Movie Review: Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Second two stories are funny and heart warming

Cons: The first story gets annoying fast; aimed more at kids

The Bottom Line:

Three good Christmas tales

Kids will certainly enjoy

Good messages, too

Mickey and the Gang Give Us Three New Christmas Stories

Contrary to popular opinion, I don't buy every Disney movie just because of the name.  For example, I have mostly stayed away from the direct to video movies.  That's why I am just now watching Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas - I caught a showing on TV.  Turns out this collection of shorter stories are charming and heartwarming.

The movie is a little over an hour and weaves together three new stories with the classic Disney characters.  Up first is "Donald Duck: Stuck on Christmas."  Frankly, the title is a little misleading since it is really Huey, Dewey, and Louie who are experiencing the Groundhog Day effect.  After having a great Christmas day, they wish everyday could be Christmas.  And they wake up the next morning to discover that it is happening all over again.  After a few days of Christmas, they begin to tire of the holiday.  Can they find a way to stop it from coming again?  Is there a lesson they need to learn before it happens?

This is the weakest entry on the disc.  While all the stories are predictable, this one got on my nerves rather quickly.  While the lesson is nice (and all the stories remind us that people are the most important part of Christmas), it doesn't come fast enough for me.

Next comes "A Goofy Christmas."  The story starts in crisis mode as Goofy's son Max wants his dad to finish a letter to Santa in time to be picked up by the mailman that day.  Goofy's failure leads to a hilarious chase in the mall.  But once they get home, Max starts to doubt Santa's existence.  Is his faith in the right place?  Or will he be disappointed come Christmas morning.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.  Again, there were few surprises along the way, but both Goofy and Max showed some real emotion that tugged at my heart strings.  The sleepless night the two spend together on Christmas Eve especially got to me.  Plus that scene in the mall is pure fun.  Parents may want to be prepared for some questions when this one is over, however.

Finally comes "Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi."  And, yes, it borrows heavily from the O. Henry classic.  Mickey is trying to save up enough from his tips working at Crazy Pete's Christmas Tree Lot to buy Minnie a chain for her prized pocket watch.  And Minnie is counting on a Christmas bonus from her job at Mortimer's Department Store to buy Mickey a case for his harmonica.  It's Christmas Eve, so the pressure is on.  But when both of their plans fall through, will they still have a merry Christmas.

The problems encountered along the way were the only surprises in this little gem.  Of course, the target audience of kids probably isn't familiar with the source material, so they won't know what is going to happen.  Still, I found the ending touching.

All told, these three stories total just over an hour.  There is some narration between stories by Kelsey Grammer that makes sure you get the point of the stories.  It might be a tad on the preachy side, but it is nice to be reminded during this crazy time that spending time with and helping people are the most important part of the season.

As an adult fan, I will say that I enjoyed it.  However, I'm not sure I would watch it very often.  I think this is aimed more toward kids and their parents rather than adults like me.

So if you are looking for something entertaining for your kids that won't feed into commercialism, Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas will fit the bill nicely.