Mickey Saves Christmas

[Daniel]

New special that will simulcast on ABC, Disney Channel etc. on Sunday, November 27 and Disney+ next day:

In this stop-motion holiday special, Mickey, Minnie and their pals attempt to celebrate the perfect Christmas at their snowy cabin. However, when Pluto causes Santa to lose all the presents on his sleigh, the friends travel to the North Pole on a quest to save Christmas and find the true meaning of the holiday.
*Brock Powell (Disney Channel’s “Hamster & Gretel”) and Camryn Grimes (“The Young and the Restless”) voice Santa and Mrs. Claus, respectively.

Stop-motion! It's almost like we're getting Mickey's Thrice Upon a Christmas! Some of the best Christmas specials have been stop-motion, hopefully this joins them!

[Ben]

Ooh, *intriguing*…! Any pics/clips/details? Sounds, and I hope, like it could be awesomely lovely if they stick to the classic interpretations.

[Daniel]

It's produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, best known for "Robot Chicken". They also did holiday interstitials for Disney Junior in 2019. Here's one of them, the look will probably be similar:



Too adorable. Love the Hidden Mickey's and Easter eggs such as Steamboat Willie. I think we're in good hands.

[Randall]

Very nice! Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[Ben]

Looks nicer than CG, but very close to "just" being CG done on twelves to give it a stop-motion look. Not bad though!

[Daniel]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind if that is the look they go with. Although a more vintage look would be nice. Here's the second one they did:

[EricJ]

We can only HOPE so, seeing as marketing has lately been hitching themselves to Ugly Hipster Disney-Channel Mickey as the new copyrighted face of the mouse for the next fifty years...

The title does rather suggest big shovelfuls of ironic retro-parody, from a generation that grew up with only old Christmas specials.

[Ben]

Uh, no. Mickey is a trademark. Different things to a "copyrighted face". They won't be able to stop you from transferring and duping original prints of Steamboat Willie, but they can come after you for infringing on Mickey's likeness.

What I like with the stop-motion approach is that they’ve kept the false perspective thing going on with Mickey's ears that they don’t usually do in CG, where his profile always has the two circles on top of his head so that his ears float/roll around to keep the classic Mickey silhouette. Thats quite a bit of design and replacement work to create what is essentially a subliminal effect, which makes it even more of a nice touch.

[Daniel]

In the first interstitial they made it a point to show the calendar with a big 1983. At first I thought it was a nod to "Mickey's Christmas Carol", now I'm thinking it has to be "A Disney Christmas Gift" or "A Disney Channel Christmas". Both kind of blur together, what with being compilations, (some overlap too!) but I'm leaning towards Disney Channel. That one was hosted by Jiminy Cricket (mostly using footage from "From All of Us to All of You") and definitely shows a cabin! Talk about doing their homework.

[Ben]

I loved From All Of Us To All Of You. Still have the vinyl album!

[EricJ]

Either way, I sense the stop-motion is going for that Rankin-Bass homage, so we're not out of the retro-deconstruction woods yet.

There's a genuine current sense of resentment toward the Mouse that we see from the new kids in the Animation department, that we don't see from Marketing or the Parks.
That's what happens a generation grows up deprived of the originals (like, why do we ONLY see Mickey in versions of his 30's character?), and spends most of the late-90's/early-00's putting up with the company's bad reputation.

[Ben]

Well, I’d argue 40s character…since he has the pupils in his eyes.

[Dacey]

*sighs*

Is Eric now saying there’s a conspiracy against Mickey Mouse too?

[Daniel]

You mean again. This isn't the first time.

[EricJ]

All I'm saying is, ride the new "Runaway Railway" attraction at the Studios theme park, and ask yourself "Why?..WHY?? "

(And you'll have to ask, since you've shot down all my other answers.
It would strain even Dacey's default "Because they know Ugly 30's-Parody Cable Mickey is so POPULAR!")