Looking Ahead to 2014

Mitchell Stein- As we prepare to close 2013 and now look ahead to 2014, instead of taking a look back at the year that was 2013 like most Disney fan sites are doing, we decided to go the other way and look ahead to what we're most looking forward to and hoping for in the coming year in no particular order at all.

Muppets Most Wanted: 

The Muppets (2011) was awesome. It had great humor, story and some really touching scenes that brought the Muppets back together after a long 12-year hiatus with a brand new movie that completely re-launched the franchise. It only made sense that another (and many more!) Muppet movie should be produced, and Disney jumped right on that only four months after the last one came out. 

Now that there are posters and trailers and all, we know this movie is going to be incredible, and maybe even better than the first one. Plus, our site's co-runner Ryan attended a filming for the movie which he said was incredible, and guaranteed this movie will be awesome, and that's all he'll tell us. 

If you've been behind on news, we've been talking about it like crazy on our sister site The Muppet Mindset. Check it out here!    

Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier

Continuing in the Avengers saga is the avenger Captain America, continuing right where The Avengers (2012) left off. The last Captain America movie was awesome, and it's another prep for The Avengers: Days of Ultron which is coming to theaters May 2015.


Phineas and Ferb Star Wars Special: 
While the Marvel/Phineas and Ferb special could've been better, I have high hopes for this one. It should be fun, exciting and maybe even take a look at Star Wars Episode 7, coming out in the far, far away date of December 2015.

More ARGs from Disney: 

This summer Disney launched the greatest thing ever. They called it The Optimist. 

The Optimist was an 'alternate reality game' (or ARG for short) that took Disney fans on adventures through the actual Disney park and online world and uncovering many Disney secrets and visiting other legendary locations in promotion for their upcoming movie, Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland's release date has been pushed off to May 2015, but writer Damon Lindelof promised Optimists that more ARGs would be coming before the movie's release. 

The Optimist was not only a lot of fun, but it created many friendships and spawned a fantastic close-knit community of fans. I hope more ARGs will be made in the future, whether connected to The Optimist or not, it was a lot of fun. 

(Visit the official main website: http://optimist.disney.com/ and read some more about it: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2013/07/disney-the-optimist-arg/) 

Guardians of The Galaxy: 

Another Marvel movie, but this will mark the first time to make a superhero film not related to The Avengers since being bought out by Disney. It's a little unclear as to what the movie will be about, or if it will have any connection/reference to The Avengers. But, it is the last Marvel movie until The Avengers: Days of Ultron in May 2015. It opens on August 1st, 2014. 

More Roger Rabbit Appearances: 

Seriously, whenever this guy makes an appearance in the parks, the Disney fan community goes crazy.                            There's a major demand for more Roger and other characters from the film in the parks, so whenever he finally does make an appearance, the lines can be over three hours long to meet Roger.                                                                 C'mon Disney! Make these meet-and-greets a regular thing! It only makes sense that Roger should be hanging out by his own ride in Toontown, and give him a spot at Walt Disney World as well. 

Also, once you're at it, give Sweetums a meet and greet at Muppet-Vision 3D as well! There would be a major demand for that! 

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Opens in Magic Kingdom: 

There's no official date, but it's set to open sometime in 2014. 

The last stage in the New Fantasyland expansion will finally open this upcoming year, and being placed half in the spot of it's preceding ride Snow White's Scary Adventures. It looks like it's a super fun ride, so we're super excited. 

Star Wars Rebels: 

Another attempt at a Star Wars TV show. After The Clone Wars ended earlier this year, Disney/Lucasfilm is producing another series, this time based on the timeline in-between Episode 3-4 as the Sith hunts down the final living Jedi in the world. It sounds like a much darker, less kid-friendly and more intense series. You had us at 'Star Wars'. 

Into the Woods: 

Looks like Disney is continuing in their fairy-tale reboots since the success of Once Upon a Time on ABC, but this movie looks somewhat different. This story is actually based off the 1987 Tony Award winning Broadway musical of the same name.
The film centers on a baker and his wife's quest to break a witch's curse in order to start a family.
On the way, they encounter many fairy-tale characters including Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and many more.

The movie stars Meryl Streep (pictured), Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, James Cordon and many more. Film opens December 25th 2014.

