Mickey Mouse and his friends enter the realm of eye-catching computer-generated animation in this five-episode, 68-minute Christmas celebration. The holidays are a time for celebration, but when Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and host of other Disney characters become obsessed with holiday preparations, the frenzy of activity leaves everyone feeling stressed, selfish, and full of regret. A skating contest leads best friends Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck down a path of jealousy and hurt feelings in "Belles on Ice," and "Christmas Impossible" finds Huey, Dewie, and Louie selfishly scheming to get on Santa's "good list" at any expense. In "Christmas Maximus," Goofy's son Max is mortified by his father's silly antics and, in "Donald's Gift," Donald's craving for peace and quiet threatens to ruin the whole family's holiday fun. "Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas" finds Mickey so absorbed in planning the perfect Christmas party that he lashes out at Pluto and almost loses a very special friend forever. While the animation style is new, what hasn't changed is Disney's commitment to stories with wholesome values: Mickey and the gang remind viewers that the holiday season is not about selfishness, flashy parties, and expensive gifts, but about selflessness and the celebration of family and friends. (Ages 2 to 11)
--Tami Horiuchi
1 Characters were too selfish to be believable or endearing
Each tale in this short cartoon compilation followed one basic storyline: one or more of the characters does something (or more than one thing) that is very selfish, obnoxious, rude, just plain bad, etc. for the first 3/4ths of the story. Then in the last 1/4 they realize their error and try to make it up to everybody. But for the majority of the story the characters are not at all endearing, just annoying and hurtful.
In the first one, Daisy actually interrupts Minnie's ice-skating performance by doing her own performance on top of Minnie's. That is so bad as to be unbelievable.
In another cartoon, Huey, Duey and Louie are admonished by their Uncle Scrooge McDuck to be good, ONLY because otherwise Santa won't give them any presents! What a horrible motivation.
Lastly, this is the first time we see the beloved Disney characters in 3D computer animation. And it's really not an improvement. They seem plastic rather than real. Sometimes, the closer to reality something gets, the less believable it is.
2 Wonderful Holiday Movie
This is a wonderful set of 5 Christmas short stories. (It's a shame some of the other reviewers are so cynical). Children adore this DVD! My young daughter asks to view it daily - even now that the holidays are over. The ice skating story with Minnie & Daisy is fabulous! The holiday music, etc. really got the family into the holiday spirit. We all love it!
3 Absolutely Wonderful!!!
Being a HUGE Disney 'Old-School' fan, I originally bought this DVD for myself. But, after the very first viewing my 17-month old daughter's favorite word went from "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" to "Mickey! Mickey!Mickey!" She could not get enough, and neither could I.
It's five animation shorts and each one is so entertaining, that you'll find yourself glued to the screen no matter how many times you've seen it. It will make you laugh (out loud!) and smile, and it will also tug at your heartstrings as you watch all your old favourites in action again.
This is a must-have for all Disney fans, all parents with kids and all those who love Christmas :)
4 Great Family Entertainment
The subject title says it all. Finally, a series of movies that can be watched with your family. It's also absolutely beautiful to look at!!!
5 Don't buy unless you enjoy 3D mania.
What happened to Disney?
What a disappointment. It is all about taste yes, some people like certain gimmicks, certain tricks and animations and other people like quality and original art work.
Computer animations are not attractive by them selves anymore, they once were (to me).
6 Disgusting
The most horrible thing I've ever watched.
The animation is on par with mediocre video game cut scenes.
Disney, if you ever make these characters CG again and/or make a movie like this again you've lost a fanbase that can never be won back.
Oh, and we can at least try and keep the work in America. Trust me, it's in all our best interest. Stop outsourcing to Asia and Europe.
Thanks.
7 Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas DVD
I saw this DVD in a store while I was doing shopping. Somehow something made me to buy this DVD. I used to watch Mickey Mouse cartoons when I was little and stopped watching them after I watched Transformers, He-Man ... After watching this Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas DVD...hey, I 'm back into the disney world again! This DVD is so cool that not only the kids will love it but even we adults too! I really like all the 3-D effects they made and hope to see more of them. Will there be a Mickey's Thrice Upon a Christmas DVD next year? I'm going to the North Pole to write my name on Santa's good list, hee hee hee...
8 The whole gang helps spread cheer........
OH MY... so many people seem to be so upset about Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, and the rest of the team... maybe they need to watch the MOVIE and CONSUME some of the lessons being taught here.
For what it's WORTH, I purchased this movie for my CHILDEN and we love it. I said it once, so I'll say it again.... if anyone is interested in whether a movie works.... come and let Marquis (5) and Jade (2) watch it. If they stay quiet long enough to repeat the movie, join in the singing, and request the movie then it's a MAJOR HIT!
