All three of our children have been big fans of Playhouse Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but since they watched Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland, they cannot get enough of Mickey Mouse and his friends. With this Mickey's Christmas Carol DVD, I was able to see if they would be as receptive to some classic Mickey.Following the feature presentation "Mickey's Christmas Carol" are three short films . . . "Pluto's Christmas Tree", "The Small One", and "Santa's Workshop". I have to say there was a general consensus that "Pluto's Christmas Tree" was the best of the three.
What my children thought about "Mickey's Christmas Carol":
1) It took my 5-1/2yr old son a little while to understand that Mickey, Donald, and the other Disney characters where playing a role rather than appearing as themselves.
2) Although there were a few characters who were not familiar to my children, they definitely were happy to see Mickey (Bob Cratchit), Donald (Fred, Scrooge's nephew), and Goofy (Jacob Marley's ghost).
3) Even though my children enjoyed this film, our toddler twins were too young to understand the deeper meaning of the story. Our 5-1/2yr old understood about Scrooge's greed on some level, but the concept of a child being sick and dying because his family could not afford medical care was completely foreign to him.
4) Of the three bonus short films, we all agreed that our favorite was "Pluto's Christmas Tree". Our oldest son was especially delighted to recognize Chip and Dale and their mischievous behavior had him laughing quite a bit. He also loved the part where Pluto had a sticker over his mouth.
I think as long as you do not expect them to grasp the moral lessons of the stories, this DVD would be entertaining for young children. Each time they watch it, they will understand a bit more. To watch a clip from this film, visit Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. You can find this DVD on DisneyStore.com or at most online and local retailers of Disney DVDs.
Thank you to WDSHE for providing us with a review product free of charge.