Three Disney Channel Shows Ending: 
If there's anything I mock Disney for, it's for their current Disney Channel shows. Some of them are bland and un-enjoyable, especially compared to what Disney Channel and Disney Afternoon would produce years ago.
I'm excited for Fish Hooks, A.N.T. Farm and Good Luck Charlie to air their series finales. I'm starting to get tired of all three of them. I don't know if there's a big fan-base for these things, but I personally just can't stand them anymore. Hopefully we can start getting some better shows on the channel, it's too bad Tron: Uprising didn't work out.


Big Hero 6: 
The next animated feature from Disney is a Marvel crossover, but not technically a Marvel film. It will focus on a group of six heroes protecting a fictional city of San Fransyoko (a mix of San Francisco and Tokyo). It looks like lots of fun is to be had around.

The movie opens November 7th.






That's it folks! Have a Happy New Year!  

Disney Animation Reviews #12 - Cinderella

Disney Movie Review: 12/53 - Cinderella

Ryan Dosier - Today’s movie is the 1950 Disney classic Cinderella. This is the first true feature film for Walt Disney Animation Studios since Bambi in 1942, as Disney shifted into making cheap “package films” for the eight years in between during World War II.

Cinderella also marks yet another wonderful Disney take on a beloved fairy tale—this time telling the story of perhaps the most well-known fairy tale in history. Walt Disney and his animators use their artistry and talent to create what has become one of, if not the most well known version of the Cinderella story.

As a guy, I’m sure it might sound odd to hear that I love Cinderella, but I really do. The film features a wonderful balance of cartoon sensibilities and realistic human portrayals. The animals in the film (Cinderella’s mice friends, Lucifer the cat, etc.) are all very cartoony and have brief side adventures that are very reminiscent of cartoon shorts. But Cinderella, her stepmother, the prince, and most of the human cast are all very realistically portrayed and designed.

Cinderella's music is the best a Disney film has had since Pinocchio. The film turns out a handful of Disney standards including “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” “Cinderelly,” “So This is Love,” and, of course, “Bippity Boppity Boo.” The score is also fantastic and really punctuates the sequences involving the mice hijinks.

There are numerous strong characters in the film, including the Evil Stepmother who is pure evil, Lucifer the cat who is sheer malice, Jaq and Gus-Gus the mice who are simply fun. But the character that does the most with limited screen time is the bubbly, colorful, delightful Fairy Godmother. She does have the benefit of the fantastic “Bippity Boppity Boo” song, but the dear old fairy is wonderful in less than 15 minutes onscreen.

Cinderella herself is the film’s strongest character. She is soft, unassuming, and resilient, but she has hopes and dreams and courage. No longer is the female protagonist passive and foolish, such as Snow White. Cinderella is thankful for the little she has and never falls prey to fawning over a prince. She deals with her evil stepmother and awful stepsisters with amazing grace and calm. No, she isn’t Disney’s strongest animated female, but Cinderella holds her own among the best.

Unfortunately, Prince Charming is incredibly under developed. We get a sense that he is outgoing and adventurous, but it never shows in the film. The characters of the King and the Grand Duke are actual characters with funny quirks and dialogue. Prince Charming has less than ten lines of dialogue, which hurts the movie. We want to root for Cinderella to end up with someone as great as her, but we never get to figure out if he is.

Though the film lacks in some character development, Cinderella contains some strikingly dynamic and colorful artwork throughout. The castle and its ballroom are especially stunning, but the character designs, background work, and everything in between are all gorgeous. The dance sequence with “So This is Love” is incredible in its design. Cinderella and Prince Charming waltz through a breathtaking backdrop, but again this is just one highlight in a film that is made up of works of art all throughout.

Cinderella is the film that undeniably brought back Walt Disney’s magic and added to it. It is no wonder that Cinderella is a classic. In terms of artistry, storytelling, and animation, it is a feat of wonder and beauty. Cinderella is a top-notch entry in the Disney Animation canon.

4/5 Glass Slippers

The Mickey Mindset, mickeymindset@gmail.com

Disney Fans' Favorite Christmas Movies

Mitchell Stein- On Tuesday, we asked fellow Disney fan readers what their favorite Disney Christmas of all time are. We got several great emails and comments sharing their favorite movies. If you haven't sent anything yet, feel free to send an email to mickeymindset@gmail.com or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

Ryan Dosier- Other than The Muppet Christmas Carol of course, I think my favorite Disney Christmas movie would have to be The Santa Clause. It's surprising, funny and has a big heart. It's too bad they had to go with all the dumb sequels.

John Viaes- My favorite Disney Christmas movie would have to be Mickey's Christmas Carol. I love seeing the Charles Dickens classic being portrayed by all of my favorite characters and I love how so much of the story can be told in just half an hour. It's not everyday Mickey Mouse and friends play a very serious role and it's done wonderfully. 

I also like The Small One. It's a heartwarming story that's very underrated and in my opinion, deserves more acknowledgement. The Muppet Christmas Carol is another favorite. I also enjoy the classic Mickey/Donald/Silly Symphony animated short films, Santa's Workshop, The Night Before Christmas, On Ice, Pluto's Christmas Tree, and Toy Tinkers. Jiminy Cricket's Christmas and A Disney Christmas Gift are great to watch back to back. But one that I cannot get past the holiday without is the Disney's Sing-Along Songs volume, Very Merry Christmas Songs. A tradition of mine that's carried on for the past 20 years.

Michael Wermuth-  My list of favorite Disney Christmas movies and specials is similar to the one that was already posted. I like The Muppet Christmas Carol (and all the other Muppet Christmas specials and movies, whether Disney produced them or not. But then again, I am a bigger fan of Muppets than Disney), and I like The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 3, but don't think the second one is that good (and normally I find the second movie in a trilogy to be the best). 

 But there are a few others I really like. I like Ernest Saves Christmas (which was made by Touchstone Pictures). It's one of my top four favorite Ernest movies. And I like Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too!

Dallas Thompson- I really love Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Thomas (comment)- Twenty years later, I think we can all agree that The Muppet Christmas Carol is the greatest Disney Christmas to date. I love Prep & Landing too.

Sean Cosgrave- My favorite Christmas movie is Disney's 'A Christmas Carol'! 

Sarah Phillips- I don't think you listed this yet, but I've always loved The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've never been sure if it's supposed to be a Halloween movie or Christmas one, but it's always felt like a bit of both. The music is so great, and everything seems so magical. 

Anonymous- There's not that many to choose from, so I like the Muppets ones you chose, but I do not have enough love for the Prep and Landing movies. They are so great and funny and everything I love Wayne and Lenny!! 

Thanks again to everyone for sending in! Feel free to add yourself to this list by emailing mickeymindset@gmail.com or commenting below! 

Our Favorite Christmas Movies

Mitchell Stein- Merry Christmas everyone! Today, in honor of the joyous holiday (not Festivus) I decided to showcase just a few of our all-time favorite Disney Christmas Classics, and what about these films makes every December mean so much to us.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)- 
What makes The Muppet Christmas Carol so special to us? The reasons never end.
This hilarious re-telling of The Christmas Carol is so magical and in so many ways. It features our favorite characters, great music and some really great holiday moments. This is easily the best retelling of the story that there is.
Christmas for me doesn't begin until I re-watch this movie. The moments are so beautiful and heartwarming, especially the music of It Feels Like Christmas and One More Sleep 'Til Christmas. 
That's why this movie will always remain at the top of my list.

The Santa Clause Trilogy: 
The 1994 movie, The Santa Clause would always be a classic Disney Christmas film. Starring Tim Allen (later to play the voice of Buzz Lightyear). When Scott Calvin accidentally knocks Santa off his roof and must take the place of Santa this Christmas.
The less classic movie, The Santa Clause 2: Mrs. Clause was less fun and the even less fun film The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause also were produced, but missed the heart of the first movie. Although, the entire trilogy will always earn a special spot on the Christmas movie list.

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas: 
This three-story movie is by far a very special Disney classic. Not only does it star Mortimer Mouse but loads of other Mickey characters, including Max, Huey, Dewey & Louie, Scrooge McDuck, Chip n' Dale, and even Owl from Winnie the Pooh and a whole lot more. This is a must see for Christmas.



