I think this is a very good idea. The animation seems to be very good (especially considering the target demographic) and if it is anything like other toddler favorites, it should do very well. I'm glad to see that they tried their best to stay true to the characters when animating them. I guess if I remember, I'll catch a few minutes of the show tonight, but considering I'm not 3-6 years old, I doubt I'll be watching the whole thing. :)

-Michael

Disney should try airing the old shorts to get the "target demographic".  We grew up on the old stuff, and appreciate it.  Maybe the next generation will appreciate quality too.

Disney made its way, not by following trends, but by creating magic.

I work with children and let me say (at least here in Illinois) the new generation of kids is quite different than how we grew up. Disney needs to do something to make themselves viable to them. These kids are over-stimulated, hooked on sugar and or caffeine, and hooked up to every electronic device in the house. Watching a simple and yet beautiful short doesn't register with most, like it did with us. They want instant gratification. Now of course not all children are like this and there are still amazing talented, creative kids out there - just not as many as there used to be. So, really I think this is a wise move for Disney, FINANCIALLY. But...artistically? Well...I guess they just don't care anymore.

I think that this is one of the right approaches as far as getting little kids of today introduced and interested in these characters.  I agree with KlarkKent007...back when I was a kid in the mid-'80s and '90s, they played some Disney shorts and other classic Disney programming on The Disney Channel.  DTV, although paired with non-Disney music, at least showed some classic Disney shorts.  I think that the only way to get old Disney TV entertainment is a Vault Disney channel.  "House of Mouse" is great, IMO, but not so educational.  Good for Disney to put out some brain stimulating entertainment for the young ones.  I hope the show has at least moderate success, but I wonder what will happen if it does poorly.  And, "My Friends Tigger & Pooh" makes me cringe.  I read about it before, and they shouldn't be abandoning Christopher Robin; kids will watch the show, never having seen the Pooh shorts/movies/TV show(s), and they'll wonder where this girl is...Christopher Robin should be cool enough to have in a new show.  

My 3 and 7 year olds LOVE Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and the gang. Trouble for Disney is, they love the gang in cartoons created 50, 60, and 70 years before they were born. My daughter (the 3 year old who especially loves Donald) has seen the previews on the Disney Channel for the Clubhouse, but hasn't expressed any real interest in seeing it...

Be that as it may, we'll probably watch it and I hope she loves it.

One thing I'm noticing in this that the other CG mickeys lack:   The ears.   They aren't flat like they're trying to mimic a real mouse.  No matter what direction you look at this CG Mickey, his ears look the same, just moved around to the appropriate spots.

That's something that's really bugged me with the other incarnations of CG Mickey.    Mickey just doesn't look right unless his ears stay pointed at you at all times.

Well...at least it's not Baby Looney Tunes...

We recently borrowed the mickey classics tin from our library, and my 5 year old surprisingly really liked watching the ancient black and white Mickey cartoons.  I think the classics should still get some air time, but I welcome the new stuff too.  I'm tired of Dora, and I really don't like Diego.  However Blues Clues is still the best kids show ever.

I think the CGI character design of Mickey for the "Clubhouse" is a vast improvement over the CGI design in the recent Christmas movie. He looked horrible in that one, and worse, his ears worked in perspective, which is just not a good look for Mickey. Also in "Clubhouse", he looks better than he did in "House of Mouse", where he looked equally horrible - Mickey's proportions just looked way out of whack when compared to those of his costars and he was badly drawn most of the time. Only in the episode where his old retro black-and-white design was resurrected did Mickey look good again. I think "Clubhouse" is a step in the right direction. Hopefully its content will match its good looks. I think "Dora" is downright creepy-looking...those staring eyes....ecchh.

I have three kids, one 7 year old and twin 3 year olds. They don't gravitate towards CG. I just don't get this idea that kids today only like CG characters. SpongeBob, Dora, Blues Clues ...anyone notice a common thread? They're all traditionally animated! Did tons of kids flock to see Doogal because it was CG?
My kids like a good, funny show with enjoyable characters. They love watching old Ducktales tapes as much as they enjoy watching Nemo or any other CG show or film. Who is telling these executives that kids will only watch 3-D?
We're going to watch Mickey tonight because...it's Mickey Mouse for god's sake. They know him, love him and not just because of me. If they didn't like him, they wouldn't watch him.

