Disney Junior really struggles to capture what we loved about Mickey Mouse and friends, and instead they make sure it's completely watered down to preschoolers and nothing else. So this is a stand-alone Christmas movie where Mickey and friends want to be together for the holidays at Hot Dog Hills but end up getting themselves lost in various faraway locations. Look, I understand the targeted audience this special was made for and I get that it's just trying to appeal to young children, and I did lower my expectations for this reason. But I still feel like this could've been way better.
The storyline just feels like a longer episode of Mickey's Mixed Up Adventures, even though this isn't canon to any of the shows. Nothing about the story even feels like a 48 minute movie. If anything it feels like the rough draft. The pacing is really unstable and this special really doesn't feel like what it wants to be. All we see is quick scenes of Mickey and the gang making painfully obvious statements about what they should do and how everyone is still lost. There's no real character development and the characters are barely even in character. Pluto is also absent for some unknown reason yet they managed to add the annoying Cuckoo Loca. And there are a few comical shenanigans here and there but they never really even try to make me laugh. Even Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas managed to have some actually funny scenes than this.
The animation is sub-par. This special does have some nice rendering and modeling and I get it's made for TV. But the way the characters keep jolting does not look right, like the movements are just really off. And even the voice acting just doesn't fit that well. Bill Farmer and Tress MacNielle are still good for Goofy and Daisy. But the rest just sound strange. Also why does Pete have a French accent? This makes no sense. I'm sorry this just doesn't work for me.
However, there is one thing I think deserves credit in this special. The annoying interactivity with the fourth-wall breaks are not involved here. I haven't really caught up with the later Disney Junior Mickey Mouse shows after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but this is definitely a bit of a fix and made this special less annoying. It's better seeing Mickey and friends interact with each other than constantly with the audience. But unfortunately it still doesn't manage to save it. I really just couldn't enjoy this special like I would enjoy the stand-alone Mickey films from the 90's and 2000's. I just really wish Disney Junior could bring back atleast some of the magic that was handled from Walt Disney Television Animation and show kids, and also Disney fans, how strong Mickey and friends could be handling the legacy today.
