Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999 Video) User Reviews

charming trio of Christmas stories

[didi-5 · 7/10 · 26 December 2009]

First there was 'Mickey's Christmas Carol', with the famous mouse as Bob Cratchit to Scrooge MacDuck. But the new Disney has brought this anthology, a trio of stories infused with the spirit of Christmas and beautifully animated.

Donald Duck and his nephews are preparing for Christmas, but Huey, Dewey and Louie enjoy themselves so much that they wish for Christmas Day to be every day ... Goofy tries his best to keep his son, Max, from stopping his belief in Santa Claus ... and Mickey and Minnie find a way to make each other thoughtful gifts for Christmas.

In voices and in animation, the classic characters look very like they did in the great cartoons of the past. The stories, although a little saccharine, are in keeping with the season and are extremely watchable. Perhaps the Ducks' Groundhog Day Christmas is the pick of the trio, but all three shorts are well worth watching. Perhaps the narration by Kelsey 'Frasier' Grammar could be missed though.

Delightful and beautiful!

[Mightyzebra · 8/10 · 26 December 2007]

This is one of the most beautiful animated films that has ever and could ever be made. Sure, it has its annoying, slapsticky moments, but it's all made up for by enchanting plots, good characters (of course, they're Mickey and his friends!) and kindness hardly ever done in the real world (or in films for that matter!).

Basically this is a film with three stories about Mickey and his friends in the Christmas season.

The first story is about Huey, Douie, Louie, Daisy, Donald, Scrooge and who appears to be the three boys' other aunt or even mum. They all have a very good Christmas, despite the fact that boys are very badly behaved during this holiday season. Huey, Douie and Louie enjoy the day so much, that they wish it was Christmas every day. It turns out that after a while, things aren't as jolly and merry as they could be! Probably the least heartwarming of all of them, this story is no doubt entertaining and worth watching. 7 and a half out of ten.

The second story features Goofy, Max, Pete and some strangers in the street, when first Goofy and Max deliver a letter for Santa and then Max is told something very upsetting by mean old Pete. This story is incredibly lovely and touching, but (arguably) isn't quite the best of the lot. 8 out of ten.

The third story is absolutely beautiful, with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Pete and some strangers in the street. Mickey and Minnie are both not very wealthy at all and are having extreme problems buying each other presents. The most heartwarming and special of the three stories, this part of the film will melt your heart as if it were a pound of butter! :-)

Good for everyone who loves Mickey and his friends and beautiful cartoons about them that you would think you could not get nowadays, enjoy "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas"!

Be very careful watching this with kids ages 4-7

[michaelgeib-618-885130 · 6/10 · 25 December 2009]

I bought this title without any word-of-mouth or ideas as to its quality, which is something I normally don't do. Two nights before Christmas, my wife, 4-year-old son and I sat down to watch the first short starring Donald Duck. We all enjoyed the playful humour as well as the message. This segment rates an 8 out of 10.

My issue with this video came in the second segment starring Goofy and Max. Our 4-year-old has been asking a lot of questions regarding the specifics of how Santa can do his seemingly impossible job. This segment, which we watched on Christmas Eve, almost blew the whole Saint Nick thing for us. It took fair amount of fast talking from both my wife and I to reassure our child that Santa was coming that night. If your child is of a certain age where they are questioning Santa and you are not ready to face a tough conversation, do not let them watch this segment! 2 out of 10.

The final segment with Mickey and Minnie was warm and wholesome, although tended to drag for the attention span of little one. 7 out of 10.

A great direct-to-video animated movie!

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 22 December 2003]

This here is an anthology that tells 3 magical stories of Christmas, the first tale tells about Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Duey and Luey who make a wish that Christmas would be everyday ( sort of like the Bill Murray movie " Groundhog Day") then they unfortunately get their wish come true but it's the same day over and over again, they must set things right in order to make it a bright and cheery Christmas. The second tale tells about Goofy's son whom been told by meanie Peter that Santa does not exists, but Goofy must prove that Santa is for real then the last tale is about Mickey and Minnie who must give up their personal possessions for their Christmas love.

