Mickey’s Adventures in Wonderland (2009)

First, let’s dispense with the claim on the box that this is a “Full-Length Movie!”  Mickey’s Adventures in Wonderland is an extra-long episode of a show that doesn’t need any padding.  Only in Wonderland is a 50-minute episode of a TV show called a '”Full-Length Movie!"

The immediate question I had when I found out that this movie existed is “Why?”  For one, Disney already has the definitive kids’ take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (at least until the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp version comes out next year).  This is a bit like Disney deciding to make an episode of Hannah Montana reinterpreting Cinderella.  You’ve already done it right, why screw with it?

Also, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland is a surreal world governed by strange rules where magic exists and animals talk.  A normal episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse takes place in a surreal world governed by strange rules where magic exists and animals talk.  Kind of makes that trip down the rabbit hole lose a bit of its impact, doesn’t it?

The absolute lowest point in a cavalcade of awfulness is the appearance of Chip and Dale as “Tweedle-Chip” and “Tweedle-Dale.”  As if it isn’t bad enough that Tweedledum and Tweedledee have their names butchered into something that doesn’t even sound good, there’s a song that accompanies the two chipmunks dancing around.  It’s every bit as bad as you’re imagining.

Let’s not treat this like anything other than what it is: a bald-faced attempt to sell some DVDs with a “Full-Length Movie!” based on a popular television show.  It was based on a terrible idea (setting an episode in Wonderland) and was executed with an absolute minimum of effort.  It’s clear no one cared enough about this project to make it decent, so you shouldn’t care enough to spend money on it.

Grade: F