Okay now with that out the way....This movie has 5 individual stories...
(1) Belles on Ice-
Minnie and Daisy fight over whose the better skater. Minnie and Daisy learn that being jealous of the other isn't helping and as they work together they both come out on top.
(2) Christmas Impossible-
Huey, Dewey, and Louie are spoiled, and selfish. ME...ME...ME as they plot to add their own names to Santa's list, they learn to help others, and are rewarded for putting selflessness ahead of their own WANTS.
(3) Christmas Maximums-
Maxi, all grown up and ashamed of his clumsy father just wants to impress this girl that he can't see that all his father does is to show him that he loves him. As Maxi opens his heart he can see that his dad is perfect.
(4) Donald's Gift-
BA HUM BUG....Donald isn't in the spirit and he is tired of hearing the bells, the chimes, and the cheer. He wants to just relax in peace and quiet. As he tries he finds that his attitude has just about ruined the season for his family. He adjusts and makes it a fighting chorus sees that it isn't what's on the outside; it's what's inside that counts.
(5) Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas-
Tree (check), lights (check), punch (check) as Mickey obsession with having the best Christmas party forces him to punish Pluto. As Pluto leaves Mickey discovers that it's not a party if all your friends aren't there.
This DVD will surely get you'll into the spirit of things...
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
9 Best Disney DVD in a long time.
The dvd is visually superb. My 2 year old LOVES it and she watches it at least once a day from begining to end. I was sceptical at first about the CGI animation but when I saw the movie it was great and I hope disney continues to develop this technology. Buy it you won't regret it.
10 Mickey's been sprinkled with "Pixar dust"!
Disney's been dabbling in the magic of CGI ... and for our family, at least, the magic worked. We often all laughed out loud at the same places (2 adults, a 6-year-old and a 3 1/2-year-old), and the adults chorused, "Wow", when the CGI effects were especially impressive (e.g. the popcorn scene.)
This movie's similar in theme and style to the earlier "Once Upon a Christmas", which my kids still thorougly enjoy and continue to watch, even with the new one. But the computer-generated animation of "Twice" gives an almost 3D effect which, pardon the expression, adds a new dimension to the story ... more texture to the experience; like good special effects in an action movie or subtle highlights in a silk garment.
Who knows if hand-drawn cartoons will still be made 50 years from now? For that matter, who knows how old-fashioned our current CGI will appear then? What I DO know is that our family STILL enjoys the ones drawn 50 years (and more) ago ... and that each decade of animation has its own slightly different style and its own unique appeal. So I won't fret that CGI will destroy the beautiful old-fashioned style of animation; it's just another dish to add to the smorgasbord of family entertainment.
Congratulations on a great addition to family holiday traditions, Disney.
11 A second Christmas treat!
Disney's done it again! Their follow up to the wonderful "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas" is nearly as delightful as the original! I say nearly, only because I still consider 2D animation to be more appropriate for the classic Disney gang, particularly in this case, due to the way it conveys the warmth and heart of the holiday season (and then there's the whole issue of Mickey and Minnie's ears). Still, this computer animated treat is extremely entertaining, endearing, and, to say the least, mesmerizing.
This delightful holiday movie tells five Christmas tales about our favorite Disney characters: Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Max, and my personal fave, Scrooge McDuck. The first of these is "Belles On Ice," wherein Minnie and Daisy are both scheduled to perform in a town Christmas skating show, but when their competitive natures get the better of them, they end up taking things too far. Not to worry, the two are fast friends again by the end, and the little spat makes for some very thrilling and humorous CG eyecandy. The sweetest part (besides Daisy, whom I've always had a liking for) is the fact that Minnie's backup skaters are none-other than the alligators from Fantasia. And Daisy's? You guessed it, the Hippos!
Following that fun fiasco, we have what is probably my favorite story of the bunch, "Christmas: Impossible." The title is a take on "Mission: Impossible," though most of the spoof aspects were dropped in early production. This is a great duck tale in the spirit of the classic Carl Barks comics, complete with Scrooge, Donald, Daisy, and the boys attempting to celebrate Christmas in Scrooge's stately mansion. Things go awry when Huey, Dewey, and Louie's antics interrupt the festivities one time too many. After a thorough warning about not being put on Santa's good list from their Uncle Scrooge, who claims to have suffered that fate himself, the boys lie in bed worrying that Santa won't bring them any gifts that night. Soon, they are on a mission to Santa's workshop to add their names to the "Good List" themselves! I found this story particularly enjoyable, most likely because of my fondness for the Scrooge and other duck comics I grew up with. Before the Duck Tales TV series came along, my old comic book hero had only 2 cartoons to his credit. It's so nice that they've kept him around!