A highly entertaining, well animated and marvelously done collection of stories with cameos by Mortimer the Rat and Scrooge Mcduck. It's a fun Christmas movie, especially for the Disney lover.

9/10.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 6/10 · 14 December 2011]

3 Christmas tales from Disney's mascots. Donald's nephews are forced to relive Christmas day everyday. Goofy tries to convince his son that Santa is real, and Mickey and Minnie end up trading their prize possessions in order to buy gifts for the other. As individual shorts go, these work. The stories are sweet and well paced, but it's a chore to get through all three at once. The animation is higher quality than Disney's TV output, but not as high as their animated classics. You kind of wish Disney would put the most effort into their mascot. I can imagine these as background entertainment during other Christmas activities, but not one to snuggle up by the fire with.

good family friendly Christmas

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 December 2019]

There are three stories; Donald Duck in Stuck on Christmas, A Very Goofy Christmas, and Mickey & Minnie's Gift of the Magi. Donald gives his nephews a wooden sleigh each and they learn the meaning of Christmas. Goofy's son is losing his belief in Santa. Mickey is working at the Christmas tree lot while Minnie is wrapping presents at the store. These are great little Christmas stories. It won't become classic but it's pretty good. Mostly the messages are good. It's family friendly. They may work even better as half hour episodes. It's not really hour plus material especially for little kids with attention deficiency.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 14 December 2015]

Sweet-natured and soft-hearted Disney animated trio of tales revolving around Christmas hits the holiday spirit on the mark.

The first has Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie wishing upon a star for Christmas Day to never end, and they get their wish…but will the magic that is Christmas Day lose its luster? This emphasizes how having the same day, no matter how special it is, repeating over and over could ruin what makes it great. I enjoyed Donald Duck's part in this as he endured a pan of eggs and pancakes (and including the pan itself) on top of his head over and over, not to mention his reaction to his nephews during the supper, cooked special by Daisy Duck, when they act all nice, well-behaved, and mannered (having learned from a previous day when they contributed to chaos that included a runaway turkey, a destroyed supper table, damaged of piano, and toppled Christmas tree, they realize the next day should be "the best Christmas day ever"). Donald was always my favorite character as a kid, so his misfortune when the nephews inadvertently cause mayhem (just being kids) often cracked me up. A repeat of chaos as Donald tries as he might to keep the day from descending into anarchy is so wonderfully Clark Griswaldish. The plot, a version of Groundhog Day, does give the Disney Ducks plenty of opportunity to have their fun, then get bored, and eventually realize that everyday same (with the occasional slight alteration) does get a bit redundant.

The second has Goofy trying to lure Santa to his home so that his son can recover his belief in Jolly Ole Saint Nick. Giving a struggling family presents in their time of need and risking life and limb to recover a letter to Santa (to receive a special snowboard), Goofy is quite a hero here. Sure he's clumsy and often falls on his face (although he trips during a dinner spent with neighbors and all of the utensils, food, and drink fall right in place on the table so sometimes it all works out for him), but his heart of gold always perseveres in the end. Pete gleefully telling Goofy's boy Santa doesn't exist and soon realizing the error of his ways (not allowed to enjoy what Red Belly has for those that believe) is satisfying.

The third tale has Mickey and Minnie wanting to buy significant presents for each other but both suffer cruel employers. Mickey working at a Christmas tree sales lot (making sure his dastardly boss doesn't trick a poor family into a payment plan for a big tree by finding a nice smaller one they can afford means he loses the little money he had) while Minnie wraps gifts like a pro (yet doesn't get a bonus as expected, but a fruit log). A necklace for Minnie's watch is what Mickey wants to buy in a store window and a case for Mickey's harmonica is what Minnie wishes to buy him. Will it work out? Sometimes even if it doesn't work out, just being together on Christmas is enough.

Quite a family Christmas movie, Disney fans should enjoy the animation prior to going computer. The movie gets in all the faves, including Pluto, Mickey's dog, dutifully following him around as he tries to come up with a way to make some quick cash. Premiering in '99, perhaps this will be a nostalgic treat for those of us who enjoyed animation from days gone by.

