearance helping the Fairy Godmother prepare for Cinderella and the Prince's anniversary party. After Lady Tremaine reversed time and made the slipper fit Anastasia's foot, they helped Cinderella search for the Prince, wreaking havoc in the palace kitchen in the process.
They discover Lady Tremaine's use of dark magic by witnessing her cast a spell on the Prince to forget Cinderella and think that he danced with Anastasia. In a plan to steal the wand back, they succeed in taking the wand from Lady Tremaine, but she has Cinderella arrested with a banishment sentence before she can lift the spell on the Prince.
Jaq and Gus manage to convince the Prince that Cinderella is the right girl through the catchy show tune "At the Ball". They later help Cinderella put on her wedding gown, but the three are magically sent away by Lady Tremaine, who assigns Lucifer the cat to drive them in a pumpkin carriage over a cliff. After they narrowly escape their deaths, Cinderella, Jaq, and Gus return to the palace, where the mice attack the entrance guards to let Cinderella through to the wedding. After Lady Tremaine is defeated, Jaq and Gus are seen celebrating Cinderella and Prince Charming's wedding.
The mice are last seen in Cinderella III during the closing credits in a picture with a very decorated King, one with them stuffed with cheese, Gus in a rather sophisticated uniform, and the final picture in a photo booth style series with Cinderella, the Prince, and the two mice.
Gus and Jaq are the only mice to appear in the film, while all the other mice are absent due to some unknown reasons, presumably due to the budget cuts in animation.
Cinderella (2015)
Gus (dark brown) and Jacqueline (white and brown).
Jaq and Gus appear in the 2015 live-action movie, Cinderella, though they play a significantly smaller role than they did in the 1950 film. Additionally, Jaq, unlike the original film, is portrayed as a female, under the name Jacqueline, and is Gus' love interest. They also have two babies called Teddy and Matilda.
Personality
Jaq
Jaq is the leader of Cinderella's mouse friends and proves to be a good one at that. Jaq was shown to be the first of the mice to actually confront Lucifer and the only one brave enough to take him on alone. Like the other mice, Jaq cares for Cinderella and thinks of her as a mother or big sister. He holds a brotherly bond with Gus, whom he is seen with on a regular basis. Jaq is very smart and thinks and moves quickly.
Gus
Gus, or Gus-Gus, is Jaq's best friend and is rather dimwitted compared to his best buddy. Other than his friends and family, his number one priority is making sure his belly is always treated right. Despite his small size, he is extremely brave to point of reckless as a running gag shows him putting up his fists if Cinderella is ever threatened, only to be stopped by Jaq. He is the main target of Lucifer, who prefers Gus out of all the mice because of his plump size and slow speed.
Gus' full name is Octavius, presumably after the Roman Emperor who was later known as Caesar Augustus, hence "Gus". Emperor Octavius was renamed Augustus when he became Caesar. In the French dub, he is named Gustav.
The theme park character versions of Jaq and Gus are gray, yet in the movies and other appearances, they are brown.
In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Gus does the Tarzan yell when he passes by Cinderella.
In the original film, Cinderella, and its sequels, Jaq is a male, and he is the best friend of Gus, to whom he shares a brotherly bond. However, in the live-action remake, Jaq's gender is swapped (so Jaq is a female in the live-action remake), and her name is Jacqueline, and she is Gus' love interest instead of best friend. This makes Jaq one of the few Disney male animated characters whose gender in the live action remake is swapped, followed by Kaa from The Jungle Book (who is a female in the live-action remake).
Jaq and Gus, along with the rest of the mice, affectionally refer to Cinderella as "Cinderelly".