"Christmas Maximus" is the next yarn in the bunch. Now, even though I love the Goof and his boy, this is probably my least favorite on the disc. Why, you ask? Because of the story. Well, actually, it's almost more of a music video. For one thing, the song is pretty bad, but the main thing is, we've seen this scenario too many times before. Max is worried that his dad, Goofy, will embarrass him in front of his new girlfriend when he brings her home for the holidays. I loved the show "Goof Troop," I loved BOTH Goofy movies, but how many times will we have to see Max stressed out about being embarrassed by his dad as the central plot? I know it's something people can relate to, and I know it's something most of us never stop feeling about our parents from time to time, but the least they could do was have a new plot and just make that embarrassment part of the character's personality, since that's what it actually is. I mean, "House of Mouse" covered Max's embarrassment of his dad enough already, as did the Goofy movies. Nevertheless, it's not altogether unwatchable. It's cute, and heartwarming, just a little too "deja vu." On the upside, Max's new girl, whose name escapes me just now, is quite the cutie. However, I'm rather distressed that Max is no longer with Roxanne, his girlfriend from "A Goofy Movie" AND "House of Mouse." I know High School relationships rarely last, but these are cartoons! They're usually soooo loyal! And Roxanne had really grown on me! Well, the yummy Kellie Martin's voice didn't hurt.
The final two stories feature Donald and Mickey respectively. First up is "Donald's Gift," where the tormented duck is desperate to spend some quiet holiday time relaxing with a cup of cocoa. But, with the hectivity of the holiday season (yes, I invented a word), he just can't seem to pull it off. In Donald's effort to enjoy Christmas the way HE wants to, he ends up making a mess of a big Christmas show everyone is waiting to see. Daisy and the nephews go all guilt trip on him, and in the end, Donald changes his selfish ways and learns a valuable lesson. Now, I didn't totally get this one. A hard working duck deserves a few moments of quiet and cocoa at Christmas. Is that so selfish?! The program rounds out with "Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas," the most advertised and praised story of the set, and well deserved. This is a tale of a mouse and his dog. As Mickey decorates and prepares, perhaps a little too much, for a Christmas party for all his friends, the over eager pup gets a bit carried away and makes a mess of things. Mickey gets upset and Pluto goes into the doghouse, but the poor dog takes things a little too hard and runs away. Before we know it, Pluto is adopted by Santa's reindeer, and Mickey is left dogless. Heartbroken, the little mouse searches all over town, posting "lost dog" posters and even making a plea to a department store Santa. Luckily, Santa knows just what to do, and the two mopey pals are reunited just in time for the whole gang to gather together and celebrate Christmas!
"Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas" is a charming new holiday tradition from the folks at Disney, whose Direct to Video offerings have been showing a lot more promise lately with this one and "The Three Musketeers." It's a shame their theatrical animation has gotten so weak and low budget. It's not CGI the public demands, it's quality storytelling and art. In this film, the computer animation is better than I would have expected from direct to video, and so is much of the writing. The characters' personalities and voices are wonderfully played, and it's all wrapped up together with gorgeous "pop-up book" style intros and credits. The extras include some great deleted scene info, a look into how the animators used Michelle Kwan as an ice skating reference, and a few games that might be amusing to the younger set. Nothing overwhelming, but one-disc Disney DVDs rarely are. Still, you can't go wrong with this buy if you're a fan of the Mouse and the Christmas season!
12 Incredibly disappointing
My husband and I picked this up thinking it would be a nice addition to our Christmas movie collection. We were surprised to see that the majority of it was CGI. That isn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't the way we expected a Christmassy, traditional type of Mickey show to be.
As the first story unfolded, the one with Minnie and Daisy ice skating, I was surprised by how petty and obnoxious the characters were acting. They act like real jerks to each other (particularly Daisy) then at the very end say "Oh. Sorry!" And that's supposed to be a heartwarming moment? Not a message I'd want my kids to receive.
The second story likewise showed Huey, Dewey, and Louie acting like real jerks--spoiled brats. Real terrors. Through the whole story, they act incredibly, singularly horribly. Then at the end, they make a gesture that's supposed to be very special, but just doesn't excuse their previous behavior.
The Goofy section wasn't quite as bad--a son feeling embarassed about his dad's behavior, but realizing that his dad really is a lot of fun. Kind of a nice message, but not very Christmassy.
Another story came on, something about Mickey, but by this time, we couldn't take any more. We turned it off. I can truly say I'll never watch it again and I'm really sorry we paid money for it. It was an exreme disappointment. I will be sure to see Christmas shows before I buy them from now on--even if it's something that has usually been reliably good, like Mickey Mouse and friends.
