1 A SUCKER FOR DISNEY HOLIDAY FARE
What can I say, ever since I was a kid I've been a sucker of Disney holiday stuff whether it was cartoons, comic books or whatever.
Once upon a Christmas presents twoChristmas shorts starring Disneys top characters followed by the main Feature, Disney's version of the Gift of the Magi.
The first stars Donald Duck and his three rascally nephews, "Stuck On Christmas". In a Groundhog Day type scenario, Huey, Dewey and Louie wish it were Christmas every day. However, events soon become quite boring and the moral follows.
Goofy and his son Max star in "A Very Goofy Christmas" next and this sees Max losing his faith in Santa while Goofy tries to restore it. Finally, we arrive at The Gift of the Magi where humble Mickey sells his only valuable possession to buy Minnie a gift, while she sells her only valuable possession. Irony follows, as does life lesson.
Overall the animation is very nice, and while the storylines are a little simplified, the movie is obviously aimed at the younger folks and to this end works rather well.
With a complete running time of 63 minutes and but one extra in the storybook, it may appear on the surface that this DVD doesn't have all that much to offer. However, it's been aimed at the youngsters and caters to them very well with plenty of fun animation that they'll enjoy watching time and again.
There are some good old value morals included in the stories and if they help get their Christmas point across in this fast-paced modern world, then all the better.
As far as the animation goes, this is superb and the extra, while limited, has had some time spent on it at least and isn't just stills dragged from the film. So, it's up in the air folks. I liked it quite a lot, but as to the value of the piece, that must remain with you, although the asking price for this is a little less than most recent titles.
2 Filled With Spirit
My children love this movie - they occasionally ask for it even after the holidays are passed. I can't blame them - it's filled with three great stories. Donald Duck's selfish nephews wish it could be Christmas every day so they can get more presents. When their wish is granted, they discover it isn't always good to get what you ask for. In story two, Goofy and Max, his hip, teenage son, learn a lesson in love and believing when they discover the REAL Santa lives in each of us. And in the third story, Mickey and Minnie bring to life a cartoon version of the wonderfull story "The Gift of the Magi." Superb narration, entertaining animation, and a timeless message of love that reaches beyond Christmas.
3 An excellent direct-to-video Disney flick!
This here is a collection of 3 Christmas themed stories narrated by Kelsey Grammer, the first story tells a " Groundhog Day"-esque tale about Huey, Duey and Luey wishing it was christmas everyday but their wish comes true, unforuntely it's really the same day repeating all the day but they must change it in order to get rid of the wish. The second story tells about Goofy with his son max who tries to prove the existence of Santa Claus then the final tale tells about Mickey whom must give up their two personal possesions for the sake of how they love each other.
A highly entertaining animated anthology nicely done each with a moral in the end, watch for the climax as the all stars of this movie come together for a christmas song. Cameos by Scrooge Mcduck from "Ducktales" and "Mortimer" the Rat.
4 Disney Makes Christmas Special
This DVD is filled with the Spirit Of CHristmas. It is narrated and strung togtehr by the naration of Kelsey Grammer.
Thre separate stories wrapped inside Disney's beloved characters.
Story One is the story of Donald, Daisey, Uncle Scrooge and the nephews learning what Christmas is really all about. It's Heuy, Duey and Luey who learn that Christmas is spacial ONE day of the year. Becasue sometime when you wish for things you can get them and having is not as always a pleasing a thing as wanting it. Imaging X-Mas 265 days a year!
Story Two is about Father and son. Goofy and his son learn the value of each other while Goofy spends most of the time trying to convince his son Santa Clause does exists. At first its hard but later Goofy's son learns that his day is giving loving and cheerishes him more than anything. Santa Does exists.
Story Three involves Mickey and Minnie in the basic of basic of the Christmas Spirit. Each one wants to buy the other something they need. But the problem is they can't afford it so give up something for the other. The end result is Love survives all.
A wonderful video with great animation, action and humor. It will tug at your heartstrings - just a little. Fun for the whole Family (12-2-03)
5 A Charming Telling Of Christmas Stories.
This Video is filled with the Spirit Of CHristmas. It is narrated and strung togtehr by the naration of Kelsey Grammer.
Thre separate stories wrapped inside Disney's beloved characters.
Story One is the story of Donald, Daisey, Uncle Scrooge and the nephews learning what Christmas is really all about. It's Heuy, Duey and Luey who learn that Christmas is spacial ONE day of the year. Becasue sometime when you wish for things you can get them and having is not as always a pleasing a thing as wanting it. Imaging X-Mas 265 days a year!
