Customer Reviews

Mickey's Magical Christmas - Snowed in at the House of Mouse

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

There have been dozens of film adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" -- including particularly good ones starring George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart. "Mickey's Christmas Carol" is one of my favorites. The Disney characters take the roles in Charles Dickens's classic story of greed, ghosts and redemption. This also has the significance of being the first cartoon to feature the Scrooge McDuck character, who was created and popularized by Carl Barks in the Disney comic books. He is voiced here, and in most later appearances, by Alan Young (alias Wilbur from "Mr. Ed".)

You can't find it alone on video or DVD, but last year it was released in part of an anthology movie, "Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse." This movie is worth it for the Christmas Carol adaptation alone, but also has several new shorts and the 1952 classic "Pluto's Christmas Tree," that makes it worth picking up. The framing sequence is so-so -- a take on the "House of Mouse" cartoon show, but it's got nice bits and the Disney fans out there will appreciate it.

Curiosity won out when I was considering buying Mickey's Magical Christmas on DVD. I thought the idea to make an all star Christmas movie was a good one, I did not know at the time that a TV show of this existed. The animation is the quality of a TV show, but to see many characters that span Disney's long legacy is worth getting the video.

The movie centers around everyone trying to get Donald into the spirit, by showing old Christmas videos. Two of the 4 videos shown are recent, but the real gems are two old cartoons from my childhood. One is about Pluto vs Chip & Dale, when they sneak into Mickey's Christmas Tree and the other is "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (a title that I was hoping would have a DVD release one day, and it surprisingly came this week).

The DTS 5.1 Soundtrack isn't extraordinary, but more than adequate for this type of release. Most of the surround is used to split the music.

Mickey's Magical Christmas will without a doubt keep kids in front of the TV and quite possibly, the movie fans who grew up with all of these characters with be right there with them.

Some people have hated this DVD, most actually, and a handful have been able to see the good points in this obviously flawed feature. No doubt, there was some false advertising involved, but it's really only the point that it has been referred to as an ALL NEW FEATURE. I've tried to write this review so many times, but it's always too long to be posted, so I'm going to cut to the chase with this attempt, so here goes. First, you HAVE to see the House of Mouse TV show before watching this Christmas special in order to appreciate it. If you had ever seen it you would have known exactly what to expect. Disney even provides us with the premiere episode as an extra on this DVD, of course that still means you have to buy it first. But I do suggest you watch that premiere episode before the feature anyway. In fact, it's actually better than the feature, not counting the wonderful Mickey's Christmas Carol segment. There are 3 other extras on this DVD by the way, two sing a longs, and a really unnecessary and short look into cartoon sound effects. As for the feature, the other reviewers aren't giving you the entire details when they say there is hardly any new footage. The new footage is probably equal to the old, or almost anyway. There are two "new" cartoons, along with the new wraparound footage, which is where you get to see all the Disney characters hanging out and sometimes performing, in Mickey's nightclub. They are never in the main cartoons, but they usually, especially in the regular episodes of the show, do get a good amount of screen time. It's just that they want to show you so many characters that few of them really get that much to do. The joy is seeing all of them together, period. For some Disney fans that alone is a wonderful treat. The two new cartoons are a new Donald Duck short involving some snowplay, that may seem like an old cartoon since we have often seen Donald and the boys in the snow in the past, and a really great Disney version of the Nutcracker with Narrator John Cleese. The two old cartoons are the classic Pluto's Christmas Tree, and the classic Mickey's Christmas Carol. Personally, even though I have them both on previous videos, it's great to get them on DVD in my opinion, and any true Disney fan should agree with me! True, I'd like to see Mickey's Christmas Carol get it's own DVD release though, so I can get the wonderful credits too. Overall, this DVD is really not that bad. It's flaws are the fact that not enough people are familiar with the House of Mouse series to know just who stars in the toons and who is just window dressing, and that the wraparound plot about getting snowed in and Donald being a Humbug are forced at you within the first minute of the show, which sets you off on a bad pace because it's so badly done. Oh, and that little matter of advertising as being "ALL NEW." I, for one, expected this DVD to be great because I admit, I ALSO thought it would be all new, not to mention Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, which came out on DVD two years ago, WAS all new and was great. Also, I had seen House of Mouse. After finally buying it though, I WAS disappointed in the quality of the opening, and that there was less new footage than expected, but I still am glad I bought it. It's well worth it for the old Classics AND the two new cartoons, including the bonus House of Mouse premiere. But for what it turned out to be, it IS overpriced. It should be more in the range of 14.99, while I couldn't find it cheaper than 19.99. Well, if you still think you want to get it, I DO recommend it. If you are unsure, stick with the fairly recent Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas. It's ALL NEW and it's very good. But this is still straight to video folks, please stop being upset that you're not getting BIG SCREEN animation quality! I mean, grow up, that's not going to happen! Although Lion King 2 was close.

Okay so basically it's like this...the entire Disney cast of characters is, as the title says, snowed in at the House of Mouse. The characters then decide to break out some hot cocoa and cookies and sit back and enjoy old movies which turn out to be some of the old Disney holiday classics such as "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "Pluto's Christmas Tree" where Mickey chops down a Christmas tree not knowing it's home to Chip & Dale.

After the tree has been trimmed, the chipmunks delightfully explore their newly decorated surroundings, much to the chagrin of Pluto, the only one who knows that the tree contains the pair. Chip 'n' Dale soon drive Pluto crazy as they explore their new Christmassy surroundings. When Mickey finds out, he chuckles naively and thinks that they're cute.