A Little-Known Christmas Surprise

[travisimo · 9/10 · 12 December 2003]

The only time I ever heard about this movie is when I pass by it each time I visit Hollywood Video. I've never seen it on TV or seen commercials, but after working with Disney and becoming a big fan, I figure I should give this Christmas special a chance. And it paid off! This is a very nice, funny, and heartwarming movie, and frankly, I'm surprised we don't hear more about it every Christmas.

My favorite character, Donald, opens the movie strongly with a hilarious episode reminiscent of the great Bill Murray comedy, 'Groundhog Day.' Huey, Dewey, and Louie wish everyday were Christmas, and soon learn they wished for more than they bargained for. In the end, they learn an important lesson, as does anyone watching this episode. Who among us didn't wish we had Christmas everyday when we were kids? This episode also has a memorable visit with the Duck family, including Daisy and Scrooge.

Next up is Goofy's chapter of the movie. Physical comedy is Goofy's trademark, which isn't a favorite comedic style of mine, but he does it well in this cartoon. Goofy is as lovable as always while his son, Max, is much more appealing as a kid than when he grows up (A Goofy Movie). The bond between Goofy and Max is very heartwarming, as Goofy never gives up in his belief in Santa and in his attempt to convince Max. The end result is touching, and also satisfying when neighbor, Mr. Pete, gets what's coming to him!

Last and definitely not least, is Mickey and Minnie's version of 'The Gift of the Magi.' This isn't the funniest episode of the bunch, but just like it has been throughout Disney history, Mickey and Minnie serve as the heart and soul of this picture. They both overcome the odds and indulge in the holiday spirit, only to come up empty-handed. This doesn't matter though, as they have each other, and that's all that matters. Side Note: One tiny thing I really enjoyed about this episode was Mickey's dance move that was first seen in 1942's 'Mickey's Birthday Party.' It's fun to remember the classics!

Overall, this is a very satisfying and heartwarming Christmas special. The animation is quite nice and vibrant to show off our favorite Disney characters, and the voice-work is well done too (especially by Kelsey Grammar as the perfect narrator!) I wouldn't necessarily label this movie a masterpiece like 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' or my personal favorite, 'Mickey's Christmas Carol,' but it's quite strong nonetheless. ABC and Disney Channel should definitely let people know about this special. It has the potential to be a classic!

My IMDb Rating: 9/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A (Outstanding)

Excellent for Christmas

[DogePelis2015 · 6/10 · 26 November 2020]

Nice Christmas stories for young children; highly recommended to see at Christmas time.

Second opinion: It is a Christmas classic that I quite enjoy; it is recommended.

Underrated gem

[nrobertson-46524 · 10/10 · 26 November 2023]

This was one of the first Christmas movies I have ever watched and nobody talks about it, always being overshadowed by Mickeys Christmas carol. But this movie is a amazing showcase of a kid's Christmas movie, it has lessons, likable characters and nice gags. It has three short storys with different characters in each of them. The first story is about donald and his nephews, donalds nephews wished it was Christmas every day but they soon find out bthat Christmas every day is terrible. The next story is about goofy and his son max as max loses faith in santa so goofy attempts to give max faith again. In the third story mickey and minnie attempt to get each other the perfect gifts but they soon learn about the day of giving.

Really sweet Yuletide movie!

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 3 May 2009]

Honestly, it is really sweet and genuinely memorable, full of powerful messages of Christmas. I think it is one of the better Christmas videos out there, and there are a lot of very good ones, like Enchanted Christmas. Here, we have three stories, like Cinderella 2 and Belle's Magical World, but I would definitely pick Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas over both those films put together. It is a little short, but with the sweetness of the entire movie, the top notch voice talents and the surprisingly good animation, that is so easy to forgive. The highlight of the film was the beautiful, restrained intonation of Kelsey Grammar's narration, and he was the main reason why I got the video in the first place. The material he was given was beautifully written, and he made the most with it. The animation was surprisingly good, I was expecting worse, but the animation was actually one of the many redeeming qualities of this movie. The three stories are inspired and very well-done, my favourite being the last one with Mickey and Minnie. Plus the inspired moments of comedy like Donald chasing a turkey and lovely music and a musical yultide interlude at then end that is enough to touch the heart. All in all, a beautiful and touching yuletide movie, with a 9/10 from me. Bethany Cox

Nice Yuletide from Disney

[lisafordeay · 7/10 · 3 December 2022]

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas is a 1999 film featuring Kelsey Grammer as the voice of the narrator.

