Full disclosure: I am well aware that this film is nowhere near a masterpiece. Some (if not most) of the segments fall flat upon revisiting them as an adult, the animation of the side characters is passable at best, and Goofy's section of the film is as cringe-worthy as I remember it being when I was a child...but even with all that said, I still can't bring myself to hate or even dislike this movie! Maybe it's the festive and cheerful nature of the whole thing, or perhaps my own nostalgia for Christmas' past when I would watch this film constantly, but in the end, my only feeling towards this movie is pure
festive joy!
Following a similar pattern to Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, this film serves as an anthology of shorts, each of which focus on a member of the Sensational Six and their respective relatives as they try to get through the Christmas period without any major disasters. This inevitably proves much harder than it looks, causing all sorts of holiday-related hijinks and hair-brained schemes to ensue. Minnie and Daisy get overly competitive in an ice-skating spectacular, Donald's nephews mail themselves to the North Pole in a Mission Impossible-style attempt to get their names on the nice list, Goofy causes all kinds of embarrassment for Max when he invites his new girlfriend home for the holidays, Donald struggles to find his Christmas spirit during his relentless pursuit of a nice mug of hot chocolate, and Pluto runs away to the North Pole after Mickey scolds him for ruining his Christmas decorations; standard scenarios with a festive twist, essentially.
While all of these scenarios may seem clichéd or hackneyed nowadays, the addition of classic Disney characters, festive cheer, some fairly solid comedic writing (such as the 'Jail-Break Bob' doll's one-liners and Jim Cummings' exasperated rendition of Blitzen the reindeer) and a few heartwarming moments (the triplets' decision to put Uncle Scrooge's name on Santa's list in the place of their own names is one example) ensures that the shorts still remain entertaining after multiple rewatches, especially if you're pining for some old-fashioned Disney magic to brighten up your Christmas or even if you just want to watch something around the period with any small children in your household.
Of the shorts listed, my personal favourites are probably 'Belles on Ice' and 'Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas', not only because they have somewhat better visuals and writing, but also because of their clever nods to the continuity of past Disney films, primarily Fantasia (at one point, for example, Mickey proclaims that he'd "have to be a sorcerer to clean up [Pluto's] mess"!). 'Belles on Ice' is particularly impressive, especially since it makes good use of its soundtrack and animation to tell the story visually rather than simply stating it outright through cumbersome dialogue, and perfectly illustrates that this film, while clearly designed with children in mind, can still appeal to adults in a variety of ways. And, in all honesty, it's always nice to hear Wayne Allwine's voice coming from Mickey!
While not a masterwork by any stretch of the imagination, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas manages to blend touching moments of sincerity, well-crafted comedy, and sneaky nods to extended Disney canon together to create a film that perfectly serves enough festive cheer for adults and children alike. I certainly intend to share this movie with my children when the time comes!
Following a similar pattern to Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, this film serves as an anthology of shorts, each of which focus on a member of the Sensational Six and their respective relatives as they try to get through the Christmas period without any major disasters. This inevitably proves much harder than it looks, causing all sorts of holiday-related hijinks and hair-brained schemes to ensue. Minnie and Daisy get overly competitive in an ice-skating spectacular, Donald's nephews mail themselves to the North Pole in a Mission Impossible-style attempt to get their names on the nice list, Goofy causes all kinds of embarrassment for Max when he invites his new girlfriend home for the holidays, Donald struggles to find his Christmas spirit during his relentless pursuit of a nice mug of hot chocolate, and Pluto runs away to the North Pole after Mickey scolds him for ruining his Christmas decorations; standard scenarios with a festive twist, essentially.
While all of these scenarios may seem clichéd or hackneyed nowadays, the addition of classic Disney characters, festive cheer, some fairly solid comedic writing (such as the 'Jail-Break Bob' doll's one-liners and Jim Cummings' exasperated rendition of Blitzen the reindeer) and a few heartwarming moments (the triplets' decision to put Uncle Scrooge's name on Santa's list in the place of their own names is one example) ensures that the shorts still remain entertaining after multiple rewatches, especially if you're pining for some old-fashioned Disney magic to brighten up your Christmas or even if you just want to watch something around the period with any small children in your household.
Of the shorts listed, my personal favourites are probably 'Belles on Ice' and 'Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas', not only because they have somewhat better visuals and writing, but also because of their clever nods to the continuity of past Disney films, primarily Fantasia (at one point, for example, Mickey proclaims that he'd "have to be a sorcerer to clean up [Pluto's] mess"!). 'Belles on Ice' is particularly impressive, especially since it makes good use of its soundtrack and animation to tell the story visually rather than simply stating it outright through cumbersome dialogue, and perfectly illustrates that this film, while clearly designed with children in mind, can still appeal to adults in a variety of ways. And, in all honesty, it's always nice to hear Wayne Allwine's voice coming from Mickey!
While not a masterwork by any stretch of the imagination, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas manages to blend touching moments of sincerity, well-crafted comedy, and sneaky nods to extended Disney canon together to create a film that perfectly serves enough festive cheer for adults and children alike. I certainly intend to share this movie with my children when the time comes!