Christmas Review - Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's the holiday season once again, which means it's time for some fun Christmas reviews. And, while in the past, this has been done in the form of 12 Reviews of Christmas, I feel as though I've exhausted so many Christmas titles worth talking about, that there simply isn't enough to warrant twelve days of them. So, going forward, there will instead be a handful of Christmas reviews spread intermittently throughout the month of December. 

       And, we're kicking off our Christmas reviews with the 2001 direct-to-video Disney special Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. For some background, in the year 1999, Disney aired a series called Mickey Mouse Works, which introduced a new collection of shorts starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. However, after two seasons, Disney replaced it with the similarly themed House of Mouse, which saw Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, along with Minnie, Daisy, Clarabelle Cow, and Horace Horsecollar running and operating a nightclub, which had Huey, Dewey, and Louie as the musical entertainment, the penguins from Mary Poppins as waiters, Goofy's son Max as the valet, and clientele coming from multiple Disney animated films, such as Snow White and the dwarfs from Snow White, Ariel and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, Belle and Beast from Beauty and the Beast, you get the idea. And, the show would showcase a mix of both classic Mickey, Donald, and Goofy shorts as well as ones held over from Mickey Mouse Works. 

        House of Mouse proved so popular, in fact, that Disney decided to make a pair of direct-to-video holiday specials based on the series. The first was a Christmas title released in 2001. So, let's dive into Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. 

        We open on Christmas Eve night at the House of Mouse, where the club is getting ready to close, and everyone is set to return home for Christmas. Unfortunately, a massive blizzard caused the front entrance to the club to get blocked by a pile of snow. Not wanting the guests to feel put out, Mickey decides to hold a free-of-charge Christmas party in the House of Mouse, so everyone can, at least, stay warm and indoors until the storm lets up outside. Unfortunately, Donald seems to be having a case of the Christmas blues. 

       We then are shown a mix of Christmas themed cartoons from Mickey Mouse Works, such as Donald on Ice, Mickey's Christmas Crisis, and The Nutcracker, as well as the classic cartoon Pluto's Christmas Tree, and Ludwig Von Drake breaking down "The Science of Santa." The festivities seem to help everyone, including villains like Jafar, get into the Christmas mood. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be getting Donald into the Christmas spirit. On the roof, Mickey laments not being able to help Donald, and speaks to Jiminy Cricket about it. Jiminy advises Mickey to wish on a star, and he does so. The star lands in Mickey's hands, and he heads inside, offering Donald to put it on the Christmas tree. Gleefully, Donal does so, transforming the club's Christmas decor, giving the Spirit of the Magic Mirror and Yen Sid Santa hats, turning Jafar's cane into a candy cane, and just completely filling the room with the holiday spirit. One last cartoon is shown, and it's the all-time classic Mickey's Christmas Carol, and everyone gathers for one last Christmas song. 

        This was a pretty fun holiday special. I liked that they crafted a story reason to showcase the various holiday shorts, and still had its own plot narrative on top of that. The idea that Mickey would have a holiday party in the House of Mouse free for the patrons, showcasing many holiday shorts, including the iconic Mickey's Christmas Carol, whole trying to lift Donald's Christmas spirit, was genuinely heartwarming. Now, this one is a bit difficult to find. But, it's one I definitely recommend. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and we definitely have a few more Christmas reviews on the way throughout December, so stay tuned. 

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