Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas 2004 Buena Vista Home Entertainment   Buy It Now

Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas was a shock to my system to say the least.  I don't pull many punches when it comes to my first impression on things and I suppose that this personality trait only helps me as a film reviewer.  I call things like I see them, and for the most part I am able to stick to my guns on a judgment.  This time, however, I was completely wrong.  It has happened before and I am sure it will happen again, but I will tell you...it doesn't happen very often!

Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas blew me away, plain and simple.  I can still, even now, not believe that I so thoroughly underestimated and enjoyed a completely computer animated release; and that it so expertly captured the mannerisms, charm and delight of the originally hand-drawn and hand-created characters which star within it.  I must admit that I have never seen its predecessor, Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, but I can assure you that after how much I enjoyed this new release, I will be hunting it down promptly (I have already started calling around to find it!) and will be watching them both this Holiday season.  I only hope that the originator shares its heart and passion with this more recent DVD; if it does, I will not be disappointed in the slightest.

I first became aware of Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (hereafter known as the slightly shorter and easier to type Twice Upon A Christmas) when I saw the advertisement for it inside the fold-up Disney DVD insert that came with my Lion King 2: Special Edition.  I must confess that I was a little less than pleased.  I am still a little gun shy and bitter at the fact that Disney is closing its hand-animation studios in favor of the more time and cost effective computer animation divisions.  Hand animators were either let go or retrained in the new "style", and it signifies the end of an era.  One of the things that I have found acceptable however is the fact that the two mediums have been either co-existing in the same film (as in Home On The Range) or at the very least, the graphics are made to appear as hand-drawn.  Here was a fully CG release that held a lot of question marks for me...  

First, whatever you do, do not make the mistake of assuming that what this release looks like in screenshots, or worse, in still images, is the result you will be getting.  I was very uninspired by the promo shot that was included in the Disney DVD pamphlet I had received, and after looking back at it earlier today (you obsessively keep all the inserts for your DVDs too, right? ...right?) I cannot believe that I had a desire to see this film at all.  Of all the photos and screenshots I have seen to date, not a single one has done the fantastic feeling of this disc's visuals any semblance of justice.

But for the real strong point here, you need look no further than the story.  

Wow, I cannot believe I just typed that...it isn't a sentence you find the chance to use often in reviewing films, I can assure you!  Actually, more stor-ies than stor-y, the writing of Twice Upon A Christmas is of the sort that has held the name Disney dear in so many hearts for so many generations.  These tales are full of magical, heart-felt moments that truly do this wonderful time of year a service in their telling.  So close to the stuff that storybooks are made of, a book seems the only device fitted to their telling...

It all begins with the opening of a colorful, pop-up book of holiday tales.  As each introduction is recited in a rhyming "T'was The Night Before Christmas" style that seems just so...well, Christmas, the books pages flip to reveal pop-up scenes which bring the characters featured in that particular tale to life.  Soon enough we are tightening the focus on each page and literally zooming into the story about to be told.  A very tried and true manner in which to move from narrative to immersed storytelling, it seems to work especially well here.  I felt like a little kid again, waiting for the stories to unfold with the kind of anticipation I only get now from counting the moments down to clocking out of work or getting off a crowded freeway onto wide open city streets!

The first story gets things going just right...fast, fun and humorously!  Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck star in "Belles On Ice" as participants in a Holiday ice skating exhibition.  What starts as simply a shared experience quickly becomes a friendly rivalry to be the home town favorite and put on the most spectacular show.  But rivalry doesn't even do justice to the intense, on-ice showdown that soon starts to take place out on the frozen rink as both Minnie and Daisy pull out all the stops and things start getting wild, crazy and more than a little dangerous in an attempt by each to out-skate the other!  We get to watch from the sidelines, along with Mickey and Donald, as all heck starts to break loose and things get way out of control.  The question is, will either of the two lovely ladies out there on the ice be able to claim the title, or will they both just wind up hurting each other?

I loved the inclusion of "back-up skaters" in this tale.  Much as in, say, Disney On Ice, there are usually some additional costumed skaters sharing in the choreography and routine, and here they take on the incarnation of the alligators and hippos from Disney's animated masterpiece Fantasia!  You know the ones; we all remember seeing the poor strained, cape-wearing alligators spinning madly in circles while holding the giant pink tutu'ed hippos over their heads.  By including these characters from the past, it is as if the animators are given a sly nod to the parents of all the children who will surely be gathered around this DVD for Christmas Eve viewings, who once sat in their parents living room enjoying a Disney movie and being captivated with the same awe.

Up next, as we flip a few pages, is "Christmas: Impossible"; my favorite short, and I am not surprised if most other viewers will share that same view.  If you are a Donald Duck lover like me, then you have seen your fair share of his high-strung and turbulent nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie.  As much as I hold a special place in my heart for their uncle Donald and his short-fused temper and violent outbursts (*(#&@(*#!), I have to admit a certain admiration for the trouble that these three youngsters can cause in just about any situation.  Anyone who thinks troublemaking isn't a skill or that causing havoc is easy will be surprised to learn differently in this story.

