Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 25, 2009 by Dennis Amith 

A family fun, educational Mickey Mouse Clubhouse winter themed feature featuring Mickey Mouse and friends.  If you’re looking for an animated, educational DVD for the young children during the holidays, you can’t go wrong with this release.

Images courtesy of © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: Choo Choo Express

DURATION: 47 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby Digital Sound, French and Spanish Language Tracks, Widescreen (1:78:1)

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y

RELEASE DATE:  December 1, 2009

Starring:

Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse

Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck

Bill Farmer as Goofy

Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck

Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse

Jim Cummings as Pete

Corey Burton as Ludwig Von Drake

April Winchell as Clarabelle Cow

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo Choo Express stars the Fab Five: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Goofy. While Professor Von Drake goes to the top of Mistletoe Mountain to create snow that never melts, the gang put together his old Clubhouse Choo Choo train. They use the train to help the professor carry back loads of his special non-melting snow so that they can build snowmen and make snow angels in the middle of summer. Mickey invites more friends to the Easy Freezy Snow Party so they can all join in on the fun. In order to get everyone out to the clubhouse, they adhere to a train schedule where different folks, including Santa and Ms. Claus, are picked up along the way at designated times. When Mickey and friends all make it back just in time for the party, Professor Von Drake presents them a gift – a golden car train – in appreciation for picking up everyone on the Clubhouse Choo Choo train.

“MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE” is a children’s television animated series (presented in CG) that airs on the Disney Channel’s “Playhouse Disney” block targeted towards pre-school children.

The series is created in a similar style as “Blue’s Clues” and “Dora the Explorer” in terms of the main character interacting with the viewer.  “MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE” features Mickey Mouse as the main character communicating with his friends and then occasionally looking towards the viewer for help in a variety of adventures.  Mickey  uses a variety of tools and a compass inside the clubhouse to help them solve their problems and get from point A to point B.  And then during the mission, Mickey offers various ideas of paths they can take and asks the viewer which path should he take.

For this DVD release of “Choo-Choo Express”, the theme of this series features Professor Von Drake coming up with an idea to make snow that never melts.  But he needs to go to Mistletoe Mountain and needs a Choo-Choo train to get there.  So, Mickey and friends needs the viewers help to find out which parts would be needed to make a choo-choo train and how the train can make it through the snowy terrain.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE” features colorful CG animated episodes for the children.  Nothing too detailed but simple and clean enough for the young children to enjoy.  Presentation this time around is in Widescreen (1:78:1), previous DVD’s were in full screen (1:33:1).

As for the audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital Surround Sound plus French and Spanish language tracks.  The main feature includes “Choo Choo Express” sung by They Might Be Giants.

Subtitles in English SDH are offered.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express” features the following special features:

• Game Time – Adventure Mode - Using your remote, viewers can take part in a game in which Mickey and friends go on an adventure but need the viewer’s help to make decisions.  There are two levels in this game.
• Mickey’s Big Job – (23:55) A bonus episode is included on this DVD.   In this episode, Mickey is paid a visit by the Willy the Giant.  Willy needs to visit his mother and asks Mickey to look after his farm.  So, Mickey and friends try to take care of Willy’s giant farm but Micky needs the viewers to help him make the right decisions in taking care of the farm.

“MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: Choo-Choo Express” is a straightforward, educational animated DVD release for parents to watch with their children (or assist the children in helping them make decisions) or a standalone DVD in which Mickey actually helps the viewer make the right decisions.

The main feature gives children a chance to help Mickey and the gang help the professor get to Mistletoe Mountain on a choo-choo train while the bonus episode features Mickey asking the viewer to help him and his friends maintain Willy the Giant’s farm.

The DVD is targeted towards parents who have children that are around 3-5 years old and each episode is educational and enjoyable with the storyline being adventurous, fun, humorous but yet simple, straightforward and non-frightening.

So, the series is toddler friendly with Mickey Mouse and the others encouraging the viewer to help out during the adventure.

If you are a parent looking for a DVD that can be educational and fun for your young children and/or looking for a DVD that allows for parents and children to work together as a team, you can’t go wrong with “MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: Choo-Choo Express”.