Done in 3 parts the film is as follows.

Christmas Everday is the first story and tells the tale of Donald Duck's kids who wish that it was Christmas everyday. When it comes true however it turns into a parody of Groundhog Day where each day is December 25th. Its up to Hewy and his brothers to save the day.

A Very Goofy Christmas focuses on Goofy and his son Max who is disappointed to find out that Santa Clause was Goofy.

Mickey and Minnie's gift of the magi focuses on Mickey and Minnie during the Xmas period.

Overall I enjoyed it.

Absolutely do not watch!!!!

[geolarkin · 1/10 · 20 December 2020]

Do NOT watch this with young children. The second one in particular seems designed to stop a child belief in you know who. Just a terrible show. Why would anyone make and distribute this!?!?

fun for the young and the young at heart

[mattkratz · 14 October 2002]

This movie was fun for all ages, with stories about Daffy Duck, Goofy, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Christmas time. Kids are guaranteed to love it, and I think it could become a holiday classic.

*** out of ****

It's Actually Quite Sad

[jordyntsmith · 6/10 · 4 December 2023]

Three short tales of Christmas.

While I appreciate the overall heart each story brings, each of them is actually quite depressing. Sure, they each have happy endings, but most of the characters are quite sad throughout their respective tales as nothing really goes right for them until the very end of the tale. Regardless, my three year old daughter still liked it.

I do appreciate the 2D animation style, the recognizable voice cast, and the odd through backs. Surprisingly, I found Pete to be the most interesting character! However, I found the resolution of each story didn't quite bring me back from the depths they brought me to.

Most kids will still like these, but there are better Mickey Mouse products.

Ok I guess

[invisibleunicornninja · 6/10 · 27 December 2018]

A while ago in school we watched the short "the gift of the magi" and its not terrible but it's an ok adaptation of the story I guess.

Once Upon Mickey's Christmas.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 31 December 2018]

Whilst being aware of this movie since seeing ads for it on Disney videos in the early 2000's, the classic Mickey's Christmas Carol has always been the one which has gotten re-watched over the Christmas/New Year season. Finding out that my dad had picked this title up from a local DVD shop, I got set to see a new X-Mas carol from Mickey.

View on the film:

Made by the teams behind the Disney animated TV shows of the late 90's/early 2000's, the directors give this anthology the same slick animation polish as the TV series, with the characters being given a rubbery appearance, which rubs some of the warmth in the hand-drawn style away,but inflates a lively atmosphere when everyone is jumping with excitement for Christmas.

Despite being dropped straight to video, the feature breaks from the stigma of low-grade Disney STV with a touch of class, first from the excellent voice cast, (which includes Alan Young voicing Scrooge McDuck for the first time since DuckTales ended in 1990) and second in the maturity of the screenplay.

Loosely linking three X-Mas tales together with an unrelated wrap-around/narration on the joy of Christmas, the writers wonderfully have the legendary charters display a level of melancholy to the occasion, brimming in Goofy and his son Max having doubts over Santa being real, (thanks for no difficult questions after viewing guys!) and Mickey being penniless, but finding in his heart the joy of spending the holidays with Minnie, once upon a Christmas.

A Disney holiday film that makes me excited every holiday!!!!!

[sethn172 · 10/10 · 6 September 2006]

Disney in Christmas 1999 released this on video, "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas," and this time, the anthology setup is back again!!!!!

