DVDizzy Forum

I really like the classic (late twenties to the sixties) shorts featuring Mickey and company. Living in Norway, I have not got a chance to watch the new shorts produced for television. How does the MouseWorks and House of Mouse shorts compare to the earlier ones storywise and visually? Is the individual shorts stand alone or are or should they be watched chronologically as a series? And are there any word of a dvd release with these?

It would be great a DVD-pack of House of mouse, I would buy it

I think Mouseworks and House of Mouse cartoons are just as funny and charming storywise as the old shorts. They are also in modern settings to appeal to today's audience and Mickey and Minnie's house are always the same. Before they always had a different house.

Another thing is the new shorts introduced new characters like Baby Shelby Turtle and his mother Mrs. Turtle and the new shorts also reintroduced and show more often Mortimer Mouse. Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar have occasionally appearances and of course the fab five and Daisy, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Pete, Chip n Dale, Humphrey the Bear and Ranger Woodlore (or whatever his name was) star in the new shorts as well.

Also, the new shorts have brought back the Mickey-Donald-Goofy trio cartoons in which they have an obscure business with the name AJAX (as opposed to Looney Tunes's ACME). They all usually start the same: zoom into their office window which has the name of their company and the three waiting by the phone. Some of my favorites are Organ Donors, Lost and Found, and Rollercoaster Painters.

In addition to the aforementioned return, there are a few Silly Symphonies in which the short is totally music and hardly any sound effects and no voices. Though unlike the early versions, the new Silly Symphonies star Donald or Goofy or Mickey and Minnie. I can only recall...The Dance of the Goofies, a Donald short about Valentine's Day, and Hansel and Gretel (with Mickey and Minnie. This one may be resurrected from the developed, but not produced version Walt Disney had planned).

There are also really short shorts which were regulars with a central theme: Von Drake's House of Genius, Pluto Gets the Paper, Donald's Dynamite, Maestro Minnie, Mickey Saves the Day, and Goofy's Extreme Sports. In addition to the short shorts, there are a few long shorts called MouseTales which retold classic tales with the fab five: Around the World in 80 Days, A Midsummer Night's Dream , The Nutcracker...

The shorts though are not as visually artistic and detailed as the early shorts. Being television animation, look is fairly simple with solid colors, but also a very round look. It's still nice though and much better compared to other cartoon shows of today.

Unfortunately there are no plans for release of these new shorts on DVD (aside from random shorts on various DVDs. The first House of Mouse episode is on Mickey's Magical Christmas and the MouseTale: Around the World in 80 Days has its own DVD with another new short. The House of Mouse movies have the new shorts as well). I would love a DVD set of at least all the shorts in the same format as the DVD treasures or Season Sets of MouseWorks and House of Mouse. Mouseworks had a great opening!

Alcazam wrote:I really like the classic (late twenties to the sixties) shorts featuring Mickey and company. Living in Norway, I have not got a chance to watch the new shorts produced for television. How does the MouseWorks and House of Mouse shorts compare to the earlier ones storywise and visually? Is the individual shorts stand alone or are or should they be watched chronologically as a series? And are there any word of a dvd release with these?

Alcazam, since you say that you live in Norway, I can tell you that a DVD with eight Mouseworks/House of Mouse shorts will be released in Norway on June 8.

That DVD is called "Mikkes Latterfabrikk" (Mickey's Laugh Factory). You'll find a detailed description in Swedish here:
http://www.tonakaistudio.com/disneyania ... fabrik.htm

Thanks for the help, folks. And I'll definately check out that DVD, Anders

I'm a fan of the classics and I'm not usually very enthusiastic about newer made-for-TV stuff, but for some reason I think I'll buy "Musses Skrattfabrik".

Wasn't some of this material shown in Sweden on "Disneydags" or whatever the show was called?

They may not be as good as the original shorts, but Mickey MouseWorks and especially House of Mouse are still great TV shows and worth a buy, for sure. I'd recommend them whole-heartedly.