Mickey's Magical Christmas

Unless you’re seriously nostalgic for the Disney Channel’s turn of the century animated series House of Mouse, there’s very little reason to pick up this re-released DVD. Originally released directly to DVD in 2001 and out of print for the past few years, the feature is basically an extended House of Mouse episode with a Christmas theme. That means sub-standard TV animation bookending Disney shorts that have been repurposed from other sources, most famously Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

The House of Mouse series was an excuse to gather all of Disney’s animated characters under one roof, in this case an all-inclusive nightclub run by Mickey where the characters could mingle while being entertained by Mickey and friends. The Disney characters apparently just acted as background scenery, with no real function other than to delight tots with glimpses of their favorites. Look, there’s Pocahontas! And over at that table are the Seven Dwarfs! They’re just hanging out, but isn’t it great to see them? Not so much. Don’t be deceived by the prominent position of Disney Princesses on the front cover of the DVD, because this show belongs almost entirely to Mickey and his regular gang of co-stars.

The paper-thin plot of this holiday special finds the gang stranded at the House of Mouse during a brutal snowstorm, leading to the shocking revelation that Donald Duck is lacking in Christmas spirit. Mickey grabs some holiday snacks, Minnie grabs some holiday cartoons, and they all settle in to try to unearth Donald’s holiday spirit. With this framing device in place, the show launches into two lousy modern shorts, Donald on Ice (1999) and The Nutcracker (1999) along with two classic shorts, Pluto’s Christmas Tree (1952) and the aforementioned Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983). The modern shorts are barely worth mentioning or watching, leaving only the classics as the essential viewing in the program.

Pluto’s Christmas Tree finds Pluto being outwitted by Chip and Dale while also trying to please his owner, Donald Duck. Hilarity ensues, and the animation continues to shine nearly 60 years after its production. Mickey’s Christmas Carol caused a minor sensation when it was released theatrically in 1983 as an accompaniment to a re-release of The Rescuers, representing the Mouse’s first new theatrical cartoon in 30 years. The production value was relatively high for its time, and the story was a fairly serious and faithful retelling of A Christmas Carol. It still holds up well today, although clearly shows its age compared to Disney’s animated theatrical features that followed it during their ‘90s glory days of cel animation. However, it’s also readily available in other DVD packages including its own standalone disc released just over a month ago (also including Pluto’s Christmas Tree), so there’s no reason to seek out this release to view it.

The DVD includes a nice bonus for fans of the show: the entire premiere episode of the House of Mouse series. There’s also a brief feature on the many tools foley artists use to make sound effects for the toons, as well as a couple of sing-along Christmas carols. Mickey’s Magical Christmas is now available on DVD.

Classic Caballeros Collection

This Caballero couldn’t pass up the chance to review the adventures of my fellow Caballero amigos in their rollicking new DVD collection. Disney’s Classic Caballeros Collection combines the barely feature length movies Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros in one affordable package, and also includes some welcome extras. The features clearly show their age, but their entertainment value is timeless.

In Saludos Amigos, Walt Disney takes a team of animators down to South America where they look for new inspiration, a trip that resulted in the four animated shorts interspersed with the live action travel footage. First up is Lake Titicaca, an amusing short that finds Donald Duck struggling with an obstinate llama high in the Bolivian Andes. The next short, Pedro, recounts the adventure of a brave little mail carrier airplane as he fights through a storm and the rugged Andes to deliver the mail. It’s not particularly memorable, but the plane is cute enough. El Gaucho Goofy follows the blueprint of most of Goofy’s classic “How To” cartoons, with a narrator describing the action while Goofy reacts onscreen. This time he demonstrates a Latin American riding technique as well as the proper use of a bolero. It fits his canon well, but the animation quality is below par. Finally, in Aquarela do Brasil, the colorful parrot Jose Carioca makes his debut as he introduces viewers to his native Brazil in a music-filled, artistic short that would almost be at home in Fantasia.

As a whole, Saludos Amigos doesn’t really hold together and really seems more like a platform to cobble together shorts into a theatrical feature. The travel footage is decidedly archaic, but it holds some interesting anthropological value for any viewers looking for a trip down memory avenida.

While Saludos Amigos is fairly straightforward and logical, The Three Caballeros is a bizarre trip to the psychedelic side of Disney’s work. It fits squarely in the realm of Alice in Wonderland and especially the unforgettable “Pink Elephants on Parade” sequence from Dumbo. Even the structure of the film barely holds any logic, with Donald receiving a huge birthday present in the mail from South America that mysteriously contains one acid-fueled adventure after the other. It starts out relatively tame, with introductory shorts like The Flying Penguin and The Cold-Blooded Gauchito, but then careens into its final half as a fever-induced Latin American fiesta that throws all attempts at sensible plot progression out the window. Donald is joined by bird amigos Jose Carioca and Panchito in their mad adventures around the continent. Unlike Saludos Amigos, it’s almost entirely animated save one especially insane dance number near its end. I was really surprised by this film as I know I saw it in my youth but completely forgot or never realized just how out there it is. Recommended for late night viewing, but maybe not so much for the younger set.

The DVD includes more of the travel footage of Walt and his animators, as well as an extremely brief interview with Walt about the films, followed by two additional Donald Duck shorts not included in the films (but available in his Walt Disney Treasures DVD collections): Don Donald and Contrary Condor.

Classic Caballeros Collection is now available on DVD.