Mouseker-hey, Mouseker-hi, Mouseker-ho!
Mouseker-ready, Mouseker-set, here we go!
You're a thinkin' and a solvin' work it through-er,
Mouseker-me, Mouseker-you, Mousekerdoer!

Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt, another delightful adventure from The Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series, is a perfect DVD to put into your young child's Easter basket this spring. This all-new Clubhouse movie (it clocks in at a little over 44 minutes) has the same hallmarks of fun and education that the previous Mickey Saves Santa movie had, with some nice bonuses, as well, for the curious smallfry out there.

In Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt, Mickey decides to give the "best Easter party ever," with decorated eggs, jellybeans and all his gang invited over for the fun. But jealous Pete, who feels left out because he thinks he hasn't received an invitation to Mickey's party, tries to disguise himself as Mickey, to take over the Clubhouse. Saying the wrong magic words, the Clubhouse breaks up into parts and floats all over the countryside. It's up to Mickey and his gang to use their Mousekerdoer machine to find the Clubhouse parts, reassemble them in the correct order, and save their Easter party. Helping Mickey out are Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Pete, and a special appearance by Professor Von Drake (Chip 'n' Dale also show up in a fun cameo, as well as Clarabel Cow).

Besides the bright, sunny computer graphics, and the bold, primary colors in the clean, fun designs, Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is particularly good at getting the children in the audience involved in the activities on the screen. This isn't just passive TV watching. Mickey and the rest of the characters are constantly asking the viewer questions, ensuring that they feel included and a part of the action. Mickey, that loveable spokesman for Disney, is the perfect host for this kind educational entertainment. I know that some have given the dreaded "boring" label to Mickey throughout the years, but he's such an affable, kind character that kids are immediately drawn to him. My youngest children were absolutely riveted to the screen, following along with the adventure, and answering Mickey every time he asked them a question - they don't even answer me every time I ask them something.

While Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt has an underlying purpose of providing some serious educational opportunities for your kids, including helping their counting skills, spatial placement skills, shape and pattern recognition, and problem solving and conflict resolution tools (importantly, Mickey isn't mad at Pete for making the Clubhouse fly away), don't let those educational goals trick you into thinking this is going to be dull going. Disney is still the premiere purveyor of children's entertainment, and Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is fun, first and foremost. Slickly done, with outstanding CGI animation, Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is a total winner for your children - and for you (that Hot Dog song by the group They Might Be Giants is pretty infectious).

The DVD:

The Video:
Since it's all digitally produced, Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is presented in a pristine 1.78:1, "Family Friendly" widescreen video image (I'm curious as to why Disney labels their widescreen thusly). It's enhanced, as well, for 16x9 TVs.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 2.0 stereo track is strong and clear. French and Spanish language tracks are also available, and English subtitles (as well as close-captioning) are also included.

The Extras:
As a bonus feature, there's an unaired episode of the regular Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, called Donald's Hiccups. Clocking in at 23 minutes, it's a very funny episode from the show (it's quite amusing seeing all the characters getting the hiccups), and a nice addition to the DVD. As well, there's a Sing Along option for the main story's featured song, The Best Easter Party Ever. My kids love to sing along to stuff like this, so it's a welcome bonus.

Final Thoughts:
Charming, fun, and educational aren't three words that can be associated with a lot of children's programming today, but they certainly fit Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt. Kids will want to watch this over and over again, and you won't feel guilty about it because not only is it an amusing, fun-filled adventure, Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt is also chock-full of opportunities for your child to improve their various cognitive skill sets. I highly recommend Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt.