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(More customer reviews)It's Halloween Night, and the House of Mouse is hoppin', as usual. There do seem to be more villains in the audience than normal, however, but the show goes on as always! Dressed in his vampirey best, Mickey emcees a collection of frightfully funny, Halloween-themed Disney shorts to the dining Disney clientele. Little does he know that the Disney villains, led by the nefarious Jafar, are plotting to take over the "House of Mouse" before the evening is over! Will Mickey be able to dig up enough Disney magic to stop them?
"Mickey's House of Villains" is a Halloween extravaganza in the spirit of Disney's classic holiday short-subject compilations such as the much revered "A Disney Halloween Treat." Featuring a collection of classic and all new Disney short cartoons that make up the bulk of this direct-to-video program inspired by the "House of Mouse" animated television series, "Mickey's House of Villains" is a must have for the Disney and Halloween fanatic. Now, many have complained that the packaging and title are misleading, but not so for those familiar with the "House of Mouse" animated series format. The popular Disney animated series has always been a show that brings all of Disney's beloved characters together under the same roof, that of Mickey's "House of Mouse" nightclub, for fine dining and entertainment in the form of Disney animated shorts. This is the second direct-to-video "feature" based on the series (the first one being "Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse"), and one of many Disney direct-to-videos to raise complaints about false advertising as an "all new" feature. So, I say again, this is a compilation of Disney short cartoons with a Halloween theme. Yes, there's all new footage, and yes, that footage has a "Disney Villains vs. Mickey" plot, but it only takes place AROUND the shorts and at the end. There IS a catchy, all new song performed by the villains as they take over the club (about two cartoons away from the big finale), and there is also the Mickey/Villains face off in the end, though it is just a quick, humorous battle. The wraparound animation is nicely done and fun to watch. Offhand, I can't think of anything that was inappropriate in this program, and I'm a hardcore Disney fanatic. I mean, you should know going in that you're buying a Halloween themed DVD. Anyway, this is a fantastic compilation for Halloween and does a good job filling in for the lack of a "Disney Halloween Treat" DVD release. There are no clips from animated features here, but you do get 8 fantastic, high-quality Disney animated shorts, both classic and new! And, yes, though the new shorts were made for the slightly pre-House of Mouse television series, "Mickey MouseWorks," they ARE high quality and very entertaining. In fact, one of the best cartoons in the collection is such a short, Goofy's "How to Haunt a House." Here is a run through of the shorts offered within the "House of Mouse" themed program:
"Trick or Treat" (CLASSIC): In this, one of my favorite classic cartoons, Donald Duck is serving out tricks instead of treats when his nephews come by on Halloween night, and Witch Hazel offers to help everyone get their just desserts. A Halloween MUST WATCH.
"Mickey's Mechanical House" (NEW): In this all new short, narrated storybook style by a rhyming John Cleese, Mickey decides to purchase a new house and goes for a very futuristic model. Things go a little haywire though, once he damages his robot servant.
"How to Haunt a House" (NEW): In one of the most entertaining shorts on the disc, Goofy is immediately dispatched in order to illustrate "How to Haunt a House" in the tradition of some of Goofy's most hilarious classic shorts. He runs into a little trouble by choosing skeptical Donald as his victim though.
"Lonesome Ghosts" (CLASSIC): In this Halloween tradition for the Disney fan, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy prove to be the original ghostbusters, as they take on a gang of bored spirits in a creaky old house in the snow.
"Dance of the Goofys" (NEW): With the dialogue and lyric free style of "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000," this is a short set to music in which Goofy portrays a fairy in a line-up of identical fairies that close-up flowers for the night. When their king is captured by an insect tormenting child, it's up to the goofiest of the Goofy fairies to save him!
"Donald Duck and the Gorilla" (CLASSIC): Another one Disney fans should be quite familiar with around the Halloween season, this short features Ajax the gorilla who has escaped and is on the loose. Donald and the nephews hear the radio warning, and the kids are scared to death. Donald takes the opportunity to play some pranks on the boys. Little does he know that the ducks aren't the only ones running wild in the house that night...
"Donald's Halloween Scare" (NEW): This new short is a real treat, as it more specifically features Halloween (like "Trick or Treat" did) and gives us more of Donald's incessant pranking on Huey, Louie, and Dewey! The joke is on him though, when he is mistaken for a slasher-movie style loonatic on the loose!
"Hansel and Gretel" (NEW): Our final short is another "Fantasia" style toon set to music. It's a charming rendition of Hansel and Gretel starring no less than Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the title roles!
The DVD extras aren't anything to howl about. There is a villain themed trivia game, a clip video that can be watched with or without music, and some pictures of Disney Villains in the menu that lead to more movie clips. Better than all that is the inclusion of a "Lilo and Stitch" trailer featuring original animation of Ariel the Little Mermaid. However, with all these wonderful shorts and the highly entertaining wraparound material, it's beyond me why anyone wouldn't be thrilled to own this Disney DVD! While I can understand folks being upset when they were expecting an animated feature about Mickey going up against all the Disney Villains, all I can say is, stop blind-buying DVDs if you are prone to being displeased. Always check the facts with direct-to-video! For what it is, the Halloween-themed "Mickey's House of Villains" DVD deserves the full five stars, not to mention annual viewings at the very least!
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