Actually, "House of Mouse" wasn't created to "revive interest for a new generation", it was used--like the beginning of the Great Sequel Plague--to revive copyright ownership, lest Congress not extend the fifty-year deadline.  They tried to woefully revive a few of the HoM shorts to boost their theatrical releases, but...there was a slight difference in quality.

As for "Clubhouse", the article seems to have got it in one: Playhouse Disney and Dora and Blue-driven Nick Jr. are #1 and 2, interchangeably, for preschool cable devotion, it's a prime market for toddler-series markets, and not to mention one of the MGM parks' most loyal bread-and-butter--
LIke the new Pooh & Tigger series, they're discovering that CGI is easier to produce than puppets or (anyone remember the "suit" days of "Dumbo's Circus"?), and they wanted to get their OWN Mouse ears on PD before third-party Jojo, Stanley and the Wiggles run away with the whole thing...

Having read the article, I'm much more open to the idea of this show now. Not that my children need it to love the Disney characters - my five year old daughter actually gave me some concern when she told me she wanted to marry Donald Duck. So when I first saw the advertisement, I actually though it was debasing to the characters to have in such a simplistic show, but now I get it. Hopefully it will have some educational merit.

However, I think it's a mistake to do so at the exclusion of some smarter, tween-level stuff that the 3-6 year old target market can grow into. I can't really see my 3 and 6 year old loving Dora as much when they are 10 as they do now, so copying the franchise wholesale might grant Micky the same longevity without some kind of follow up. I personally loved "House of Mouse." They were well written and the humor was very much in line with the color Mickey cartoons of the past. I'd love to have seen more of it.

Well stated cbarry!  Kids like Spongbob because it's FUNNY - consistantly!  I understand Disney's angle of indoctrinating the next generation here, but why does Disney think CG is the answer?  How about storytelling?  My kids love the old Disney shorts. Their preschool years were spent watching Quack Attack, Ducktales & Rescue Rangers shows my Mom taped (for older cousins) from the Disney Channel back in the '90's.   They watch House of Mouse now and there favorite parts are the cartoon segments, not the subplot of the show within a show elements.  My kids thought the CG Happiest Celebration commercial was " creepy" according to my 8 yr old and the CG Christmas special was, to quote my 10 yr old, "just wrong".  "Mickey and the rest should not be computer animated Mom!  He's Mickey!  He's old school!"  

The demographic of Clubhouse is so young, they won't realize Mickey & the others should look any dfferent.  I have no doubt that will help the show along, but unless it has the storytelling elements behind it as well,it won't be the "magic" Disney is looking for.

Damn, I forgot to see it. If anyone here caught it, was it good (keeping in mind the target demographic)?

I told my girls, 3, 6 and 11 what I read in this article, and my 11 year old said she doesn't care, she just wants to watch it because it's Mickey.  And my 3 year old looking over my shoulder told me "I love Mickey."  We go to Disneyland ALL the time, plus they used to watch HoM, and quite enjoyed that.  But these girls are well indoctrinated and love everything Disney.  They're pretty excited about this show, and we'll be watching it tonight. Hopefully it'll keep their attention.  I think they did a VERY good job making Mickey look like Mickey :).  So we shall see (as we watch commercials for that HORRIBLE Raven)  

Oh yea, I really dislike Spongebob, though I do enjoy Fairly Odd Parents, and I don't mind Dora, but we don't watch Blue's Clues, I am TRYING to get the 3 year old to watch PBS more, as it seems/feels more educational than the other channels.  So hopefully this will be educational.

Continual brainwashing (kids are such great science projects) has hooked My five year old boy on the Disney treasures videos  -- he really liked the Tomorrowland Mission to Mars show we watched last week, and digs the old B&W Mickeys (and Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds and old Republic Pictures Commando Cody serials). Add in three trips already to Disney World and an upcoming peak season July Disneyland trip, and The Disney Corporation has nothing to fear about losing his attention or piggy  bank savings. I just watched the last half of this new thing, and while it may appeal to him (we'll give it a spin tomorrow morning), I hate to admit it didn't do much for me -- too targeted for the wee ones. Like Walt and his Disneyland, I refer entertainment that appeals to all ages, not just 3-6 year old narrowcasting.