It's Christmas Eve and the nephews have just learned from their Great Uncle Scrooge that he doesn't receive presents from Santa because he is always too greedy and always puts himself first.  Terrified because of their own ensured place on the "bad list", they decide that it is easier to travel to the North Pole, break into Santa's workshop, secretly add their names to the good list and get back to Duckburg before the next morning, than it would be to simply change their ways!  The plan is put into action and the next thing you know, Santa's Workshop is in a state of chaos and Christmas may not happen for them after all...or for any other child in the world!

"Christmas Maximus" is next in line, and while it is my least favorite, it does ring very true to the Disney format.  Set against the only original (non-Christmas carol) song in the entire movie, Max tries to bring a new girlfriend home for the Holiday.  This decision is heart and nerve wracking for poor Max as he wants everything to go smoothly...and as we all know, nothing goes smoothly for Goofy!  Sure enough, bumbling chaos is the name of the game, but Max learns a little something about acceptance and family along the way.

I am not a huge fan of the song that is used, but this is almost entirely because of the vocal talent and not the songwriting; and it could be just the fact that I was not expecting to hear any songs at this point in the movie, since there had been none previously.  But what is a Disney film without an original song and a taste of what made this studio so timeless in the first place?  This is the shortest of all the tales, barely more than the length of the song, but it is probably the one tale that will have mom and dad cuddled up on the couch staring with misty eyes at their little ones.  A strong message of family unity is discretely passed along here...almost without notice.

We get a break from the tugging of the heartstrings and are shoved right back into a tickling of the funny bone with "Donald's Gift".  As any of you, who like myself, work retail at the Holidays can attest, there are some days when you simply want to get away from Christmas and most importantly...from the Christmas carols!  Donald is having just such a moment, but he is finding it very, very hard to escape!  No matter where he goes or what he does, Donald finds himself being followed by the same pesky Christmas carol.  He hears it on the radio, on TV, in the streets, in the barking of dogs, in the sounds of a mall...everywhere!  Soon the inevitable meltdown occurs and Donald is forced to choose between going crazy and accepting the Holiday spirit.

So where is the Mickey I can hear you asking; after all this is called Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas!  Well, in line with the old addage, this time the filmmakers have saved the best for last.  "Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas" brings us into the middle of a misunderstanding between Mickey and his "best pal" Pluto that sends his canine friend running away.  It will take the help from all his friends and a few new ones to reunite Mickey with his faithful pet before the whole gang can get together for the Christmas party.

A few short pieces and the "Life With Louie" cartoon series based on the childhood days of comedian Louie Anderson (yeah it was about as good as you are thinking...) were the resume for director Matthew O'Callaghan prior to this release.  He worked a little bit on the pre-production of Shrek which explains the great comedic timing here and had worked in the visual effects department on a few Disney releases which explains his affinity towards the material, but Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas will explain why he will have a great career still ahead of him!  Even his writing crew was rather new to the game, having made contributions to films previous, but not in this capacity.  All in all, I am amazed at how much I loved Twice Upon A Christmas and I am wondering if maybe it isn't because Disney took a chance on some lesser known names and brought some fresh ideas to the table with them.  Whatever the reason, I want to commend the entire staff of this one for changing my mind about the entire medium of computer animation as a viable Disney future (I am not giving it my blessing mind you...bring back the hand animators or this company WILL lose its soul).

The extras here are minimal, but this is expected when the feature is computer generated (providing for only self-created outtakes or "here is how we do animation on a computer" featurettes...both of which are growing old) and in reality kids want to watch the movie over and over...not play a repetitive DVD game with only one outcome.  There are a few nifty treats in this stocking however, such as the Backstage Disney look at Michelle Kwan and her inspiration for the skating action and movements.  There is also a Deleted Scenes segment which is more a "making of" as the deleted material was all relevant to plot progression and the building of the final version.  

The aforementioned games are here; two of them total, although one of them is just a guessing game.  Not a feature or an extra, the most clever inclusion was the DVD title menu which is an exterior shot of a Holiday decorated home.  With the click of your remote button you can turn the lights on and off, change the pattern of the blinking or alternate the colors of the lights themselves.  I am 30 years old and I found myself fiddling around with this very limited option for several minutes before being yelled at to "Start the dang (expletive altered) movie!".

I can't imagine what is not to love about this one.  Our favorite characters are all here, none the worse for wear in their new format, there are morals and music aplenty, and some powerful and cohesive writing along with a lighthearted spirit of aloof.  Your kids will love it.  You will love it.  Have a Merry Christmas; you just got your present from Disney!

-aaron-