| Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas | |
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 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Matthew O'Callaghan |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by | Pam Marsden |
| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Stephen James Taylor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Home Entertainment[a] |
Release date |
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Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas is a 2004 Americandirect-to-videoanimatedChristmasanthologycomedyfantasy film produced byDisneytoon Studios, Animated ByBlur Studio and directed byMatthew O'Callaghan. The film includes stories directed byPeggy Holmes, O'Callaghan, Theresa Cullen, andCarole Holliday.
It is the sequel toMickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999).[2] It featuresMickey Mouse,Minnie Mouse,Pluto,Goofy,Max,Donald Duck,Daisy Duck,Huey, Dewey, and Louie, andScrooge McDuck,[3] in five different segments rather than three like its predecessor.[4] Despite negative reviews from critics, it has since been considered acult following
The narrator recites the first ten words ofThe Night Before Christmas before saying, "Oh, wait. Different story, but we'll still see a mouse!" The narrator then announces new tales of giving and loving, and a book opens to show pop-up elves.
In the first story,Minnie Mouse andDaisy Duck compete in an ice-skating competition. The girls are joined by their respective boyfriends,Mickey andDonald, as they prepare to take the ice. Daisy becomes envious of the crowd's reaction to Minnie and attempts to steal the spotlight. Minnie performs several daredevil stunts to regain the spotlight while Daisy summons theFantasia Hippos, who become her backup skaters while her counterpart summons the alligators from the1940 film. When Minnie slips while landing from a stunt blindfolded, Daisy helps her up while feeling sorry for her selfish actions. Minnie feels the same way, so they both reconcile and perform a grand finale as a team.
The second story tells the story ofHuey, Dewey, and Louie celebratingChristmas Eve with Donald and Daisy Duck atUncle Scrooge's mansion inDuckburg. After they cause trouble at dinnertime, the boys know that they are on the naughty list, so they travel to theNorth Pole to write their names onSanta's good list. At Santa's workshop, the trio make a mess while trying to find the key to the room containing Santa's good list, but they and the elves clean up to save Christmas. Before they leave, they have a chance to add their names to the good list; however, they add Scrooge's name instead. On Christmas, they find a single gift for Scrooge, but Santa leaves a note that explains that their actions caused them to be put on the good list and more presents are behind the tree.
The third story's focus is onMax Goof and his fatherGoofy celebrating the holidays. A young adult Max brings home his girlfriend Mona to meet his father, Goofy. However, Max is embarrassed by his dad, who labels his car a limo, decorates the house with many Christmas lights, shows baby pictures to Mona, and wipescocoa off Max's face. While wandering outside, he notices that his scarf is made by Goofy and realizes that Goofy is always goofy, and that is why he loves him. Max then forgets about being embarrassed and joins in the fun when thepopcorn-making machine goes haywire. Originally, Roxanne fromA Goofy Movie was supposed to be in the segment, but because the animators had a hard time to bring her long wavy hair to CGI, they replaced her with a new character named Mona.
The fourth story focuses on Donald Duck and his Christmas wish of peace and quiet. As he returns home from grocery shopping, he is slowed down by daydreaming and a series of well-wishers who sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Donald becomes increasingly annoyed by the joyous people, and at home, he is annoyed to hear the same Christmas carols on his radio. When Daisy and his nephews arrive, Donald becomes annoyed that they want to go out so soon after he returned home, but Daisy drags him out anyway. At the mall, Donald discovers various objects playing the same Christmas carol; he thinks he is in peace inside a secret room, where he findsanimatronics singing. He destroys the entire show at Mousy's that Daisy, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and the crowd were trying to see. After he is thrown out of the mall, Donald walks home alone while feeling guilty for his lack of Christmas spirit. Eventually, he apologizes to everyone for his selfishness and joins the townspeople convened around a Christmas tree happily singing.
The fifth and final story stars Mickey as he makes decorations for the Christmas party, which his dog,Pluto keeps interrupting. When Pluto attempts to help by putting the star on the Christmas tree, he accidentally destroys all the decorations and an exasperated Mickey sends him to his doghouse as a consequence. Feeling rejected, Pluto decides to run away from home and finds himself shipped on a train to the North Pole, where Santa's reindeer adopt him. Back home, Mickey tidies up the mess and redecorates the house with the new Christmas decorations and attempts to reconcile with Pluto, only to find him missing. Meanwhile, Pluto becomes homesick, so Santa and the reindeer help him go home. They complete the Christmas tree decorations, and everyone celebrates Pluto's return.
Like inOnce Upon a Christmas, the film concludes with a medley of carols featuring the main characters from the five segments as the book closes.
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas was first released onDVD andVHS on November 9, 2004.[5] Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, the film was released in a 2-Movie CollectionBlu-ray and DVD with its predecessorMickey's Once Upon a Christmas on November 4, 2014.
The film was made available to stream onNetflix.[6][7] It was subsequently released onDisney+.[8][9]
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas aired in the United States onABC Family in December 2013,[10] and in December 2015.[11][12] It aired onFreeform in December 2022.[13][14]
Joe Leydon ofVariety stated, "All segments are sufficiently brisk to sustain interest of restless small fry. [...] Computer-generated imagery provides pleasingly colorful, seemingly 3-D eye-candy. Even so, novelty value of classic toon characters in CGI format likely will be lost on little ones raised onShrek andToy Story."[15] Robert Pardi ofTV Guide gave the film a grade of three out of five stars, saying, "A candy-cane palate and a festive soundtrack bolster this omnibus, which allows Disney favorites a chance to strut some new stuff."[16] Rebecka Schumann ofInternational Business Times namedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas one of their "best Christmas movie picks for kids."[17]
Bryce Olin ofFanSided includedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas in their "Best Christmas Movies on Netflix 2016" list.[18] Michael Thomas ofCollider includedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas in their "Best Holiday Movies and Shows on Disney+" list, stating, "The computer-animated special allows for the Disney crew to shine with each getting major focus across their individual stories. If you love Mickey and his friends,Mickey Twice Upon a Christmas is a wonderful time."[19] Megan Stein ofCountry Living includedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas in their "35 Best Christmas Movies on Disney+ to Get You In the Holiday Spirit" list.[20]
People Magazine includedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas in their "Best Christmas Movies to Stream on Disney+ in 2022" list and called it a "series of heartwarming holiday stories."[21] Korin Miller and Naydeline Mejia ofWomen's Health includedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas in their "40 Best Christmas Movies On Disney+" list, asserting, "This animated flick features five Christmas-themed shorts that are all kinds of adorable."[22] Sydni Ellis ofPopSugar rankedMickey's Twice Upon a Christmas first in their "17 Best Holiday Movies to Watch With Little Kids" list.[23]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) and recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Animated Character Performance (Voice and Animation in a DVD Premiere Movie) | Russi Taylor | Nominated | [24][25] |
| Best Screenplay (for a DVD Premiere Movie) | Bill Motz, Bob Roth, Peggy Holmes, Chad Fiveash, James Patrick Stoteraux, Matthew O'Callaghan, Shirley Pierce, Jim Peronto, Carole Holliday, Michael Shipley, Jim Bernstein | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score (for a DVD Premiere Movie) | Stephen James Taylor | Won | [26] |