Story Two is about Father and son. Goofy and his son learn the value of each other while Goofy spends most of the time trying to convince his son Santa Clause does exists. At first its hard but later Goofy's son learns that his day is giving loving and cheerishes him more than anything. Santa Does exists.
Story Three involves Mickey and Minnie in the basic of basic of the Christmas Spirit. Each one wants to buy the other something they need. But the problem is they can't afford it so give up something for the other. The end result is Love survives all.
A wonderful video with great animation, action and humor. It will tug at your heartstrings - just a little. (12-2-03)
6 Great stories about the Spirit of Christmas
I got this video (and I'm going to buy the DVD this year) about 2 years ago and my daughter and I have sat and watched it for the last two holiday seasons. There are three stories all about the true meaning of Christmas (another reviewer explains them so I won't repeat it here). In my opinion this is one of the best Christmas videos (animated) that I've seen in a while. Disney really came through on this one. Enjoy!
7 Cheating,customers.
Since, The Walt,Disney,VHS, tapes,Have been sold,to the puplic,customers, Have been getting! cheated.You the seller, dont give enough, information, on the tape, Example, their, Disney,Classics, Masterpeices, Disney,Gold collection.,and others, I ask for A Disney,Gold,Their are two tapes, of the same movie,made. When you sell, a gold, It sould say Gold collection, on cover. you sould tell the customer,more information.You Display, picturesque,on the Internet, And send what is not of the picturesque.sell,me what I see! For that is what im buying.
8 Excellent stories with a moral
I really enjoyed this movie as well as my "almost 4 year old" child. Three stories, all with a relavant moral. On deals with friends being more important than what one gives. Another with today's "gimme a present" culture and how caring is found to be more important, the other with a similar "caring about family is more important than presents" and how wishing Christmas happened every day of the year isn't necessarily a good thing. The rock band item at the end of the movie was disjoint and shouldn't have been there (a dismail rendition of "Deck the Halls" done to the tone of a funeral march.) Put a erase protect defeat label on this part, erase it is my advise so you don't have to hear it if you don't shut off the movie in time. It destroys the innocent content of the movies.
9 A very nice Disney Christmas movie to have in the collection
I would recommend this one!
10 a pleasant holiday DVD to own....
This DVD is a wonderful gift to give. 3 Different stories with 3 different plots and they all boiling down to the real meaning of Christmas...giving and not being selfish.
11 Good stories with a moral
I really enjoyed this Disney video and my 3 year old also loves it. It contains 3 stories, first Donald Duck and Family, then Goofy and last Mickey and Minnie. The stories discuss how Christmas is more than just receiving presents and how important it is that it is a time of togetherness and helping each other. I was very puzzled with the disjoint "music video" at the end of the movie featuring "She Daisy". It was a rather ghoulish rendition of an otherwise happy-sounding Christmas carol. It didn't make sense to me and the target audience for the music video would be one different than the targeted viewer (more for younger adults than children.) Buy the video and erase the last 5 minutes so you don't have to endure the end.
12 Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas is one for the kids...
I got this title reluctantly, becuase it was part of the Gold Classic Collection, so I figured there had to be some good about it. I was expecting something along the lines of "Mickey's Christmas Carol", but this simply is nothing like that.
This DVD is strickly for children, with some mixed bag of jokes thrown in that MAY make adults grin. The DTV movie, is split into three stories: the first is a Donald Duck story, where his three nephews wish that it was Christmas everyday but they soon regret it; the second, which is the weakest, is about Goofy and his son Max, where Max is told that Santa doesn't exist but his father want's to prove to him otherwise; and the third is with Mickey and Minnie both wanting to buy each other gifts but none of them have the money, which leads to them making some sacrifices. The movie is than rounded out by the entire cast of 'toons singing Christmas carols.
It will definitely entertain kids & it isn't the worse thing in the world for adults to sit through. Plus, DVD enthusiasts will appreciate the attempt of bringing to this release a suitable surround mix (Dolby Digital 5.1).
