Mickey Mouse Funhouse | |
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Also known as | The Mickey Mouse Funhouse |
Genre | Educational Comedy Adventure |
Created by | Phil Weinstein Thomas Hart |
Based on | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse by Bobs Gannaway The Mickey Mouse Club by Walt Disney Hal Adelquist Mickey Mouse & Friends by Walt Disney Ub Iwerks |
Voices of | Bret Iwan Kaitlyn Robrock Tony Anselmo Tress MacNeille (season 1) Debra Wilson (season 2–3) Bill Farmer Harvey Guillén Corey Burton Jim Cummings Jan Johns Nika Futterman Brock Powell April Winchell |
Theme music composer | Beau Black |
Opening theme | "Mickey Mouse Funhouse Main Title Theme", written by Beau Black & Loren Hoskins |
Ending theme | "Stretch Break" (Instrumental) |
Composers | Beau Black & Loren Hoskins (songs) Natsumi Osawa (score) Scotty Nguyen (choreography) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 81 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Phil Weinstein Thomas Hart |
Producers | Bradley Bowlen Steve Walby |
Running time | 22–24 minutes (11 minutes per segment) |
Production company | Disney Television Animation |
Original release | |
Network | Disney Jr. |
Release | July 16, 2021 – present |
Related | |
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Mickey Mouse Funhouse is an American animated preschool children's television series created by Phil Weinstein and Thomas Hart and is the successor to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures . The series debuted on Disney Jr. on August 20, 2021. [1] [2] [3] In October 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on November 4, 2022. [4] [5] In June 2022, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on February 23, 2024. [6]
Disney Jr. created the series to continue its pattern of original pre-school animated series set within the Mickey Mouse universe. Many key members of the creative team of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures developed the series.
Mickey Mouse, along with Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and sometimes Pluto, meet Funny, an enchanted and energetic talking funhouse who residing in the Funhouse Forest outside of Hot Dog Hills alongside his pet doghouse Teddy and a sentient weathervane named Windy. [7]
After Mickey and his friends (who are sometimes referred to as the "Funhouse Friends") climb the Stairs to Anywhere, Funny magically transports them from the Adventure Doors to a range of Adventure Worlds which allows them to embark on adventures unique to the Adventure Worlds that include but aren't limited to Majestica, Sunny Gulch, Halloweenville, the Adventure Sea Islands, the Land of Myth and Legend, and Herotropolis as they assume the outfits associated with each of the Adventure Worlds. It is in these Adventure Worlds where they also meet its inhabitants and alter-egos of characters they know. In addition, they also learn some morals regarding the episode's content as Funny would manifest a trophy to remember their trip afterwards. [7]
Every episode includes one or two dance breaks. With the exception of half-hour specials, there is a "Stretch Break" dance that occurs in between the two segments of the episodes. At the end of each episode including the specials, the characters dance along to the "Wiggle Giggle" song.
The following characters reside in each of the Adventure Worlds and are listed by their Adventure Worlds:
Residing in Majestica
Residing in Winter Mountain
Residing in Outer Space
Residing in the Enchanted Rainforest
Residing in Prehistoric World
Residing in Sunny Gulch
Residing in the Land of Myths and Legends
Residing in Underwater Ocean World
Residing in the Adventure Sea Islands
Residing in Halloweenville
Mickey Mouse Funhouse begun production in 2020 to premiere on the network Disney Jr. in 2021. [63] Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was developed by executive producer Phil Weinstein, as well as co-executive producer Thomas Hart, and story editor Mark Drop, who had previously worked on Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures as part of the creative team. [63] The new series introduced an additional character, Funny. [63] Each episode of the series features two 11-minute stories separated by a regular "dance break" interlude. [63] On October 19, 2021, Disney Jr. renewed the series for a second season. [4] On June 15, 2022, it was renewed for a third season. [6]
Bret Iwan, Bill Farmer, Kaitlyn Robrock, Tress MacNeille, and Tony Anselmo reprise their roles as Mickey, Goofy and Pluto, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald, respectively. Joining them is Harvey Guillén, voicing the character Funny, an enchanted talking playhouse, [7] among others. This show notably marked the last time that Will Ryan voiced Willie the Giant before his death in November 2021. As of 2023, Willie the Giant is now voiced by Brock Powell. In Season 2, Debra Wilson and Jan Johns replaced Tress MacNeille as the voice of Daisy and Chip respectively, due to MacNeille becoming occupied with other projects.
Alan Bodner, who worked on Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure , serves as the series' art director. [63] For his direction of "Mickey the Brave!", Bodner stated that he drawn inspiration from The Mickey Mouse Club , recalling the colourful and imaginative sets. [64] The animation was also influenced by the colourful and fantastical artwork featured in Alice in Wonderland . [64]
Mickey Mouse Funhouse premiered with a prime time special entitled "Mickey the Brave!" on July 16, 2021, on Disney Jr.. [7] This episode was released on Disney+ on July 23. [65] It was also released on September 30, 2021, in Southeast Asia, but only lasted a day prior to the shutdown of the channel on October 1, 2021.
The full series premiered on August 20, 2021, with a simulcast on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel. [7] The series was released on Disney+ on November 10, 2021. [66] A prime time special entitled "Pirate Adventure" premiered on August 19, 2022, with a simulcast on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel. [67] [68]
The second season of the series premiered on November 4, 2022, with a simulcast on Disney Jr. and Disney Channel, later on Disney+ on January 18, 2023. [5]
LaughingPlace.com emphasized that Mickey Mouse Funhouse provides "wholesome fun for the whole family," highlighting the engaging songs that encourage kids to dance and sing along. [69] Marisa Lascala of Good Housekeeping included Mickey Mouse Funhouse in her list of the "60 Best Kids' TV Shows and Family Series of All Time." [70] She also ranked it fifth in her "13 Best Toddler TV Shows." Lascala said that the series serves as a worthy successor to earlier shows like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures, praising the significant improvements in animation quality since Mickey Mouse Clubhouse debuted. She concluded that each episode concludes with a "wiggle giggle" song, allowing children to "shake their sillies out." [71]
David Kaldor of Bubbleblabber rated the premiere episode 7/10, calling it a promising start to the series. He found the episode's message—about not judging others too quickly and understanding their behavior—to be an important lesson for young viewers. Kaldor praised its simple yet effective storytelling, noting that while the show is aimed at a very young audience, it delivers a meaningful takeaway in an engaging way. He also appreciated the playful, fantasy setting as an entertaining backdrop for these lessons. [72] Joly Herman of Common Sense Media rated the series three out of five stars, noting its educational value and positive messages, particularly in terms of creativity and social-emotional lessons related to friendship, while also saying the show manages to be entertaining. [73]