Toss in a new rendition of "The Nutcracker" and a newer Donald short called "Donald On Ice". The featurettes are all pretty good but the bits in between are a bit forced and really not very funny.

Also at a running time of just over 60 minutes it's not the greatest value either. Still, if you don't have Mickey's christmas CArol, you can get it here along with the other shorts so it's not too bad.

I have to admit, the video is fun. Like all Disney animated
adventures the graphics are excellent and it is nice to see the
'House of Mouse' gang together. However, the one and only real
complaint is that the Disney advertising machine has once again
pulled the wool over the eyes of the buying public. True, there
is a lot of the mouse gang available, but the majority of the
movie consists of an old Pluto/Chip n' Dale cartoon and the more
recent 'Mickey's Christmas Carol'. For anyone who has a collection of Disney animation, and especially the Christmas
releases, disappointment will follow purchase. The T.V. ads are
deceptive and the write up on back of the VHS and DVD does not
mention that it is basically a reprint. For those who do not own a great deal of Disney animation or the Christmas Carol starring Mickey and Uncle Scrooge, it will be a treat. For those
who do, beware.

This is rated 1-star only because 0-stars was not an option.
This DVD contains the usual collection of old shorts tied together by mediocre (at best) clips of every Disney character ever! This was mostly predictable if you have any experience with prior Disney compilations.
The real problem with this video is the LONG and MANDATORY preview section. On a tape you can fast forward through the commercials but Disney has chosen to embed them in the protected area of the disc that forces the viewer to see them all at 1X speed EVERY TIME you want to watch the video. Disney charges full price for this disc, around [amt], so this intrusion is unacceptable.
I wanted to spend some time with my young daughter watching a cartoon video but by the time the feature started we were both in a sour mood.
This is my first Disney DVD. If all of them are similarly formatted, it will be my last.

Whether you have children, or just want to venture into your own past, remembering the magical spirit of Mickey Mouse, this video is perfect. This video has a little something for everyone, and those of you with children, like myself, will see the holiday magic light up on their faces.

MICKEY'S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS is simply about friends getting together during the holiday season. With unexpected visits from a plethora of Disney characters, the storyline has Mickey and friends trying to cheer up Donald Duck. To bring out the smiles, the Disney gang watches old movies together, and the fun is just beginning.

Two of the four movies shown are fairly recent, but "Mickey's Christmas Carol" still brings a warm, fuzzy feeling to my stomach, let alone, huge smiles to the faces of my three daughters. Another classic, "Pluto's Christmas Tree" is also included, and for those of you who can remember this one, Pluto and Chip & Dale are at their best. This humorous cartoon is sure to bring lots of laughter to your family.

John Cleese as the narrator was an excellent addition, and the sound and color is absolutely phenominal. This truly is a wonderful video that culminates with the tremendously heartwarming song "The Best Christmas of All," sung by this outstanding cast of Disney characters. This is the perfect holiday gift for any fan of Disney. It is sure to make you smile.

I think this is very cute. I love it. Especially the adaptaion of The Nutcracker. Great music in that segment. I love all the cartoons they show, old and new. And my day care kids love it too.

This tells about Donald Duck whom is not getting into the Christmas spirit, but it will take Mickey Mouse and the other Disney characters to cheer him up for the holidays.
I'm a big House of Mouse fan and this is quite excellent, this has some shorts such as " The Nutcracker" and the 1983 Disney classic " Mickey's Christmas Carol".

If you're checking this DVD out in the first place, chances are you're either a parent with young kids or a big Disney fan. If the former is the case, the DVD could be hit or miss depending on what your kids want. If they really enjoy the format of "House of Mouse" - brief glimpses of most of the Disney entourage framing various cartoons - then go for it. But if your little one has a favorite character and the main draw of this flick is to see that character, you may be better off going with the movie. A lot of lines and shots are tossed to Belle, Beast, and the seven dwarves, probably to cross-promote the upcoming IMAX and current DVD/video releases of the two films respectively. But a lot of other characters only show up in brief overhead pans which might leave your kids unsatisfied. Other than that, the cartoons are fairly entertaining (though really young kids might be upset by parts of Mickey's Christmas Carol) and the two included sing along songs ought to keep 'em busy long enough for you to wrap a present or two.
As for the Disney fans, again it's a bit of a hit or miss proposition. You may appreciate having a nice DVD copy of both "Pluto's Christmas Tree" and "Mickey's Christmas Carol", the animation of which puts "House of Mouse" to shame. And you may get a kick out of seeing the majority of the Disney crew togather and subject to the usual in-jokes (though if you happen to love a character from Roger Rabbit or one of the Disney TV shows, you're out of luck). Plotwise, however, the frame story falls pretty flat. The major problem is that we never know exactly WHY Donald doesn't have "The Christmas Spirit". Maybe he really wanted to go home. Maybe he never gets what he wants for Christmas. Maybe Mickey et. al. make him play the Mouse King in the Nutcracker every single year and it drives him nuts. If there was some reason for Don's grumpiness, the story might have had some direction. Instead, we watch as the gang tries various methods to cheer up Don, most of which involve showing cartoons, until one which doesn't seem any better than the others eventually works. So basicly it depends on how much the short cartoons are worth to you. Because the House of Mouse story does not carry this DVD.