13 BIG!!! disappointment - rent it if you have to see it.
This is the worst Disney product ever. It's little more than an animated "pop-up" story book. Gone are any vestiges of Micky, Donald and friends that you would automatically expect. They're replaced by animated "pop-ups". Who ever dreamed this up needs to be given a "pink slip". Disney has reinvented the DVD into an another advertising platform. Rent it at Blockbuster and save $20+ if you have to see it.
14 For all our CGI nay-sayers...
Having been a fan of Disney animation all my life (let's say 37 out of a possible 42 years at least), including personal experience with animation, I'd like to share one tangible benefit of the new generation of CGI graphics. I purchased the DVD around two weeks before taking my family to WDW. I have a two-year old daughter, who we call "Princess" as she certainly relates to the Disney princesses, whether they are the classics like Cinderella and Snow White, or her more contemporary friends, Belle and Ariel. I thought it would be wise to introduce Mickey and all his friends before visiting his Florida home, so we gathered to watch this newest Christmas feature. To say the least, my daughter was captivated by the animation, and I was dually impressed as well. What really struck me however, was her reaction while at Disney World. I believe the realism of the 3-D graphics made it a whole lot easier for her to relate to the actual characters that we later met in the various parks. As great as the Disney classics have always been, at the young age of only two, the translation into real time does not always happen. Twice Upon A Christmas leaves no doubt about the 3-D realism.
I don't need to dwell on the story lines any further than what has been discussed by others - they are simply creative entertainment that can be enjoyed by all. I did appreciate some adult oriented lines throughout the different stories, especially from Huey, Duey and Louie in their features, as well as Daisey and Minnie's verbal exchange in the middle of their skating battle. The reindeer are pretty entertaining in Dog-gone Christmas - definitely a departure from the claymation classics of old.
I'll admit that when you watch the video for the 20th time in two days, you'll need something else to keep you occupied, however your children will be glued to every word. Even though you may get tired of the repetitve viewings, take another look and enjoy the subtle details throughout. Whether it's the glittery sheen of the Christmas tinsel, the realism of the swirling red punch in Mickey's punchbowl, the dust on the floor beneath Pluto's rug, or the cracks that form in the snow just before it breaks away to fall on Mickey's head, take a moment to enjoy the layers of creativity that went into each scene - much more than could ever have been accomplished with 2D.
15 Christmas Fun
I got this DVD as a gift and really wasn't expecting much of it (figuring this was more of a "kid's" DVD). Well, Twice Upon a Christmas is basically a kid's DVD, but there's plenty adults can appreciate on it. The animation is great (similar to Pixar) and the storylines are well written. There are 5 stories, each one teaches a different lesson. The 1st one, Belles on Ice features Minnie and Daisy and some of the aligators and hippos from the Dance of the Hours sequence in Fantasia. Both Daisy and Minnie each want to be the star in an ice skating show. But when they compete against each other, the show is nearly ruined, so they learn to work together and be friends again. Christmas: Impossible features Huey, Louie, Dooey, Uncle Scrooge and Santa Claus. After Donald's nephews are punished on Christmas Eve for hogging the cookies, Uncle Scrooge tells them that the way to make Santa's list is not by getting but by giving. They quickly rush to the North Pole to try to get their names on the list, but learn the real secret to getting on the list. There's an interesting toy called Jailbreak Bob, who has an Edgar G Robinson voice ("Let me out, see?"). Christmas Maximus features Goofy and his son Max. Max comes home for Christmas with his new girlfriend and begs Goofy to try acting a little cooler and a little less "goofy." Eventually, Max learns to appreciate his father just the way he is. In Donald's Gift, Donald gets quite annoyed by all the commercialism in Christmas and just wants to be left alone with his hot cocoa. It's not long before he learns how to share the real joy of the season. Finally,Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas features Mickey, Pluto and some of Santa's reindeer. Mickey tries hard to make the perfect Christmas. But when Pluto makes a shamble just for trying to help, Mickey gets mad and banishes Pluto to his doghouse. Pluto feels dejected and runs away, leaving Mickey to search for Pluto. Meanwhile, Pluto meets up with Santa's reindeer and tries to help them with Santa's sled. Listen for the running gag about the disaster in '64 (probably a reference to the Rankin/Bass Rudolph special which was 1st aired in 1964)! The extra's are interesting with some deleted scenes and a brief interview with Olympic skater Michelle Kwan, whose moves were used in the Belles on Ice sequence. The games are good for children (adults may find them a little cheezy). If you have children, they'll probably enjoy it and you might enjoy watching it along with them.
