Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo Choo Express!

This Yuletide season, Mickey and the Clubhouse Gang hop
aboard the Clubhouse Choo Choo Train for a holiday-filled adventure when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Choo Choo Express comes to Disney DVD on December 1, 2009.

This animated feature includes lively original music including a new song by the kid-friendly alt-rock
band, They Might Be Giants; delightful bonus episode, Mickey’s Big Job and an interactive experience with three enjoyable ways to watch the movie.

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.

BONUS FEATURES
Bonus Episode
Mickey’s Big Job: Willie the Giant is off to visit his Mama. Before he leaves he asks Mickey and his pals to house-sit his farm. The gang is eager to help, but Willie's "little list" of chores turns out to be a big hassle considering how small they are in the giant's home. With a big "can do" spirit, the Clubhouse gang set about the chores and all the jobs get done in time earning a mammoth thank you from Willie when he gets home.
* “Mickey’s Big Job includes 3 fun ways to watch and play using your remote control”
1. Fastplay mode – enjoy the movie without using your remote
2. Adventure mode 1 (ages 2-3) – as you watch the movie, use your remote to answer fun
questions about colors, shapes and sizes.
3. Adventure mode 2 (ages 4-5) – move to a higher level with more challenging questions using your remote.

In case it's not already extremely obvious, I absolutely love both Mickey Mouse and Christmas. Give me the two of those things combined and I pretty much lose my ever-loving mind.

I used to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse years ago and back then, the animation was more like the classic Disney animation. I was reintroduced to the Clubhouse through my own children who loved "Playhouse Disney" when they were a bit younger. Even now we will catch an episode via our TiVo and all seem to enjoy watching it. I believe the animation now is more geared toward the younger viewer, but it does not detract from our enjoyment of it.

The message is simplified as well...perfect for children between the ages of 2-5 (I would say birth to five, actually, as my friends very small baby seemed to be mesmerized by the screen as this video played). "They Might be Giants" sang a song called "Choo Choo Express" which is STILL IN MY HEAD (much to the dismay of my office mates. I can't sing like them!)

I had planned on giving this video to my nieces but my kids protested as they enjoyed it (and they are huge fans of Holiday movies. No idea where they get that particular trait) so we are keeping it. I was unable to get the bonus episode to play in anything other than FastPlay, but I think it's a problem with my remote and not the video itself, as I had a similar problem with another video I recently reviewed.

Overall, I found this very cute! It would be a great Holiday gift for a little one in your life!