Netflix Delivers a Holiday Mouse-Fest

I wasn't planning on another Netflix post so soon, but the service has just added a quartet of Mouse Flix, all direct-to-video productions, to their instant streaming service.

The highlight of the bunch is the wonderful, hilarious and very under-appreciated  Three Musketeers, which places the Disney Fab Five in a fast-paced, fan-pleasing feature-length send-up of the classic tale. In-jokes, great animation and unique character moments abound, plus Pete gets his peg leg back! If you haven't caught this beauty, you're in for a treat. This could have (and should have) been a theatrical release.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is a trio of well-done tales. In the first, Huey, Dewey and Louie wish every day was Christmas and soon realize not all wishes should be granted. The second finds Goofy trying to give young Max a perfect Christmas in spite of a belief crisis. In the finale, Mickey and Minnie play out their own version of Gift of the Magi. Watch for Mortimer Mouse and an animated version of Firehouse Five Plus Two!

I'd love to see the entire run of the wonderful House of Mouse series show up on Netflix someday. In the meantime, the two compilation specials, Snowed In at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains will do. Both combine new animation with classic clips to create entertaining hour-long Disney mash-ups.

Gather the family, cook up some Mickey pasta and settle back for a good time. What a great way to start the Holiday video season!

A Victim of Remodeling: World of Disney's White Rabbit

The White Rabbit is one of my favorite Disney characters, so I was delighted to find him freaking out from inside his residence above the mountain of plush toys in the original version of the "Alice" room of Disneyland Resort's World of Disney Store. Once upon a time, his entire house formed the focal point of that section of the shop.

Unfortunately, W. Rabbit and his house vanished during a major remodeling of the sales floor, and in their place the store got...well....um...nothing memorable.

The Queen of Hearts' exhausted, stressed-out herald can still be found in several spots in Disneyland, but the World of Disney Store is now, regrettably, de-bunnyfied.

The Broom That Wouldn't Leave

When you wander through Mickey's House in Toontown, making your way toward his backyard movie studio barn, you run across all kinds of memorabilia from the mouse's life.

My favorite is this lonely little guy, still hanging around hoping for another role in an animated feature. He's still ticked off about the live-action Nicolas Cage film.

That surreal lamp post seems to have escaped from the Roger Rabbit ride.

Mad "T" Party's House of Cards Bar

While I'm not the target audience for DCA's loud and bizarre Mad "T" Party, I do admire the clever design and overall high quality of the nighttime event. As mentioned before, I tend to treat it more as a walk-through attraction than a place to hang out.

The bar at the House of Cards stage offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Like everything else at the Burton-esque festival, it's a pleasure to look at, even when just passing through.

Strange Things: Great Offbeat Disney Music

In case yesterday's Big Lucasfilm Purchase News made you wanna dance, we're featuring some of the more oddball, unusual, but ultimately engaging tracks of Disney Music to be found on iTunes and Amazon. 

Seriously, no one needs another straightforward elevator music version of Whole New World...no, we're having more fun than that...

Track:  BEAUTY & THE BEAST
Album: Disney Themes: Flamenco Style

Imagine Beast circling Belle with a rose stem between his teeth. I don't think I need to say another word.

Track:  HUMPHREY HOP (In the Bag)
Album: House of Mouse

Some official Disney releases are off-the-rails enough to make this list, like Ranger Woodlore's litter-picking song that tricks Humphrey Bear & co. into performing unpaid labor. It's impossible not to dance while listening. Actually, every Disney Music fan should have this entire soundtrack in their library, even though it's a wee bit overpriced on iTunes.
 

Track:   DISNEY DELIGHTS
Album: The Box and Banjo Band at the Movies

An accordion/banjo combo swings their way through I Wanna Be Like You, Hi-Ho and  Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. Pure happiness. Careful: this band's addictive. Also check out their amazing Hans Christian Andersen medley.

Track:  WHEN I SEE AN ELEPHANT FLY
Album: Let's Dance the Jive

Graham Dalby is an English Bandleader focusing on keeping Jazz Age Swing Music alive, and for that reason alone, he should be made King of Planet Earth.

That'll do it for this dose of great Disney music...OH, WAIT...in light of the recent news, I can't resist one more track that's not really very obscure....

Track:  STAR WARS/CANTINA BAND (12" DISCO MIX)
Album: The Best of Meco

HAPPY STAR WARS, EVERYONE!!! If you want to party to the full 16 minute long version of this 70's smash, you'll have to buy the whole album, but -- hey -- Disco Close Encounters and Disco Oz are included... 

WDW 1993: More Wonders of Life

No, this isn't Universal's latest Halloween Haunt, it's another look back at 1993 Walt Disney World. Today we've returned once more to Wonders of Life. The eclectic, wonderful pavilion had something for everyone, and everyone seemed to love the Sensory Fun House.

The game seen above, where you reached into a hole and tried to identify an object by touch alone, was the sort of exhibit you can find in many museums and zoos, but Disney had the brilliant idea to make the back of the box open to spectators, turning it into a true "What the --" moment for guests who didn't know what they were looking at. This kind of simple, well-executed fun (also seen in the Forced Perspective Room) never gets old.

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Vs. Walt Disney World's

The Haunted Mansion recently closed for its annual Nightmare-Before-Christmas overlay, so here's one last look at HM Classic before Haunted Mansion Holiday opens on September 14th.

I love both the California and Florida Haunted Mansions. Although the rides are mostly identical, each has its own touches. If pressed, I'd say the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion gives a slightly superior experience. The exterior looks more foreboding, and the ride includes a couple of brief, wonderful scenes not found in Disneyland.

Yet there are elements of Disneyland's HM that I prefer. I like entering through the front of the building. I like the fact that the stretching room floor goes down here, as opposed to the ceiling rising in Florida -- it just feels creepier knowing you're descending away from the "living" world. I like walking through the hall of paintings.

And, of course, I grew up with this version and it will always feel like "my" Haunted Mansion. I'm sure Walt Disney World fans feel the same way about their awesome mansion ride.