DISNEY SING ALONG SONGS: DISNEYLAND FUN

My goodness do they bring back memories. While we were shown dubbed stock footage from the cartoon "Adventures In Music" starring Professor Owl; Jiminy Cricket cartoons; and I suppose the Professor Von Drake cartoons, they were fun, entertaining, gave us our favorite Disney songs, and brought our families together to join us in on the fun. While they're not reviewable since they're complication videos; there have been live action videos that were made specifically for the series. So obviously, I'm going to review those. They're NOT going to be long reviews since they're more like episodes, so don't be surprised if they're short and brief. Let's start with the first live action video...

Join Mickey and his friends as they show you around the park and sing. This is without a doubt a musical promotional video to "Disneyland", kind of like how "The Wizard" was a promotional film to Nintendo games. Unlike "The Wizard" however, there was heart and effort put into this video. The characters are all as lovable as we seen them in their cartoons, and to many kids this was them really coming to life despite the fact that their mouths didn't move; while the technology today is still being perfected. Whether the new technology will make the film dated or not, it's still makes a good time capsule to classic "Disneyland" like the episodes on Walt's show for example. The film also does use stock footage from those Park Promotional videos, but surprisingly they mash with the film so well, as well as the stock footage not at all looking like it came from another video due to how new and fresh it looks. The songs and how they are done, sung, and shot in the film is awesome. The songs in the film are "Whistle While You Work" followed by "Step In Time" as Mickey and the gang get ready to set up the park and open it. The song and dance number that takes place on “Main Street U.S.A.” with the characters dancing called "Walking Right Down The Middle Of Main Street U.S.A." is a really fun and catchy song and dance number. The song "Following The Leader" as Donald gives the kids a tour of "Adventureland" is fun and gives us a decent look at the “Adventureland” district, despite that they only go on one attraction which is “The Jungle Cruise”. Then we join the funny loving Country Bears as they play on "Tom Sawyer's Island with the kids as they sing "Great Out Doors” from their show “Country Bear Vacation Hoedown” which is a fun and toe tapping number. We then join the kids and the characters as they ride on thrill rides while Roger Rabbit reluctantly goes on (There he's a Disney Character, I rest my case) as the song "Zip A Dee Do Dah" plays, which I can not get this version of the song out of my head when I ride thrill rides. As we see the kids and guests at the park sit down and eat, we see Pooh Bear look for food as he sings "Rumbly In My Tummy", which is really adorable. Much like how we introduced to the Disney thrill rides as the song “Zip-A-Dee-Doh-Dah” plays, we get a similar sequence as we tour through "Fantasyland" as the song “It’s A Small World” plays, which is just as good as the last segment that I mentioned that used a similar style. We’re then introduced to another really cute segment as a catchy song called “Making Memories” plays as Mickey and Minnie take pictures around the park of people enjoying themselves. Things go from cute to scary as ghosts, evil trees, and villains dance the night away at "The Haunted Mansion" as Thrul Ravenscroft sings a new version of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" which is easily my favorite segment in the movie. After enjoying while also being scared by the last number, things go back to being happy and fun again as the characters all have fun at "The Wonderful Disneyland Parade", which is shorter than the other numbers, but still a lot of fun. Finally the film ends with a beautifully sung version of "When You Wish Upon A Star" as the characters say goodbye to the guests, that ends with Mickey using his magic to start the fireworks show for Minnie, that to be completely honest I still gets choked up by that ending!

While it is a promotional sing along video of the park that’s pretty much a dated marketing tool for you to go to the park, everything that was put into it, is just too darn good! The songs are great; the musical numbers themselves are loads of fun; the characters talking and interacting with each other and the kids is both really fun and cute; and despite being a dated look at “Disneyland” since a lot has changed, it’s still makes for a great nostalgic time capsule of what the park used to look like.

RATING 5/5