Have a lot of fondness for 'House of Mouse'. Love Disney and the concept was such an interesting and for Disney shows at the time a unique one. There are times where it could have done more with the concept, with showing more of some of the guests and not focusing all the featured cartoons on Mickey and the gang. It is however so much fun and how it makes an effort to retain the spirit of the classic old cartoons is to be lauded.
"Jiminy Cricket" is another example of a good and entertaining 'House of Mouse' episode, if not one of my favourites. 'House of Mouse' though is a show where there is a lot to like about all of the episodes, even when some are better than others. As said before, really like that it and the rest of the show tries to and succeeds in making the personalities of Mickey and the rest of the gang true to those of their "golden age" ones when they first came out (1930s-1950s), especially Donald. Except that Mickey is far more interesting in personality in 'House of Mouse', feels like a lead character, is used well and isn't over-shadowed by the rest of the characters. Minnie is also more resourceful.
Of the two featured cartoons, 'Mickey's Mistake' is the better one and the more relevant to the theme. It is cute, funny and charming, and it is great to see Mickey trying to make amends and the very amusing ways he goes through to do so. Was not too keen on 'Daisy's Road Trip', mainly because Daisy is so annoying, actually making annoying passengers in real life from personal experience more tolerable.
It is interesting always in 'House of Mouse' to see how it utilises various Disney characters from previous films and cartoons. Felt very nostalgic watching them and they are used well. Especially in Jiminy's "I'm No Fool" song, a song of genius lyric writing that's both hilarious and truthful and they and the visuals make clever references to villain deeds, characters personalities and what happens to various characters in their respective films. Definitely the highlight of the episode.
The chemistry between Mickey and Jiminy (whose conscience/guidance personality is put to good use) is another strength, and the Pinocchio story is fun though it does give a feel of an episode with two stories.
While not surprising in outcome, the story is lively and engaging, kept afloat by the character interaction, characters and the atmosphere. The writing is clever and very funny, even with the deliberately corny moment and pun which made me grin rather than groan.
Furthermore, the animation is very colourful, smooth in movement and with some meticulous detail. The cheap recycling footage for the audience reactions at the end of the featured cartoons does jar and annoy though. The music is suitably groovy and cleverly used, while the theme song is one of the catchiest of any Disney show in the past twenty years.
Voice acting is very good as always, particularly from Wayne Allwine and Eddie Carroll whose years of experience as their respective characters really shows.
Overall, very entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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