Well, I watched a good bit of the Playhouse tonight, and I have to say that this new CGI Mickey is excellent, a far cry from the rubbery horror in the "Happiest Celebration" commercials and the Christmas special. He looks like himself from the best years of his theatrical life, his movements are authentic and endearing, and he's cuter than he's been in years. And the show is bright, bouncy and fun. I hope Dis does well with this; it's a great beginning. IMO Disney should be THE signature channel for children, not Nickelodeon, whose shows, except the hilarious, goodhearted Spongebob, are junk. Fairly Oddparents should be used as a torture device on captured insurgents IMO - mean, loud jokes and lazy animation. It's absurd Disney can't at least do better than THAT. IMO it would help if Disney would get rid of all the TV versions of their films - like "Lilo and Stitch", "Tarzan" and other cheap-looking abominations, and invest in fresh programming with a true Disney feel. It works for their specials and musicals. Anyway, "Mickey Mouse's Playhouse" is pretty darn good, and let's hope we see more high-quality efforts like this in the near future.

I didn't see this new pre-school program, but the goal behind it is conflicting.

There are already people out there who think Disney is just for kids. Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse is probably going to add fodder to that claim. I just don't think that Mickey and company should be reserved for just the wee tykes. One person already mentioned that we should be blessed that they didn't go the Baby Looney Tunes route.

I've watched House of Mouse, and while the newer cartoons are not as good as the classics, the show does succeed in appealing to us Disney fanboys. It could help if, accompanying Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, Disney can still target the new and old cartoons for when kids eventually outgrow this new series.

And I agree completely about The Disney Channel. I especially think they fail in the pre-teen/tween department. Even when they're not milking movie franchises (Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor's New School), they're still making poor, shallow shows like That's So Raven and The Proud Family. Somehow, those shows just don't have the type of broad appeal as SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom, or Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and the network in general has been on the downside for the past four years.

Even with Cartoon Network's current decline, and Nickelodeon's fixation on their own cartoons, they both show a better sense in original programming than the Disney Channel has.

I think the new series is a good idea, and I'm surprised no one's mentioned Kingdom Hearts in talking about bringing the classic characters to CGI. That's been a great melding of Disney's library with Square/Enix's Final Fantasy library, and a breath of fresh air for Goofy and Donald's visibility, even though the characterization for each of them can't really shine within the game's framework.

Kingdom of Hearts I & II are great video games and of course CGI by their very nature.  However, by only producing this game series for one game platform, Playstation, Kingdom has a limited market even within its own target audience.  I know my kids will never have it simply because we already have a Game Gube and won't be running out to buy a Playstation system just to play it, no matter how great the series is.  Believe me, my kids have requested this ever since playing Kingdom at a friend's house and us spoilsport buget minded parents have to say "No".  

I don't understand why Disney doesn't take advantage of Kingdom's sucess and offer it on all platforms, especially if the goal (at least at one time) was to keep Mickey & Co. in the hearts and minds of pre-teens & tweens.  This is a grave mistake on Disney's part because the kids that love this game are exactly the demographic they've seemed to have given up on.  

I'm playing through Kingdom Hearts II right now (about 2/3 of the way through) and it's a spectacular game. The characters, while "computer-generated", look fantastic, and the animation is done very well. I'm loving every moment of the game.

The reason the Kingdom Hearts series isn't on Gamecube is pretty complicated and has less to do with Disney then Square Enix (the company responsible for the actual design and production of the game.) The fact of the matter is simple-- the Playstation 2 rules all, at least as far as hardware sales are concerned.
Square Enix primarily develops their games for the PS2 because their target audience in both Japan and the United States, that is, fans of role playing games, are overwhelmingly Playstation owners. Also, while Square Enix used to be one of Nintendo's flagship developers in the late 80's and early 90's, the two companies had a "falling out" around 1995 and Square began developing games excusively for the original Playstation. Whie the two companies have patched up their relationship over the past few years, Square Enix continues to focus on Playstation 2, producing very few games for any other platforms.  It's kind of unfortunate, as I'd like to see Kingdom Hearts on the more powerful Gamecube, and I'm sure it would sell well if it was made.

If you have a Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS, there's also a portable Kindgom Hearts game for those systems called Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It takes place between Kingdom Hearts I and II. Not as good as either of the PS2 games, but a pretty decent game all the same.

