Uncle Dick
04-05-2002, 08:17 PM
So I saw Mickey's Detective School (MDS) today, on its opening day and I plan to share some of my thoughts and rants and whatnot about the show. There might be a few spoilers in here though, so if you think that the plot of the show will somehow be unpredictable or just want to experience it for yourself, read no further.
Starting off, I saw the 6:15 performance of MDS right after the 5:15 BLAST! Obviously, there is a considerable difference in quality (and budget!!) between the two shows, so MDS did start off on kind of a "downer", in that respect at least. The venue is, of course, the Fantasyland Theater next to the Toontown Railroad station, but like Minnie's Christmas Party, MDS does not use the main "stage" area. Instead, it uses this extended platform that reaches out about halfway into the folding chair area (Fantasyland Theater's "Orchestra" Section, I guess). The platform was decorated to look like the detective office of M. Mouse, Private Eye with the buildings of Toontown looming high above and off to the sides.
I wish there had been more of an attempt to draw together the Toontown set in the Fantasyland theater and the real Toontown located just a few meters away. Some sort of extended theming thingy might have been neat. Anyway, the buildings of Toontown are covered with all sorts of nifty gags including: Practical Pig Construction - Fine Brick Homes, Hades Fireplace and Barbeque, Beagle Boys Reliable Security Systems (+2 points for the obscure Duck Tales reference), Mr. Toad's Driving School, Belle's Book Shop, Triton's Seafood, King Louie's Jazz, Donald's School of Etiquette, Genie's Lamp and Lodging and a scaled down version of the old Walt Disney Studios sign that stood above the old Hyperion studio. In the background, spy music plays. I couldn't identify most of it but did catch the Mission: Impossible theme in there somewhere.
The show itself is hit and miss. On the plus side, it does contain some nifty cameos by Cruella DeVil and Captain Hook who are wrongfully accused of dognapping Pluto. One particular highlight was Cruella's steamy rendition of "My Bark is Worse than my Bite". I thought the audience participation parts were a bit lame (the kiddies seemed to enjoy it) and the walk on appearance of a couple of random kids from the audience is so brief, one wonders if it wasn't tagged on at the last possible moment. The only other "face" character besides Cruella is some guy (whose name escapes me) that plays a detective who works with Mickey and the gang to solve the mystery. He plays the part with a lot of enthusiasm and was probably the most enjoyable part of the show. I wish that there were a few more "faces" out there and a little less Chip and Dale (whose annoying laugh is thankfully reduced in frequency from Minnie's Christmas Party).
One thing that I did like about the setup of this production was the addition of a little dancing platform between the folding chair and bench sections. This allowed the characters to do some of their moves right up next to those in the first row of benches, a nice change of pace from the far awayness of the stage. At the end of the show, everyone "graduates" from Mickey's Detective School and receives their very own confetti badge, that is, if the wind is blowing in the right direction.
I think that about sums it up. I found very little of the show aimed at adults (except for Cruellas horribly contrived "You can't handle the truth!!") but laughed in spite of myself at some of the awful jokes. It's worth seeing once for those who enjoy wholesome Disney entertainment, and if you've got any kids, I'm sure they'll love it. All the kids I saw in the audience were having a great time, and I guess that's what really matters, right? :)
Bottom line: Marginally better than Minnie's Christmas Party. Lots better than Buzz Lightyear. Nowhere near as clever and entertaining as The Laughing Stock or the Aladdin and Jasmine show (there's something to be said for spontaneity). I'm approaching my 17th viewing of The Power of BLAST!, and I don't think I need to see MDS ever again (not that its a bad show, per se, but it's not one I would be basing my vacation around).
Starting off, I saw the 6:15 performance of MDS right after the 5:15 BLAST! Obviously, there is a considerable difference in quality (and budget!!) between the two shows, so MDS did start off on kind of a "downer", in that respect at least. The venue is, of course, the Fantasyland Theater next to the Toontown Railroad station, but like Minnie's Christmas Party, MDS does not use the main "stage" area. Instead, it uses this extended platform that reaches out about halfway into the folding chair area (Fantasyland Theater's "Orchestra" Section, I guess). The platform was decorated to look like the detective office of M. Mouse, Private Eye with the buildings of Toontown looming high above and off to the sides.
I wish there had been more of an attempt to draw together the Toontown set in the Fantasyland theater and the real Toontown located just a few meters away. Some sort of extended theming thingy might have been neat. Anyway, the buildings of Toontown are covered with all sorts of nifty gags including: Practical Pig Construction - Fine Brick Homes, Hades Fireplace and Barbeque, Beagle Boys Reliable Security Systems (+2 points for the obscure Duck Tales reference), Mr. Toad's Driving School, Belle's Book Shop, Triton's Seafood, King Louie's Jazz, Donald's School of Etiquette, Genie's Lamp and Lodging and a scaled down version of the old Walt Disney Studios sign that stood above the old Hyperion studio. In the background, spy music plays. I couldn't identify most of it but did catch the Mission: Impossible theme in there somewhere.
The show itself is hit and miss. On the plus side, it does contain some nifty cameos by Cruella DeVil and Captain Hook who are wrongfully accused of dognapping Pluto. One particular highlight was Cruella's steamy rendition of "My Bark is Worse than my Bite". I thought the audience participation parts were a bit lame (the kiddies seemed to enjoy it) and the walk on appearance of a couple of random kids from the audience is so brief, one wonders if it wasn't tagged on at the last possible moment. The only other "face" character besides Cruella is some guy (whose name escapes me) that plays a detective who works with Mickey and the gang to solve the mystery. He plays the part with a lot of enthusiasm and was probably the most enjoyable part of the show. I wish that there were a few more "faces" out there and a little less Chip and Dale (whose annoying laugh is thankfully reduced in frequency from Minnie's Christmas Party).
One thing that I did like about the setup of this production was the addition of a little dancing platform between the folding chair and bench sections. This allowed the characters to do some of their moves right up next to those in the first row of benches, a nice change of pace from the far awayness of the stage. At the end of the show, everyone "graduates" from Mickey's Detective School and receives their very own confetti badge, that is, if the wind is blowing in the right direction.
I think that about sums it up. I found very little of the show aimed at adults (except for Cruellas horribly contrived "You can't handle the truth!!") but laughed in spite of myself at some of the awful jokes. It's worth seeing once for those who enjoy wholesome Disney entertainment, and if you've got any kids, I'm sure they'll love it. All the kids I saw in the audience were having a great time, and I guess that's what really matters, right? :)
Bottom line: Marginally better than Minnie's Christmas Party. Lots better than Buzz Lightyear. Nowhere near as clever and entertaining as The Laughing Stock or the Aladdin and Jasmine show (there's something to be said for spontaneity). I'm approaching my 17th viewing of The Power of BLAST!, and I don't think I need to see MDS ever again (not that its a bad show, per se, but it's not one I would be basing my vacation around).