Movie Info
Movie Name: Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
Studio: DisneyToon Studios/Walt Disney Pictures
Genre(s): Animated/Musical/Family/Seasonal
Release Date(s): November 9, 2004
MPAA Rating: G
Cheer up, Pluto…it isn’t that bad
It is Christmas again and Mickey and his friends are celebrating! As the holiday rapidly approaches, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, Max, and Pluto are all ready for the arrival of Santa Claus…but sometimes holiday spirit can fall to holiday pressure.
Directed by Matthew O’Callahan, Teresa Cullen, Carole Holiday, and Peggy Holmes, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas is a family Christmas holiday special. The short film was a straight-to-DVD release and a follow-up to the popular Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas in 1999. The movie follows the classic Disney short format by breaking up the story into a number of shorts with a Christmas tree intro between the pieces. The characters are all CGI animated which was relatively new for Disney’s classic characters.
I didn’t grow up with the special, and Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas is a rather tough watch. With advances in CGI animated images, the movie is not peak animated work (it was probably pretty advanced when it was released), and it is a bit of a challenge to watch…but the heart is still there.
“Belles on Ice”
The first story features an ice skating showdown between Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck that threatens their friendship. All the segments are filled with music and this story is no exception which a back-up choir to the choreography. It is kind of fun to see the hippos and crocodiles from Disney’s Fantasia join in the fun of the figure skating in a style that is much like the Fantasia short they first appeared in.
“Christmas: Impossible”
I love DuckTales, and this almost feels like a mini DuckTales episode. Huey, Dewey, and Louie head to the North Pole to try to intercept Santa and get their names off the naughty list. There are appearances by Donald, Daisy, and Scrooge McDuck who contrary to his title is one of the nicest characters in this story.
“Christmas Maximus”
Max is coming home from school and bringing a girl named Mona to meet his father Goofy. I never was a Goof Troop fan, and I know little about the characters. It is strange that Max is aging when Goofy and none of the other characters seem to be getting older…there is a bad song in this segment that seems like a Disney pop song.
“Donald’s Gift”
Daisy Duck finds Donald is cranky around the holidays and has to fight him to get the Christmas spirit. I just like Donald Duck and any Donald Duck short is a winner in my book.
“Mickey’s Dog-Gone Christmas”
Pluto makes a mess of Mickey’s Christmas party plans and Mickey kicks him out of the house. When Pluto runs away he’s found by Santa’s reindeer. Renamed Murray, Pluto finds himself missing Mickey, and Mickey in turn searches for Pluto. I don’t like Mickey Mouse much but this is primarily Pluto focus and ok. It is a longer sketch than some of the other shorts and feels a bit off balanced in this sense.
Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas is harmless fun. It takes a bit of getting used to when it comes to seeing Mickey and his friends rendered in 3D (the texturing of the film is good, but the characters are a bit stiff), but it still has a very cartoony feel. It is worth seeing this if it is on television, but don’t go out of your way to hunt it down. There are so many Christmas options, and even within the Disney sphere, you can do better than this outing.
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