The perfect Mickey Mouse Christmas shorts aren’t on Disney Plus

Rising up, nothing matched the excessive of seeing all my favourite Disney characters come collectively on the finish of Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in on the Home of Mouse to sing “The Finest Christmas of All” collectively round a superbly lit Christmas tree. This was, after all, earlier than I knew that fanfiction was a factor, so simply seeing a mega crossover thrilled me. Lumiere lighting the hearth? Wonderful. Jasmine and Aladdin flying in on a magic carpet? Improbable. Grumpy and the remainder of the dwarves wishing for bunk beds for Christmas? Phenomenal filmmaking, cinema at its best.

That was the most important gimmick of Home of Mouse, a Disney Channel animated present centered on Mickey and his associates operating a dinner theater membership — the truth that characters from throughout varied Disney animated properties attended the membership and watched varied Disney shorts. A few of these shorts had been created particularly for the present, whereas others got here from Disney historical past. However the necessary factor was the truth that all of the characters had been hanging out and watching them collectively.

Picture: Disney

The Christmas particular, because the identify implies, takes place on an evening when all of the company are snowed in. Whereas Mickey is blissful to play host for longer, Donald is in a grumpy anti-Christmas temper for an unspecified cause, so to cheer him up, the gang decides to play their favourite Christmas shorts.

Snowed in on the Home of Mouse was not simply my first publicity to numerous traditional Mickey Mouse shorts, but in addition my first publicity to traditional Christmas tales like A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker. All different variations of these tales will at all times pale compared to my first time. To me, the Ghost of Christmas Previous will at all times be Jiminy Cricket, and Uncle Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker will at all times sound vaguely like Ludwig von Drake. Finally, our VHS participant broke and our viewings transitioned to DVD… until that DVD participant broke and the Christmas particular lived on in reminiscence solely. When Disney Plus debuted, I used to be thrilled — I may lastly spend the vacations watching my beloved childhood favourite.

Sadly, not a single episode of Home of Mouse is on Disney Plus. The particular itself is out there to lease for $7.99 on YouTube and Prime Video, however the truth that it wasn’t available on Disney Plus, a service I’m already paying for, irked me. I assumed possibly I may cobble collectively a DIY model of the particular, not less than, utilizing the shorts that are out there on Disney Plus — however solely two of them are! Hey, what provides, Disney?

Picture: Disney

Whereas Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Pluto’s Christmas Tree are on Disney Plus, the opposite three shorts are mysteriously absent. After a little analysis, I realized that the three different shorts — a retelling of The Nutcracker starring Minnie; Donald coming into an ice skating race; and Mickey creatively adorning his home — all got here from a Disney collection known as Mickey Mouse Works. This present aired from 1999 to 2000 and was designed to copy the golden age of Disney animated shorts. A few of them had been brief ditties, a few of them had been longer and primarily based on traditional tales (therefore the Nutcracker one). None of them can be found to stream or lease wherever!

Funnily sufficient, Home of Mouse primarily changed this present when it began airing. The truth that neither of them can be found on Disney Plus — or wherever, actually — is irritating. Such is the state of recent streaming. Regardless that each media firm on the market desires its personal particular person service, it’s no assure that its personal unique content material will even seem on it. There’s one way or the other extra content material on the market than ever earlier than, but it’s concurrently as accessible because it’s ever been and much more inaccessible than it ever was. Positive, there are a lot of exhibits and flicks all at your fingertips, however that very particular forgotten childhood favourite? The possibilities of stumbling upon it nestled on a video rental shelf someplace are low; the possibilities of it being on a streaming service are mainly none.

Picture: Disney

There are specific films and exhibits that individuals solely watch throughout the holidays. It’s a convention, as tried and true as making cookies or adorning a Christmas tree. However now that so many exhibits and flicks are locked away and solely launched on the whims of company powers, a few of that magic is misplaced. When Apple took management of the Charlie Brown films, many individuals weren’t too eager on the truth that they’d be streaming exclusives. Positive, this Disney particular doesn’t have as a lot of a passionate fan base as Charlie Brown, however man, it’s unhappy that this beloved vacation custom is now inaccessible to me and plenty of others on the market.

Possibly I ought to shell out that $7.99 to lease it and cease being such a Scrooge about paying additional. Possibly I ought to settle for the tough actuality of the streaming wars as a enjoyable vacation bonus. Or possibly I ought to put a DVD-VHS participant combo on my Christmas record, in hopes that Santa Claus will assist me make my childhood favorites final just a bit longer.

Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in on the Home of Mouse is offered to lease on YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play, and Prime Video.