Prep & Landing and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice: 
I do not enough nice things to say about the two Prep & Landing films. My only complaint is that it was too short. There's so much heart, depth and humor crammed into twenty-two minutes, more than what two-hour movies can ever cover.

The movies follow two elves named Lenny and Wayne who work for the Prep & Landing Dept. for Santa., a secret group preparing everything in every home for the big night.
When Wayne decides to slack off during the operation, code 'figgy pudding' (code red) cancels Santa from visiting Timmy Terwelp's house on Christmas. It's then up to Lenny and Wayne to ensure that Christmas is delivered to every house, including Timmy's. Lots of fun is to be had in this special.

In the second film, Coal Elf Brigade is hacked by a mysterious hacker identified by 'jinglesmell1337', and a special unit sent to deliver items to the Naughty kids were hijacked and lost a Fruitcake Conduct Calculator. The Prep & Landing guys, including Lenny and Wayne and sent in to find the calculator.
The sequel is a lot of fun as well, and we're introduced to some more characters, including Wayne's brother, Noel. I make both these films a must see every year.





A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa 
Not my favorite Muppet Christmas special (A Muppet Family Christmas is my favorite, thanks for asking) but it's the other Christmas Muppet movie made by Disney, and overall, I love it.

It's a little slow paced, not the most hilarious Muppet special, but it still has the great Christmas element to it and it's a lot of fun. The songs are great, written by the legendary Paul Williams, and has some hilarious comedy and some really fantastic celebrity cameos, featuring my favorite, Nathan Lane paired up with Bobo the Bear. If that's not enough to make you rush to see it, I don't know what is.

Frozen: 

Not a Christmas movie, but it is all about the Winter, and is a perfect movie to go see over the holidays with your freinds, family or chickens! Read our review: 


What movies/specials mean the most to you by Christmas time? Send us an email at mickeymindset@gmail.com and we'll feature it in another Christmas article!



MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MICKEY MINDSET! HAVE A MAGICAL NEW YEAR! 

The Mickey Mindset, mickeymindset@gmail.com

Disney Animation Review 10/11: Melody Time & The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Disney Animation Review: 10-11/53 - Melody Time and The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad

Finally, I’ve made it to the final two of Walt Disney’s unfortunate “package films” made to recoup the cost World War II took on the studio. Melody Time (1948) is the 10th Disney animated feature, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) is the 11th.

Melody Time is my least favorite of the package films by some stretch. It is dull, dull, dull all the way through. The only somewhat entertaining cartoon of the seven in the film is “Pecos Bill.” This is where the animation is the liveliest and the colors are splashiest. The rest of the shorts bore like nothing else Disney has done. There is an adaptation of the Johnny Appleseed story, which is incredibly preachy and loses any of its charm. Donald Duck and Jose Carioca return for “Blame it On the Samba” but don’t speak and thus lose all of their appeal.

Overall Melody Time is a lame, sleeper of a film. The animation in most of it lacks completely and the cartoons chosen for the piece are entirely lackluster. “Pecos Bill” is the only one that stands out even a little bit, and even that is relatively lame.

However, the eleventh animated feature, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a lovely little movie. It is made up of two stories, one inspired by “Wind and the Willows,” and the other inspired by “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The story of Mr. Toad and his motor-mania leads the film and it is the superior story. Mr. Toad is engrossing, fun, and silly. The story’s character designs are incredible. The story is a blast and the animation is really impressive. This is a true highlight of the “package film” era.

Ichabod Crane’s story is less engrossing as Toad’s, but it’s still fun. It’s narrated/sung by Bing Crosby, which adds a lot to it. The animation is stylish and the character design remains fun. You can see a lot of this film’s influence in films like Beauty and the Beast. The end is frightening and dark, but very enjoyable.

As a whole, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad works on countless more levels than the previous package films. The narrative, animation, and design all work infinitely better than the five films before it.

Melody Time - 1.5/5 Apple Trees

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - 3.5/5 Motor Cars

The Mickey Mindset, mickeymindset@gmail.com

Saving Mr. Banks Film Review

Ryan Dosier - Releasing wide in theaters all over today is Saving Mr. Banks, the true story of Walt Disney's efforts to sway Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to bring her beloved story to the silver screen. The film takes place over a two-week period and follows the mostly true story of that period. We also see Travers' backstory played out through wonderful flashbacks as we discover why Mary Poppins is so important to her and why she is so guarded as a person.

