Minnie's the Wizard of Dizz DVD Release

Normally, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is not something I would review, but after the Disney Film Project Podcast took a look at Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess, when Disney decided to release the special Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz, I thought I would take a look.  It’s not that I haven’t seen an episode of the show before - I have been known to get down with the Hot Dog Dance once or twice before myself (Goofy if you must know).  The point is that it’s still just a television show, not a movie.  And I’ll be honest, despite this feature coming in at 101 minutes long, it’s still just an episode of the show albeit a longer one.  Sofia was much different in retrospect.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all.  It’s just not a movie.  It has all the exact same elements of every episode of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that keep kids coming back for more.  Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto are all there along with a few others.  Instead of Toodles they sub in an identical, but pink character (because blue and pink are reversed in the Clubhouse world and Dizz) named Woodles.  Etc.

There are a number of nods to the Wizard of Oz throughout.  For starters you have Minnie and Pluto playing the roles of Dorothy and Toto, though their journey to Dizz, on a pink tornado, is a lot less catastrophic than Dorothy’s journey to Oz.  Along the way they meet Clarabelle the Good Witch, who provides her with “Sparkly Green Shoes” that should be able to help her to get home, but in her usual forgetful way, Clarabelle forgets how.  This puts Minnie at odds with Pete the Bad Witch.  Along the way she meets the Chipmunchkins, Scarecrow Goofy, Mickey the Tin Mouse, and Donald the Lion.  And the all head off down the “Pink Polkadotted Road” to find the Wizard of Dizz.

In addition, the DVD has 2 more episodes of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the DVD as well: “The Golden Boo Boo” and “Goofy’s Gone”.  There’s also 10 episodes of Minnie’s Bow-Toons, which are small shorts involving Minnie Mouse and some friends.  And iOS users will be able to download a free copy of the Minnie Bow Maker app (normally $3.99).  Overall this appears to be a relatively good value for parents to buy for their kids who are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fans - especially with prices currently in the $12 to $15 range.