16 Disappointing...
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas is about Mickey and his friends, having some problems and then problem solved. The movie contains couple of little stories just like the first movie. have seen the first movie of the "Upon a Christmas" movies, and thought that it was pretty good, not good, but just okay-good. So I decided to get it and watch it with my brother, who is two years old. I think that this movie really changes the tradition of Mickey Mouse movies. The computer-animated Mickey and friends are really cool, but the problem is that the plot, and story is just, not so interesting, like the first movie. The whole movie is not so entertaining and just bored me off. The good thing about this movie, and the one thing that stands out is be good all the time, and show some Christmas spirit. Yes, is very educational, but is just educational in a Barney way. I don't know about the kids' opinion, because afterall, I am fifteen, and thing that the movie is just bit too kiddy. Anyway, my brother didn't really like it that much either, but I guess that I have to recommend it to the kids, because I think that it might teach them something about Christmas.
17 Children Rave, Mommy Makes Time for Other Tasks....
My children were so excited to watch this DVD - and naturally I was happy to comply. It didn't hold my attention quite as well as it held their attention (natural, I suppose - they are the intended audience at 3 and 7 years old) but I enjoyed the messages from the Fairy-Tale Like stories as well, told in modernesque animation (that I learned a lot about reading the words of other reviewers here at Amazon.)
I especially enjoyed Minnie and Daisy learning to not let competition get in the way of their friendship... I truly smiled inside when they said, "what were we thinking?"
Disney also enhances vocabularies - using phrases in the introduction such as "egos get bruised" and "so cordial and nice" (little ones learn EGO and CORDIAL in the blink of an eye.)
I also loved the generosity of spirit in the short starring Huey, Doey and Louiey (how badly did I misspell those names?) and the sweet tale of Maz and Goofy could have warmed the ice out of my freezer. My almost thirteen year old enjoyed that one - there was a part of it that was almost like a music video.
My children also enjoyed the Bonuses - which are an important aspect of all our DVD viewing - sometimes the bonus features are more important than the DVD itself!
Twice Upon a Christmas is the perfect video to pop in while you are wrapping presents and need some private time.
18 Great stories. Wish it were longer though.
My only disappointment with this DVD was that it wasn't longer. The five shorts on this DVD were great, especially the one with Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck as dueling ice princesses and the story of Pluto's adventure's at the North Pole hanging out with Santa's reindeer. I thought this last story could've been a feature length tale in itself.
While I agree with many that seeing the characters in full-fledged 3D animation, I don't think this new rendering of these wonderful characters could have been done any better. No, it's not animation of the quality in the top budget motion picture releases, but it's nonetheless extremely well done.
If you love Christmas and you love Mickey and the gang, you and your family will love this DVD.
19 All future animation will be 3D CGI... WELCOME FUTURE!
So far, the biggest knock on this film is the fact that it's all 3D CGI. Apparently there are cell-animation (2D)fans who feel this is the wrong move. Well, I have a friend who worked for Disney (Little Murmaid, Oliver and Company) and Pixar (Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo). I grew up with him (3rd grade in 1973 until now)and become a hugh fan of animation of all kinds (especially Ray Harryhausen films). I have collected every Disney cartoon I could afford (and enjoyed). I even dabbled in animation myself. So I think I have a pretty good perspective on this subject. Here's the scoop...
-Cell animation is VERY EXPENSIVE. If you make a crappy film (Home on the Range) you basically wasted 3 to 4 years and millions of dollars.
-You may have noticed that computers have been used in 2D animation for about 20 years now (I think "the Great Mouse Detective" was the first)
-Computer animation requires artist to design the characters, give them meaningful motion, character, emotion etc. In other words, you still need to be an artist to do CGI.
-ALL MAJOR STUDIOS HAVE SCRAPPED CELL ANIMATION, INCLUDING DISNEY. It's simpley too cost prohibitive and CGI films (even the Made-on-the-cheap "Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius")MAKE HUNDREDS OF MILLONS OF DOLLARS!!! Consumers, for the most part, LOVE CGI!
-Once you create a computer character, you can file it away and use it again later (Though they seam to get upgraded with the latest technology regardless). This saves tons of time and money.
There's alot more reasons CGI is the choice of studios today. Does this mean cell animation is no good? The way I look at it, about 30 more CGI movies need to be made to catch up with the existing cell animated features already in existance. I love films like "Fantasia", "Sleeping Beauty" and even "Spirit; Stallion of the Simeron". But I can understand why a studio would be unwilling to pony-up money for cell animation when the option to use CGI is nearly a sure-thing financially. It's not going to happen.