13 A GREAT CHRISTMAS MOVIE!
Disney's biggest stars return in three stories of love,caring,happiness,and the spirit of Christmas. In story one,Donald Duck's nephews Huey,Dewey,and Louie wish it was Christmas every day of the year,but they soon find out that it isn't so "fun" as it should be. In story two,Goofy and his son Max can't wait to see Santa Clause,but the mean neighbor Pete,tells Max that there isn't any Santa.Now Goofy must cheer up his son to save the spirit of Christmas. In story three,Mickey must find Minnie the perfect gift for her,and Minnie must find Mickey the perfect gift.At the end they find out its the care and love that shows. Featuring great animation and magical Christmas songs sung by the cast.That's all the excitment of "Upon A Christmas".A great film to gather around with the whole family and watch it.
14 Don't listen to the couple of bad reviews!!!
After reading some of the reviews to this, I had to write my own, and you can judge my credibility by reading all my other reviews and lists. I'm a long time Disney fan of the old and new stuff, especially but not exclusively the animation. I know the characters and histories pretty darn well. This video is great! It's great as a Christmas video, and it's great as a Disney film! The art work is excellent! It's not lame Saturday morning art! It's a bit better than that! Although, keep in mind that the animation on Saturday mornings has improved drastically compared to the 80's. What we used to see on the big screen is basically what we're seeing on Saturday mornings now, but people nowadays who have been spoiled by seeing computer effects and such stuff in the latest Disney animated films probably can't appreciate the more classic style of art we see in films like this. You want to see a poorly done Disney staight to video feature, see Return of Jafar. This film is quite well done! ANd I for one am always glad to have a break from integrated computer animation! So let's clear all those complaints about the artwork up right now! Anyone who says it's badly done technically hasn't watched as much animation as he or she believes or claims! Anyway, as for the film itself, it showcases three stories about Christmas. It's a great format in my opinion because I love getting more than one story, even if they are shorter that way! The first is about Huey, Louie, and Dewey who make a wish that it could be Christmas every day. Now this story is NOT based on the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day, but rather a popular children's book entitled, Christmas Every Day. That says a little something right there about THAT reviewer in my opinion. All you have to do is pay attention to see that in the credits. This is a real treat because among the relatives who come to visit Donald on CHristmas day is none other than Uncle Scrooge McDuck! Remember him from the comics, or more recently from Duck Tales?!!! It's always so nice to see him animated! He's definitely one of my all time favorite characters, though he's not a major player in this, he gets some nice screen time! (for more of him try to catch Scrooge McDuck and Money, Sport Goofy: Soccermania, and of course, Mickey's Christmas Carol and Duck Tales...did I miss anything?) Now, the second story is about Goofy and his new son Max. I say NEW because I seem to recall him having another son years and years ago. Remember that redheaded kid, Jr.? Anyways, In this story Max is starting to lose his belief in Santa Claus, and Goofy does everything he can to prove to Max that Santa is real. Story wise it sorta plays like an episode of Goof Troop, but hey, Goof Troop was a great show! Now, last is Mickey and Minnie's story. This is the classic story the Gift of the Magi, where a poor Mickey and Minnie are struggling to get each other a suitable gift for Christmas. This is a very sweet story and well done with a cameo from Mortimer Mouse! All in all this is one Christmas DVD that is well worth the money. My only complaint about my gold collection DVD is when the credits begin to roll it becomes out of sync and skips. I also noticed that problem with my The Tigger Movie DVD, and it's not the player, because I've checked it out on others. Well, luckily both DVD's have the accompanying music videos so when I want to hear the songs I can always go there. Great buy folks, don't let WEIRD bad reviews fool you!
15 My almost-3-year-old adores this DVD
My almost-3-year-old year old son thinks the Mickey Mouse story is the best of the three on this DVD. We have to watch it over and over!
Now I wish Disney had more DVDs available of just of Mickey Mouse! The Mickey's Christmas Carol doesn't have enough Mickey for his tastes.
