Release Date: July 12, 2005;
Runtime: 98 minutes (4 episodes);
Genre: Home Video;
Format: DVD-Video;
Rating: G.
Studio: Disney MGM Studios.
DVD Content:
1. Hall of Fame Day (24:35);
2. Music Day (25:03);
3. Hall of Fame Day (23:50);
4. Guest Day (24:00).
Enjoy sensational shows from "The Mickey Mouse Club", featuring the greatest appearances by pop superstars Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. Complete with live concert performances and the club's exclusive hometown profiles, this is must-have entertainment for fans everywhere. See the original footage from Britney, Justin, and Christina's start in show business as you travel back in time for a fun and entertaining look at their most exciting Mickey Mouse Club moments. It's an amazing collection you'll treasure over and over again.
In 1993, five years before each made various splashes in the pop music scene, Spears, Timberlake, and Aguilera were teens with potential and three of the seven new "MMC" cast members. Casting three kids who would become major celebrities would seem like some grand stroke of fortune for Disney and one assumed it was only a matter of time before the Mouse would capitalize on having rights to each singer's first professional television credit.
This 98-minute compilation houses four complete episodes from the sixth season of "MMC". It is easy to understand why these four episodes were selected, as they contain "hometown profiles" of each of the three young stars-to-be and two musical performances which foreshadow the careers they would eventually find.
Like the original "Mickey Mouse Club", the '90s "MMC" had its share of formulas. Each day of the week represented a different theme, though these were slightly updated along with most other conventions. On this disc's four episodes, we only get to see three different motifs.
Each episode features an opening and closing that resembles the original series' method of checking in and signing off, with the Mouseketeers introducing themselves by first name and later singing their slow "see ya real soon" number.
Season 6. Episode 7. "Hall of Fame Day"
This show opens with a sketch about a mom (played by Terri Misner) who acts like a drill sergeant, as she lines up her son (Ryan Gosling) and friends (including Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera) and shouts them into submission. Next, Britney's profile of her country life in a small Louisiana town follows, and she discusses and illustrates her hobbies (go-cart racing, basketball) and working at her grandmother's deli which is renowned for its crawfish. Animal trainer Joel Slaven visits with some reptiles, bringing a four-year-old Florida alligator, a much smaller yearling as well, and later an astonishing 75-year-old alligator snapping turtle. The subsequent segment fulfills the day's theme, and a California girl who came up with an "Adopt-a-Family" plan to help the homeless is inducted into the "Hall of Fame". The episode concludes with footage of Britney and Justin singing "I Feel For You" at the "MMC" concert, and Dale comes in for some hip-hop breakdown.
Season 6. Episode 18. "Music Day"
This episode lives up to its name and delivers a lot of music. First, there's the "MMC" concert footage of the Club's hit single "Real Talk" performed by Rhona, Ricky, and J.C. among others. Terri gets to lampoon another kind of mom in the next skit, where a son (played by Marc) is embarrassed to be seen shopping for clothes with his mother. Justin's profile of his hometown (Memphis, Tennessee) follows; there are sports (basketball, golf) and a tour of the local sights like the Mississippi river and an amphitheater where he and his boys chill. The remaining half of the show is devoted to Brian McKnight, who performs "One Last Cry" and "I Can't Go for That" and talks with some Mouseketeers about his inspirations.
Season 6. Episode 19. "Hall of Fame Day"
Fred gets to show off his polished skills in the game show parody "Everybody's a Winner." Think of Saturday Night Live's "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch and eliminate most of the humor, and that's what it's like. Next, we can see a funny car commercial. The laughter seems to suggest that the youthful audiences approve. Christina gets her moment on the stage singing "I Have Nothing", with Britney and Justin supplying backup vocals. Then, "MMC" gets serious with a three-teenager panel on depression and suicide with a surprisingly open discussion of homosexuality. Naturally, all three once-depressed teens are inducted into the "Hall of Fame".
Season 6. Episode 29. "Guest Day"
This last episode on the disc opens with a sketch called "The Teenage Zone", a parody of "The Twilight Zone." In it, Keri Russell plays a girl who yearns for the clothes and hair of her doll. She turns into "Darby" and finds out a doll's life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Christina Aguilera finally gets her shot at a profile, but rather than her Pennsylvania hometown, she takes us around Orlando and shows us some of what she does for fun when working on "MMC", like horseback riding, playing with her dog, and a bit of Sega Genesis. An aspiring gymnast gets to meet and spend a day with the episode's featured guest, Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton. The final segment is Nita, Rhona, and Keri performing "Time" from the MMC album. Also sprinkled throughout this show are three semi-amusing "Chewer's Choice" gum commercial parodies.