NOW ABOUT THE DVD:
-My 2 year-old enters the house after day-care with the words "Mickey Mouse" and "Donald Duck". He's definately spending too much time in front of the TV, but he does love it.
-Hence, I've seen it about 15 times in the last 2 weeks. Yea, I'm sick of it, but it still manages to entertain me on some bizarre level.
-When I first saw it, I realised this was Disney's future. It was well enough executed that I did not mind.
-Plenty of extras for those seeking content value.
-Most revues here give an accurate sense of the stories. I enjoyed most of them (the one with Goofy will be dated in a few years).
-Good sound and picture. Actually very nicely rendered.
-My 6 year old was completely engrossed during her initial viewing. The stories just sucked her in.
I hope this is helpful to those trying to cope with the "demise" of Hollywood cell animation. Perhaps some day, we will be complaining that the new digital holographic movies lack the charm of the old CGI films.
20 Great CGI animated feature!
This long awaited sequel to " Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas" is now a fully Computer animated feature with 5 tales involving Minnie Mouse with Daisy Duck competeting against each other in a ice skating contest, Huey Duey and Luey are trying to get on Santa's good list, Goofy trying to act cool for his son with girlfriend visiting on Christmas eve, Donald trying to get peace & quiet on Christmas eve day until he gets delusional by blowing his cool then learning to find it in his heart about the christmas spirit and finally Pluto runs away from home to find himself at the north pole on Santa's workshop.
A marvelous attempt of having disney's beloved characters including Scrooge Mcduck ( whom you remembered from the first movie and Ducktales) in computer animation, these stories are quite original and give good reasons about why Christmas is a season of love, giving and kindess, it's a must see.
The DVD is sharp in quality with a few good extras like how they studied Michelle Kwan for the skater story, deleted scenes with filmmakers point of view and games mostly for younger audiences.
21 At least the stories were good
I know the 3-D/CGI worshippers will dislike my heresy, but if ever there was a place NOT to use CGI, this is it. Most of these characters have been around for almost 75 years in their hand-drawn form, and that's what made them special. There was no need to re-make our favorites into what looks like plastic McDonald's toys, and these should be stuffed back into the bag (Santa's?). I'm glad I finally found a place to rent a copy rather than buying one, and it's obvious that the rental houses agree with my assessment, as I had to check on Netflix, two Blockbusters, and one Hollywood video before I could find a lone copy at a third Blockbuster. Please Disney, don't fix what ain't broke.
22 But probably four stars for kids twelve and under
Both the animation and story in "Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas" can probably best be described as "Pixar-Lite". That is, the computer technology that renders Mickey and his friends throughout this DVD is generally well done and even at times dazzling, but overall falls fairly short of the uniformly excellent work we've seen in the "Toy Story" movies, "Finding Nemo", "The Incredibles", and other Pixar projects. Likewise, the several Christmas stories included here all have perfectly fine, fairly imaginative stories, but they certainly aren't the highly creative, multi-leveled / multi-themed yarns that- again like Pixar's offerings- appeal across the board to kids and adults. This one is mainly for the kiddies, I'm afraid. But I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Kids, especially young ones, will likely really enjoy this, and adults- while not being wildly entertained- certainly won't find it painful to sit through. After all, Disney's classic characters are always fun to see in action. I still can't figure out why Goofy can talk and Pluto can't, though.
23 This DVD is GREAT!!!
I passed this movie up a few times at the store before I finally decided to buy it. I'm very glad that I decided to get it - it is just beautifully done! I was extremely impressed when I put it in and started watching it. It is so much better than anything I could've expected - I love the way the animation looks!!! My boys (ages 2 & 10) are captivated by it, and have watched it several times already. That's pretty amazing for the 2 year old - he usually won't sit still for more than 5 minutes! I also like the new feature that automatically starts the movie without me having to go through any menus 1st. That's very convenient - I hope they start doing that on all the new DVD's!
24 Very good dvd - kids will LOVE it!
I can understand how many people are gripping with the "traditional" Mickey gang going 3-D and highly computerized but I am happy they did. For one, I am just glad to see a DVD based on the Mickey/Minnie, Donald/Daisy Goofy and Pluto clan. My daughter loved then at Disney this year and it is hard to find new stories on them.
I think the fact that they have "updated" them leaves some parents yearning for the good ole days but the kids LOVE this advance stuff and its fun to watch my 3 yr old in awe of it. If you have been to Disneyworld and enjoyed Philarmagic, then you will LOVE this. Same exact concept minus the actual 3-D with glasses. The animation is wonderful, and the voices of Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy were right on. Daisy and the nephews were not so good - but kids don't really notice that stuff. Seeing Scrooge Duck was great too as I loved Mickey's Christmas Carol growing up. I only wish they added a story about Chip and Dale and Donald. Those were always my favorites.