16 CRASS, LOUD, CHEAP, EVEN SCARY... A SAD DAY FOR MICKEY!
I bought this video for my daughter because she loves Mickey Mouse so much. She knows Mickey and friends from their wonderful post-WWII feature film Fun and Fancy Free--this should be everyone's TOP Disney feature, at least for Mickey and the series characters. I wasn't expecting anything so brilliant--F&F is essentially Jack and Beanstalk with Mickey and Donald and friends and songs by young Dinah Shore--but I was unprepared for how awful Mickey's Christmas would be. First and worst, my daughter, who is almost 3, kept starting to cry during Once Upon a Christmas or asking, in fear, "Daddy, why are they so angry? What that man doing? They're not bad and scary, are they?" I hardly expected to have to be consolling her every minute during a Disney Christmas movie. This has largely to do with the hectic, materialistic pace of the whole thing, which I suppose mirrors "modern suburban life" as do all the grating references to the mall and the oppressive kid's slang. It's all sort of standard hollywood garbage for modern mall-rat kids, I suppose, but we, and Mickey Mouse himself, deserves better from Disney, especially in a Christmas video. (It's not even funny, and since the main plot is just a rip-off of Groundhog Day, watch that amazingly funny film instead--it has more Christmas spirit, too.) I threw our copy in the trash--and that was just after one viewing. We'll continue watching Fun and Fancy Free another 100 times and hopefully we'll come upon some other good old Mickey Mouse videos, where not only the artwork but the morals and the humor were much higher--and the volume of the characters shouting and screaming was lower. But please come up with better stuff, Disney--Mickey Mouse and friends are a national treasure, you shouldn't be abusing and neglecting them like this!
17 the lion king
I want to know if the waltdisney in DVD are available for region 4. Thanks.
18 One of the best!
I bought this video for my preschooler and toddler, but I ended up enjoying it as much as they did, if not more. It's great for young children; since, it is really three stories in one. It keeps them interested.
19 Great Movie
THIs movie is heart warming.All disney movies are great. This is one of the better ones.Its great for the whole family.
20 Umm
Umm hello don't listen to them people who gave a few bad remarks about this movie.
After all it was made for kids,not adults! Let the kids be the judge if they like it or not!
21 Substandard Disney's
Disney's standard is getting lower and lower in recent years. The quality of the drawings is good only for the first few minutes. This cheaply made cartoon is only good enough for Saturday Monring showing, not a worthwhile DVD collection.
22 Another victory for Disney!
This movie is fantastic! I purchased it for my two kids (7 & 3) and they loved it. We had to watch it again and again and again. It sends a good positive message to ALL people. It would make any grinch feel warm inside. I highly recommend it to everyone. A must for the holiday season!
23 An excellent Christmas video
This is a great video for the holidays. I am 12 years old, and I enjoyed it very much, as did my 9 year old sister. A great movie for all ages. The stories have great animation and sound and the 3rd one is especially touching. Another classic from the Mouse!
24 A good effort but seriously lacking...
Perhaps I am too old to enjoy a good old Disney cartoon. I love sitting back to Disney's great compilation, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" - I think the finest Disney video ever. Hoping to add another great film to my brief Disney collection, I decided to order "Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas". After grabbing a drink and putting another log on the fire, I sat down to watch what I was convinced would be a classic in the making. An hour later my disappointment had completely set in. Don't get me wrong, the animation and audio was great. The third story on the video (a knock off of Henry's "The Gift of the Magi") with Mickey and Minnie was reasonably well done. However, there was a lot missing, the first and second stories in the movie were extremely lacking. There was virtually not plot throughout much of the video and I could almost see screenplay people stretching the storyline to cover all of the animation. Overall, this may make a good rental for the kids but not something that will add any value to a permanent collection. At least now I have a nice DVD coaster for my drink.
25 A Great Way To Spend Time With The Family
We received our copy of the DVD in the mail today from Amazon.com and all I can say is WOW! This is a great transfer from Disney, and my 2 year old daughter loved it, as the closing credits started to roll she said "let's watch it again daddy".
It's a great DVD with 3 stories wrapped in a nice bundle presentation with all the Disney Favorites, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto. This offering gives you a nice break and a great way to spend time with the family and gives you that nice warm Holiday feeling when it's over.
It will definitely being getting many viewings in our home over this Christmas season and those yet to come.
26 Donald, Goofy, and Mickey
My seven yeard old daughter and I watched this last night. I was impressed with the quality of the dvd transfer and the audio was very good. I couldn't help feeling how dated Donald and Goofy are. The classic nice guy/doofus: Goofy, was hard to watch. And the very noisy Donald is a pain. Mickey and Minnie were delightful as down and out lovers trying to make each others Christmas wonderful. The three stories have positive messages for humanity vs the commercialism of today. Highly recommended with a squeeze of lemon.
27 This is a fun movie for all ages!
My husband was so anxious to get this movie for our 3 month old daughter...so we did. We watched it and we all absolutely loved it. It kept my daughter's attention for just about the whole movie because it has lots of Christmas music and lots of colors in it! Me and my husband couldn't take our eyes off of it either because it had real stories behind every story it showed. We also found ourselves singing right along with every song on there. This is definitely worth getting...for any age to watch!