Well, I got to watch the first half of the show, and I have to say it is very good. I watched it keeping in mind the target audience and it achieves the goals it sets for itself wonderfully. As mentioned, everything is bright, bouncy, cute, and fun. Animation is well done and the characters all look and act as they should. And truth be told, there are a few things for the parents (and 22 year old college students like me) to enjoy too. After all, despite the setting, this is still the same old Mickey, Donald, and Goofy we all know and love. I laughed out loud as Goofy became entwined in a garden hoe, and I like the running gag that seems to be established where every time Donald walks outside the door hits him in the rear. I'm also excited that one of his first lines was something to the tune of, "This is very exasperating" (I always loved it when he used that word). It's good that the show keeps the kids engaged, with Mickey always talking to the kids, waiting for responses, and inviting them to actively participate, from counting to getting up and jumping with him. A very solid start. If I had 3 - 6 year old children (which hopefully is still a few years away ;) I would definitely have them watching this program and maybe even watch it with them.

Will a CG Mickey help keep Disney's core group of characters evergreen?

No.  It's not about CG, it's about story, sensibility, character, etc. etc. etc.  This will be obvious by the end of the year, when the glut of bad CG we're all bracing for lands with a wet thud.  

This is actually quality art. The CGI looks excelent and its reinventing the mouse. Here's a comparison: Madonna only stayed fresh b/c she changed and reinvented herself, cindi lauper didn't. Over the years Mickey has been reinvented and this is the right time.

I watched Friday’s premiere episode and Saturday’s episode and I have to say I love it!  I think the characters are very true to their roots and act just like they always have.  It took all of about five minutes to get used to seeing the “originals” in CG.  I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t kept up on who is actually doing the work, but it looks top notch and not like some third party outfit is doing it on the cheap.  The stories are easy to follow yet captivating.  I love the interactive parts that try to get kids (and me) up and moving.  Finally today’s children will get to know these characters, not just know of them.  I have great faith that this is going to catch on big and I’ve already programmed my DVR to catch it everyday.      

IT'S A HIT!!! At least with my almost 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son. They like (not love) Dora/Diego and they are nuts about all things Disney (particularly Disneyland and DisneyWorld). So naturally, they LOVED this show. Granted, we've only seen one episode so far (Goofy's Bird?), but it was pretty good. They watched it twice today, and my son wanted to watch it a third time. Afterwards, he wanted to go online to PlayhouseDisney.com -- so he's spent quite a bit of time today at the Mickey's Clubhouse section of the website.

I was somewhat surprised out how similar the show is to Dora/Diego, except the this CG animation is about 10000% better than their crappy animation. As a bonus, there were a couple of parts in the episode where the kids laughed out loud... and that never happens with Dora/Diego. Our daughter has just about outgrown Dora/Diego, but she really likes Spongebob (the whole family does). I'm hoping Disney can come up with some shows as good/funny as Spongebob, Fairly OddParents, and even Catscratch.

The recent 2D versions of the core character group haven't really been very inspired.  The writing was lackluster and the animation looked cheap, with characters often sliding far off model- death for a show that runs purely on brand recognition.  If the writing is up to the CG work (which doesn't really send me in and of itself anyway), this could easily be a hit.  I just don't think that it'll run on being computer generated alone.  There's a lot of bad CG tanking nowadays.

These images look like pastel-coloured chrome. There's no warmth to the colour, nor a range of distinct tonal values, resulting in characters that just don't read against the rather insipid backgrounds. The shot of Mickey and pals on the disc-like pedestals remind me of those toys you used to get back in the 60s/70s of the simple puppet characters that moved in odd ways when you pushed the bottom of their base.

As mechanical and charmless as they are, these CG imposters are no match for the Mickey and pals of yesteryear when they were handled by skilled cartoonists wielding pencils on paper. Just check out the link listed below to see what Mickey should look like. Ahh, those were the days...when Disney had integrity.....

http://mayersononanimation.blogspot.com/2006/05/nifty-nineties.html

Well considering my age of 16 i think it is a really good program! I have a little sister who is at the age of 5 and out of all the channels that she has made me watch from CBeebies - Cartoon network (which i have never liked) I think that playhouse Disney which shows a lot of Mickey mouse is the best! The Mickey mouse clubhouse is very educational! (even though it may not be the most important but she now knows how to spell Mickey mouse!) The program shows young children different things and also how to play fair and to be nice to one another! And i guess it also helps that our house hold is very big on Disney products! but over all a very good program! :D