Review: Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After a series of mishaps, Mickey, Minnie and the gang are separated all over the world and must try to get back to Hog Dog Hills by Christmas Eve. A mysterious and jolly stranger shows up to tell them about the Wishing Star, which could be the secret to bringing everybody home in time to celebrate together.

Our Take:

Well, it didn’t take me too long to look at another holiday special. Mickey Mouse is no stranger to celebrating the holidays, especially when considering his previous Christmas-related specials. His happy-go-lucky personality, combined with their holly jolly vibes, usually provides enough joyous moments to delight young viewers and plenty of adults during the holiday season. This week’s special attempts to continue that trend with Mickey and his friends in another troubling predicament.

When it comes to Mickey’s holiday films and specials, the only ones that I remember very fondly were Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas and its 2004 follow-up, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas. They may not be holiday masterpieces, but their series of short stories always put me in a gleefully jolly mood. Wish Upon a Christmas may not make me want to add it to my list of favorite holiday content. However, it did deliver what made the recent Mickey Mouse shows successful: a straightforward and charming formula filled with likable characters and goofy shenanigans.

I haven’t been keeping up with Mickey’s recent shows on Disney Junior since Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, mostly because I’m more into Mickey’s previous films and programs aimed at general audiences. The channel is currently airing Mickey Mouse Funhouse, but I didn’t bother with that one. Thankfully, the special offered a story that newcomers, including myself, can comfortably enjoy with the young fans of Mickey’s latest pre-school series.

Along with the return of Mickey and his usual gang, the special also saw Cuckoo Loca joining in on the fun. As someone who’s unfamiliar with the character, I thought Cuckoo was an enjoyable addition to Mickey’s Hot Dog crew. Cuckoo’s adventure in Italy delivered some humorous moments, and she’s nicely voiced by Nika Futterman, who also voiced Luna Loud from The Loud House.   

The story is unsurprisingly simplistic yet admittedly charismatic in its tone and musical numbers. It showcases Mickey and his pals wounding up in different parts of the world like Rome and Antarctica. More importantly, it offered an acceptable message about celebrating the holidays with your loved ones. The prominent example of this was when Donald wished to do a different tradition this year, only to wind up on a tropical island with other people. He soon realizes that it’s better to do the same tradition with his friends rather than with a bunch of strangers.

Overall, Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas is a cute and attention-grabbing holiday special that’ll satisfy plenty of Mickey Mouse fans, young and old. It also worked as an accessible companion piece of Mickey Mouse Funhouse for people who are unfamiliar with the show. It may not be one of my favorite Christmas specials starring the iconic mouse, but it did remind me why I love him in the first place, especially when he’s out spreading holiday cheer.