Christmas comes but once a year, but what if it were every day? That familiar time-loop fable is the source of inspiration for Disney Jr.’s 2024 Mickey Mouse holiday special, Mickey and the Very Many Christmases. This musical half-hour holiday treat premieres Sunday, December 1st, at 7:00 pm on Disney Jr. before streaming the following day on Disney+.
On Christmas day, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto venture downtown to check out the holiday decorations, which includes a model train with a challenge – toss a wishing coin into the moving star car, and your wish will come true! After such a wonderful holiday, Mickey Mouse wishes it could be Christmas every day as he tosses his coin. When it makes it in, he finds himself reliving the same day over and over, learning the hard way that part of what makes Christmas so special is that it’s only once a year.
Mickey and the Very Many Christmases introduces a new character to the growing collection of Mickey Christmas specials, a winter fox named Twinkles. Twinkles is an elf, one of Santa’s magic helpers, which typically go unseen in Mickey holiday specials. The recent stop-motion spectacle Mickey Saves Christmas found Mickey and his pals filling in for elves, while the merrymakers never appeared on screen. So Twinkles proposes an interesting thought for diehard Mickey Mouse fans – what would elves look like in this world?
The plot of Mickey and the Very Many Christmases is more-or-less recycled from other holiday time-loop stories. In fact, Mickey and the gang first told a story like this via Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the 1999 direct-to-video film Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. It’s more or less the same message here, but the added magic of a model train sets this adaptation apart, especially when you stop to consider that Mickey Mouse shares a lot of character traits with one of his creators, Walt Disney, and that Walt was a model railroad enthusiast.
Like the most recent stop-motion holiday special and shorts, Mickey and the Very Many Christmases is more rooted in classic Mickey Mouse shorts than any of his more contemporary preschool shows. The 2021 hour-long special Mickey & Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas was set within the world of Mickey and the Roadster Racers/Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures, for example. Outside of the sensational six, nothing in this special grounds it within the current show, Mickey Mouse Funhouse, and it therefore has generational appeal while still being perfectly tailored for a preschool audience.
Mickey and the Very Many Christmases offers a nostalgic yet fresh twist on a timeless holiday theme, blending the charm of classic Mickey Mouse storytelling with a sprinkle of new magic. With its heartwarming message, whimsical music, and the delightful addition of Twinkles the elf, this special delivers the joy and wonder that fans of all ages expect from Disney's holiday fare. Whether you’re a preschooler experiencing Mickey’s holiday magic for the first time or a lifelong fan appreciating the nods to Disney history, this festive treat is sure to become a cherished part of your Christmas tradition.
Mickey and the Very Many Christmases premieres Sunday, December 1st, at 7:00 p.m. on Disney Jr., next day on Disney+