Review Written by Christian Garcia
On the second day Christmas, good Cee Gee gave to me: Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas!
I thought I would continue with another Mickey Mouse Christmas Classic.
Background:
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas is a straight-to-video released in 1999. I remember my parents getting it for me as a kid and being a fan of Mickey Mouse, I watched it quite a bit. The film tells 3 classic stories with Donald Duck and his nephews in Christmas Every Day, a touching story with Goofy trying to prove to his son Max the existence of Santa Claus, and Mickey and Minnie in the Gift of the Magi. These are three simple and very heartwarming stories. With Christmas Every Day and Gift of the Magi being based on short stories. The Mickey Mouse gang is the perfect cast to tell such heartwarming stories and give that loving Christmassy feel. Kelsey Grammer serves as the narrator and does a great job of capturing that whimsical Christmas spirit.
My Thoughts:
Since there are 3 stories told throughout the film I am going to sum up my opinions for each story:
Donald Duck in Christmas Every Day
Being a kid who loved Christmas growing up, there was always a part of me that wished it could last every day. Donald Duck’s nephews Huey Dewey and Louie make that wish and experience Christmas Every Day. Huey Dewey and Louie at first enjoy it but then grow sick of it and get into their usual hijinks. Watching it now as an adult, it gives me that nostalgic feeling for when I would get excited for Christmas as kid. . It’s a good lesson about how too much of any good thing, even Christmas, is never a good thing and part of why we cherish it so much is because it only happens once a year.
A Very Goofy Christmas
Goofy has always been my favorite of the Mickey Mouse gang. I love his shorts, Goof Troop, and of course, A Goofy Movie. I have always loved the father-son relationship between Goofy and Max and it was fun to see that relationship back when Max was a younger child. Max’s belief in Santa Claus is threatened after Pete tells him he isn’t real and Goofy goes to great lengths to keep his belief alive. It’s a touching story seeing Goofy go to such lengths to make his son happy and to keep his Christmas spirit. I also love how at one point, even Goofy’s spirit is tested and it’s nice to see Max try and cheer his dad up. And of course, we get the typical wackiness and hijinks that we expect from Goofy with over-the-top falls and destruction being left in his path. I find it to be the most heartwarming of the three and my personal favorite. Watching it as an adult, it inspires me to be this kind of father when I have my own kids someday and I love how it inspires to keep the Christmas spirit alive.
Mickey and Minnie’s Gift of the Magi
Mickey and Minnie’s relationship has always been sweet and very loving. This story highlights why they are looked at as such a loving couple. If you know the story of the Gift of the Magi, you know what to expect from this and it tells the story very well. We see Mickey and Minnie both struggle to get the other a special gift for Christmas and seeing the lengths they will go to make each other happy is very sweet to watch. The final scene where they exchange gifts is very cute. Stories like this remind me why giving gifts is my favorite part of the holidays.
Conclusion:
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas is a great Christmas film to put on for your kids as it captures the goodwill, heart, and feelings that the holidays bring and teaches 3 very good lessons that remind us why the holidays are so special. It’s a movie I always makes sure to put on every year and it’s one that I highly recommend.
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