My 3 yr old said the Minnie/Daisy story and Mickey/Pluto were her favs although she watched the entire thing without moving and laughed out loud a few times. Myself and my husband had quite a few adult laughs too. The lessons learned here were very good too but I think mostly kids 5 and older would truly understand them.
I am just really glad Mickey and the gang are back again. The Three Musketeers and this in one year leaves me hoping Disney will be adding them to more movies in the upcoming years.
If you love Disney and don't over analyze things, you will LOVE this DVD. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that I wish the DVD extras were a little better. The games are a little lame.
25 Not what I expected
I personally don't like the 3D effect in this movie. The stories are pretty lame also. My kids still like it so I gave it 3 stars. Once Upon a Christmas is much better.
26 The Gang's All Here....Just In Time For The Holidays!
This review refers to "Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas", DVD (Disney)....
Fabulous!....With 5 wonderfully animated Christmas tales, bonus games and activites, cheery Christmas music to get you into the spirit, and beloved characters no one is too old too enjoy, this DVD will keep everyone happy this holiday season(and for many more to come).
Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Pluto, Goofy and Max, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Louie and Dewey, and of course Santa. The gang's all here. They have been a part of our lives for what seems like forever, and are a pleasure to watch for every age.
The stories range from about 8 minutes to about 25. Each has a speical message and should keep the attention of any youngster(or oldster) for the entire length of a little over an hour.
First up "Belles On Ice"...Best friends Minnie and Daisy become rivals on ice, but discover the true joy of friendship, as they skate their way into your heart once more. Enjoy the ice show, it's a spectacular treat. Then in "Christmas Impossible", Huey, Dewey and Louie get into all kinds of mischief while trying to get on Santa's "good list", and learn the joys of helping others in the process. Next, Max thinks dad "Goofy" will ruin things for him and his new girl, by being just plain Goofy, but comes to see what his father really means to him in "Christmas Maximus". Donald(my personal favorite since I was about 5), will make you laugh out loud, as he grumbles about the hustle and bustle of Christmas in "Donald's Gift". Eventually he figures out the joys of giving and gets right into the spirit of things. And Of course, we can't leave out Mickey and pal Pluto. In "Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas", our mouse pal gets a little annoyed at the antics of his beloved dog, and feeling unwanted, Pluto runs away. In the end love wins out.
The DVD is great. As mentioned above there are games and activites for the kids, there's a short but interesting featurette, "Inspiration On Ice" with Michelle Kwan showing how the animators, used her skating techniques for "Belles on Ice", and there are Deleted scenes to check out as well. Disney makes the DVD very user friendly. There are Captions in English for those needing them(even if you don't need them, they are nice for the kids who can read to sing along to all the songs), the picture is dazzling with nice bright colors, and the sound is very good. It may be viewed in DD or DTS 5.1, and has language tracks in French and Spanish as well. The scene selection consists of the 5 stories, the main titles and the end credits(check out some of those voices). The keep case is a very nice, and is enclosed in a slip case as well.
A fabulous new addition to your holiday viewing. One the whole family will love.
Happy Holidays....enjoy...Laurie
27 Figurines come to life ...
To my eyes, the best art in this package is the transition pieces, when the pages of a pop-up book introduce each story. The characters we see in the pop-ups are the "flat" cartoon gang we knew and loved. By comparison, the "3-d" digital art of the stories has the look of plastic Disney figurines - movable, yes, but not thoroughly convincing. And though some of the effects are extremely well-executed, others fall, yes, flat. The animation artists of the past could draw, paint, and "amimate" with a subtlety that is still missing from CG animation. But they are two different kinds of magic. (And this comes from a big fan of both kinds - The Incredibles, for instance, is a total treat ...) Maybe our old friends should be spared the hi-tech treatment.
But back to Mickey & Co ... the voices didn't impress me, and the stories are a bit more sit-com-contrived than cartoon-crazy.That said, my little six-year old friend liked it pretty well. She liked the skating a lot - although I didn't care for the Minnie-Daisy feud premise, I agree the choreography is fun. We both thought the duck voices were generally un-ducklike. Her favorite was the Goofy and Max piece.