The biggest coup of Saving Mr. Banks is the fact that this is the first time Walt Disney has ever been portrayed on screen by an actor. It was incredibly hard for me to fathom anyone who could do justice to Walt, but I learned once again that you should never underestimate Tom Hanks. Hanks disappears into the role and brings Walt Disney to life in a truly moving and incredible way. Not once while watching the film did I think to myself, "Oh, that's just Tom Hanks." Hanks is the perfect choice for Walt Disney and I fell in love with his performance. He is simply outstanding.

However the biggest joy of the film is Emma Thompson's P.L. Travers. Oscar-worthy is absolutely the adjective I would use to describe Thompson's portrayal of the persnickety author. Her emotional journey through the movie is brilliant and Thompson takes us along with her through every high and low. The scene where she finally relents to the charms of Disney music and releases some joy is far and away my favorite moment in the film. My heart soared and I had tears in my eyes. It's a beautiful, expertly executed scene. Emma Thompson absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for her brilliant turn as Travers, and I won't be surprised when she gets one.

The rest of the cast is magnificent as well. Colin Farrell wowed me as Travers Goff, P.L. Travers alcoholic father. His work in the film is wonderful and I can't believe how little he was played up in the promotion for the film. Paul Giamatti plays Travers' driver Ralph and might have been my favorite character. Bradley Whitford is awesome as screenwriter Don DeGradi. Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak steal the show more than once as the legendary Sherman Brothers. Every player in this film is a delight and adds rich story, character, and fun to the movie. A marvelous cast if there ever was one.

There are so many excellent moments in the film, but the scene with Walt and Mrs. Travers at Disneyland is a major highlight. It is so incredible to see the park turned back in time. I loved watching park-goers coming up to Walt and watching Walt jovially interact with anyone who wanted to meet him. Disney magic is in full force throughout that scene. Every time music from Mary Poppins is played, I adored it. There is a scene using the song "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank" that was especially well done. The final scenes at the premiere of Mary Poppins are also just marvelous.

In the end, it's just really, really hard not to love this film if you're a Disney fan--and even if you're not. It is uplifting, inspiring, and magical. Saving Mr. Banks reminds us of the joys and the sorrows of being a creator and a storyteller. The praise for the film is well-deserved, and I'm happy to add my praise to it. As Walt says, "every time someone walks into a movie house...they will rejoice." That was true for Mary Poppins, and it is true for Saving Mr. Banks. The movie will leave you singing.

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Mitchell Stein- For years, Mary Poppins has been considered to be Walt Disney’s cinematic crowning achievement, the Oscar winning film, with incredible creative animated sequences, a heartfelt story and fantastic songs by the Sherman Brothers, it earns that title quite well.

It’s surprising that Mary Poppins almost never happened.

Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) wooed P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) into the rights of her book in order to grant the rights to the movie adaption. If the movie would’ve gone into the hands of Travers, Mary Poppins as we know it would probably not exist. The version we would know would be a very depressing, sad and unenjoyable film unlike the bouncy colorful film we know as today.

The film’s cast is brilliant. Although Walt Disney really in essence just looks like Tom Hanks’ in a mustache, the spirit of Walt lives on in this movie. This film takes Walt Disney beyond the legend and showcases him just as a regular person. It may have been meant to weaken people’s godly thoughts of Walt Disney, but if anything, it may have strengthened mine. The look and sound of Walt may not seem right, but the spirit of Walt was spot on. His performance was great, and it makes me wonder if they were planning to bring him back to play Walt in 2015's Tomorrowland. 

The movie also stars B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman brilliantly playing the roles of the Sherman Bros, Bradley Whitford as screenwriter Don Dagradi and Paul Giamatti as Ralph the driver.

Saving Mr. Banks is not only the ultimate gift to fans of the Mary Poppins movie, but for Disney fans in general. It goes very in detail at certain parts of the story, and accurately playing out to old audio recordings of the meetings that were insisted upon by P.L. Travers herself (some of the audio can be heard over the credits of the movie). It also makes you appreciate all the little details and hard work that went into the film, including some really memorable references and musical numbers that will make any Disney fan break into tears. 