Here, we have three stories. The first is with Goofy and Max, and Max needed a new snowboard from Santa, so they tried whatever they could to send in that letter!!!!! Look for funny mall stores like "Lumberjack Lingerie" and "C.E.O. Shorts" along the way!!!!! The next is with Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and they wished that Christmas could occur every day!!!!! Finally, we wrap it all up with Mickey, Minnie, and Pete, and we see a story based on "The Gift of the Magi," which I thought was very serious in this series.

Christmas just isn't Christmas without "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas!!!!!"

10/10

It's a great movie! For kidz.

[Xtreme_SpiderMan · 10/10 · 19 November 2001]

This is a great movie for some children because it's a fairy tale in Disney mode. I find that "Mickey's Magical Christmas" is a little bit better than this one for a kid's christmas animation movie. It has a great story that it divides by in 3 sections: Donald Duck, Goofy and Mickey Mouse. I think anyone younger than 10 years old must like it!!!

Cute...

[RosanaBotafogo · 8/10 · 20 February 2023]

Disney's biggest stars shine in this magical Christmas cartoon. Mickey, Minnie and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto come together to remember Christmas in three delightful stories. In the best Disney tradition, Minnie and Mickey remember the year they gave up what was most important to each other, for the sake of the other, and ended up living an unforgettable Christmas

So cute, Donald Duck is one of my favorite characters (after Goofy s2), and he's a misunderstood character, a character of modern life, a poor, clumsy bastard, that everything goes wrong, a stressed and anxious one, our evil of the century, but he has a good heart, and a sincere love for Margarida and her nephews, cuteness...

BEWARE for the second story

[toddnamber · 1/10 · 20 December 2022]

The first story with Donald and Huey, Dewey, and Louie is great. It really takes to heart the meaning of Christmas.

The third story with Mickey and Minnie is alright, enjoyable. I don't think the ending is wholly understandable or satisfactory for young children.

The second story with Goofy and Max is not appropriate for most children, in my opinion. It shoves every doubt down your throat with unapologetic abandon. It ruins the rest of the collection for me, truth be told. The rating is for this story alone, but you can't get around it and it is really that detrimental. Preview it yourself before watching as a family.

Great Disney Christmas movie for all ages

[mwcrunner · 10/10 · 29 April 2016]

This is one of the best animated Christmas movies I've ever seen. Huey Duey and Luey learning that Christmas comes once a year for a reason, Goofy and Max learning about the existence of Santa Claus and Mickey and Minnie giving up things they own for the gifts that they wanted each other and learning that they were all they needed for each other cause they love each other forever and will never be apart. This movie truly contains some Christmas spirit and of course we also know that Christmas is also about the birth of Jesus Christ. This is so a highly recommended Christmas movie for that special time of year and for ages to come. This is a timeless movie here and will last forever. 10 out of 10 for this.

Good for the Holidays!!!

[Hollywood_Yoda · 10/10 · 4 December 2004]

To those of you that have read some of the comments about this film. I regret to say that Disney has nothing to do with "DAFFY DUCK". That is in fact a Warner Bros. character and not afiliated with any of the stories on this film. Other than that mistake by another commenter, the movie does feature Donald Duck, with his nephews, and even uncle Scrooge. The very first story seen is the best one in my opinion, where Christmas Day is repeated everyday, until it is correct. And this segment also reminds me of another movie, Bill Murray's "Groundhog Day". The part with Goofy and Max is not one of my favorites, because it turns Max into a younger version of himself, unlike what we saw on "Goof Troop", where he was a little bit older. "Gift of the Magi" segment is very heartwarming, and you will have to watch the video to find out why. Overall, i would have to give this movie a 7 of 10 rating, for family appeal.

10/10

[arielsiere · 10/10 · 17 May 2022]

I think this christmas movie was cool just like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Kelsey Grammer the voice of Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons) and Stinky Pete ( Toy Story 2) was the narrator from this movie golly great movie i will never forget.

Boring and plodding

[sean-gilbertson · 3/10 · 24 December 2019]

Most of the stories in this are saccharine and boring. The Goofy / Max one is the worst of them - a too-long story of doubt in which the characters do nothing and make no personal journey and are rewarded with a split-second afterthought of a sighting of a Santa who apparently keeps grudges.