28 If for nothing else, watch this for the 3-D!
I always expect to see a Disney product done in the traditional 2-D cell animation, so when I first watched this DVD, it took a little getting used to. After a few minutes of getting over this shock, it simply struck me...WOW! I feel like I can reach into my TV and grab the 3-D characters right off the screen! If anyone is familiar with the 3-D Viewmaster, this is like watching an animated version of that. The stereo 3-D effect (done by selectively focusing the various planes of animation) is fantastic. I'm still not sure if both the characters and backgrounds were all done in 3-D or if maybe some of the backgrounds were done with practical set pieces. The only problem with this DVD is that some of the 6 short stories are quite long, and if given to a younger child, they may loose interest. So don't expect the traditional 3 minute Disney cartoon format here. But the style and depth of the animation may keep everyone glued to the set,so the length may be a mute point. As with all newer animated stories, there seems to be a focus on telling a moral. Each of the 6 short stories here do have a moral to tell. Not that this is bad, but I kind of miss the old Disney toons where rough (near violent) slapstick humor was the focus.
29 CGI Mickey
I'm not a huge fan of CGI movies. Shrek's okay and Monsters Inc had it's moments, but I've just never been a huge fan of it. However, I decided to reserve judgement on this one until I saw it. I got it as a gift, so I might as well watch it.
It was fairly short (only 68 minutes long). The animation quality may not be up to par with Pixar, but it's still pretty good.
The most important thing, beyond the technical animation is whether it's fun or not. I'm surprised to say I actually enjoyed it. The skits were actually entertaining. I haven't really watched Mickey and the gang since I was a kid. It was nice seeing them in action again. And whether your a big fan of CGI or not, it still boils down to entertaining stories that will help get the entire family in the Christmas spirit. It's sure to be a hit with the kids especially, but also the adults.
30 Lost it's legendary 2D nature
Disney ruined the thing by putting it in 3D. It's depressing. It's not the guy we know. It should be 2dimensional. I don't recommend it. Why buy something that messes up Walt Disney's greatness? I like the 2D cartoons, but this???
31 MICKEY FOR CHRISTMAS IN 3-D!!!
Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas is a follow-up to 1999's Once Upon a Christmas. The big difference is that this time around is that it's been computer animated in 3D...that's quite a change to those of us used to seeing Mickey and the Gang in traditional 2D. But I guess the success of Pixar has pushed this change.
There are five short features included, each running in the 6 - 18 minute range.
"Belles on Ice" features Daisy and Minnie in a figure-skating duel.
in "Christmas: Impossible", Huey, Duey, and Luey mail themselves to the North Pole to guarantee they get presents for Christmas.
"Christmas Maximus" features Goofy and his son Max, as max is worried about pops messing things up when he comes home from college with his girlfriend. Max is in college AND has a girlfriend???? where have I been??
"Donalds Gift" deals with Donald's frustration with the holiday season and hearing We Wish you a Merry Christmas over and over.
The last and best feature is Mickey's Dog-Gone Christmas" Mickey punishes Pluto and send him out to his doghouse. Pluto then Runs away to the North Pole and Mickey goes off in search of him.
All in all a pretty good DVD of Christmas fun. The Animation certainly is not Pixar quality but it's decent but takes a bit of getting used to.
32 Christmas Spirit and fun, too.
It was especially delightful to see and hear Mickey Mouse and all
the characters getting ready for the Holiday Season. The entire film is sure to put the audience in the Christmas spirit. The animation was wonderful and proves computer animation can work for the Disney product. The colors were beautiful and the characters were charming. The scenes were chock full of humor and action. The humor was delightful...as well as the music which was lively and fun. There were lots of colorful and fun-pack scenes which are bound to generate Christmas Spirit and at the same time moral of the stories hits home. Altogether this movie is a perfect Christmas film and is a must have for anyone's home collection of Disney movies.
33 CGI Mickey?
Mickey returns to DVD with the sequel to the popular Once Upon a Christmas released two or three years ago. The difference? This is totally computer generated.
Disney's seeming wish to kill traditional 2D animation marches on with the trailer for this looking like a video game.
I'll reserve total judgment until I see the complete article but I can't help but feel sad that the oldest surviving cartoon character in Hollywood has been subjected to the march of progress. The sound you hear is Uncle Walt spinning in his grave.
----
Well, I've watched it! And it's not as bad as I'd thought it would be.
The characters are slightly constrained by the CGI animation and, in particular Goofy, have lost a little of the expressivness and freedom of facial expression that hand-drawn animation gives. The animation is not Pixar standard but is good enough to serve a strong script that features five yultide morality tales. I strongly object, however, to Scrooge McDuck saying "there's more to life than money"!!!
A good effort but I hope that the Disney animators haven't thrown away their ink, paint and cels just yet.
34 This is the best Disney Xmas Movie Ever
What else can I say! Superb animation, Mickey and all the gang in 3D, great stories...except for the Goofy music video part...what more could you ask for?