The facts and hidden gems are incredibly detailed. Most average moviegoers won’t recognize Walt’s Smoke Tree Ranch tie clip, or the way Tom Hanks strokes his mustache and speaks like Walt, but as a major Disney fan, I instantly recognized every detail, even to the items on his office shelves are amazing, vintage Mickey merchandise and others. The set design in this movie is fantastic.

I have no absoloutley negative things to say about this movie. In the beginning, the story flashes from 1906 to the 1960s, constantly telling both eras of Travers’ story. It’s rather frustrating at first, but you’ll get used to it as the movie goes on.

I wish they would have gone a little more in detail during the filming of the movie, but I guess the movie was long enough where it is now, with an enjoyable two and a half hours.

Saving Mr. Banks is a movie for every Disney fan. Rest assured, you will love this movie. Not just should you enjoy the comedy, the music and touching moments, but also, be on the lookout for lots of hidden gems and facts. I honestly loved this movie, and I hope it earns the Oscar buzz it's been getting the past few months, because honestly, this might even deserve Best Picture (although it probably won't get it). 

Saving Mr. Banks opens everywhere today, December 20^th. 

Disney Animation Review 8/9 - Make Mine Music & Fun and Fancy Free

Disney Animation Review: 8-9/53 - Make Mine Music & Fun and Fancy Free

Ryan Dosier - Today’s review covers both Make Mine Music (1946) and Fun and Fancy Free (1947), two more of Walt Disney’s “package films” that contain two or more animated shorts or a mixture of live action. The films were made to recoup some of the losses the studio faced during World War II. Although they surely kept the Disney studio afloat, it’s a shame that these films couldn’t have been better.

Make Mine Music features ten cartoon shorts, all unrelated, all set to different kinds of music. It is a very odd film and only four or five of the segments are worth watching. “All the Cats Join In” is about teenagers having fun and is lively and entertaining but ridiculously sexist (but what in the 40s wasn’t?). At one point a girl with a slightly bigger ass than the other girls is rejected by a boy, so the artist’s pencil erases her ass and draws it smaller. I was stunned.

Thankfully, the rest of the film is innocent and harmless (for the most part). There are a few real gems here such as “Casey at the Bat,” which features great music and narration and animation. “Peter and the Wolf” should be better than it is... but it lacks quite a bit. “Johnny Fedora & Alice Blue Bonnet” is an adorable, wonderful little short that clearly inspired Disney and Pixar’s recent short film efforts such as “Paperman” and “The Blue Umbrella.” Finally, there’s the story of Willie the opera singing whale, which is enjoyable and a delight, but features a shockingly tragic ending.

But for the most part, Make Mine Music is a collection of boring, uninspired, and downright lame cartoon shorts. There are a handful of truly fun pieces, but overall I found myself bored and ready for it to be over.

Then there’s Fun and Fancy Free, which is one of the most polarizing movies for me. I adore the second half, but I fall asleep during the first half. The film features Jiminy Cricket as the sort of narrator for no real reason. He leads the movie into the story of Bongo the circus bear who winds up in the woods. The story is so dull and really does not contain any sort of Disney magic. There’s a bit of fun during the bear square dance, but 95% of Bongo is boring.

Fun and Fancy Free picks up momentum with “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” narrated by the great ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. But they don’t really matter, since the real stars are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. This 25 minute cartoon reminds viewers how spectacular Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are as a team. They work off of each other so well, especially in this. Donald has one of his greatest, craziest angry flip out moments and the animation is to die for.

Goofy sings a great, funny little song about “pancakes a foot high” as their hungry desperation sits in. Mickey gets to be the hero (which he always excels at). It’s just a lot of fun and the animation is top notch. Willie the Giant is a little lackluster and the magic harp is lame, but Mickey, Donald, and Goofy make Fun and Fancy Free worth your time (at least the second half of it).

Make Mine Music - 2/5 Blue Bonnets

Fun and Fancy Free - 2.5/5 Magic Beans

The Mickey Mindset, mickeymindset@gmail.com