The Mouseketeers At Walt Disney World

The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World

1977 | G | 1 hour | Family | Disney

Director: John Tracy

Writers: Tom Adair, Tedd Anasti

Stars: Billy 'Pop' Atmore, Scott Craig, Lisa Whelchel 

Synopsis:

Follow the Disco Mice of the New Mickey Mouse Club as they visit America's favorite vacation spot, Walt Disney World!

Oh, 1977 when Jimmy Carter was our leader, stamps where still .13 cents and gas was a whopping .62 cents a gallon. Star Wars was the movie of the year as well as Saturday Night Fever. Remember that Barry Manilow Live album yep 1977. I remember sitting around the boob tube like it was yesterday as Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, as well as Three's Company, kept us laughing. What we all seem to forget that its the year Disney seemed to try and revive their most famous kids show The Mickey Mouse Club. 

The new show kicked off with an hour-long story that would easily take you through there vacation destination. Disney was no slouch when it came to cross-promoting their TV series with the parks. Sadly this did not lead to a resurgence of the show. But here we are in 2020 amidst a pandemic searching for those small things that would help make us happy once again. And that is where this show comes in.

This deep cut snuck its way onto Disney+ this past July to co-inside with the opening of Disney Lands 65th Aniversary. And yet this show was a ton of fun to watch unlike the Walt special "The Pre Opening Reports From Disneyland" that was released on the same day. 

A few things really made this worth the watch first up the commercials are intact! We get those 70s Gaines-Burgers commercials along with Shake and Bake, a few different toy lines, and some really odd microwave that did not stand the test of time. This my friends hit on the nostalgia nerve making this so much more fun then it should have been.  

That's Lisa with her thumbs in her pant loops and Julie left of Ronnie Schell.

The most notable star of the show was Lisa Whelchel’s in her first TV appearance, of course, she would go on to play “Blair” on the 80s sitcom "The Facts of Life". Julie Piekarski is here as well she was a background charter on "Facts of Life" as well as "Different Strokes". Unlike the 50s version as well as the 90s the 70s Club failed to produce any real young talent. 

Jo Anne Worley turns up as a magazine reporter who starts following the group around looking for a hot scoop. Unfortunately, She finds herself in the middle of some drama that has taken over the clubhouse.  But this is where it also turns odd has Worley and Schell try to patch up the drama with the kids through the use of the parks. With that, we do get some of the mid-70s wonders of the Magic Kingdom, like River Country, Space Mountain, and Fort Wilderness. But sadly it's more Magic Kingdom and less of the kids.

Sadly the show turns really, really dark. To make things right they plan a camping trip at the wilderness lodge campground (More Disney advertising basically) where the kids are finally getting along. And then one of the girl's ties down the tents to some other mobile campers. Well, when they leave drama, comes flying back and it turns ugly. This was a very uncomfortable scene as they all get in this little girl's face yelling at her, picking on her, and pretty much bullying her. She runs away into the Magic Kingdom where the songs fail to make you feel any better. The group quickly learns their lesson and we move on to find the girl and do the one show they are there to perform.

Outside of those amazing commercials, we are treated to some nice moments through song, dance, that bring on those warm fuzzies. Like I said earlier this is pure nostalgia at its finest, but I can see how this did not hold up way back in 1977. If your a Disney fan this a so much fun to watch for the simple fact the park is here in all its 70s glory. If you here for the kids it is going to fall really short for you. 

The Mouseketeers At Walt Disney World is a television special that exists during a time when Disney wasn’t doing exceptionally well with the exception of its theme parks.  I can not bring myself to hate this and under the current circumstance, I really fell in love with it. It's not great but it was just what I needed!

The good news is you do not need Disney Plus to watch it the same bootleg version is on Youtube so if your interested here you go The Mouseketeers at DisneyWorld. Sadly this is the Disney Channel Version with no commercials. 

**I'm sure I missed this original airing on November 22, 1977, as it was the same day Walter Payton rushed for 275 a record that still stands today. (and now you know)**