Original release date: November 20, 1977.

Rating: TV-PG. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.

Length: 56 minutes

Background:

With all of the things on Disney+, very few are considered rare. This? Rare.

This was a TV special that originally aired in 1977. It has only reaired a few times since and doesn’t have a home media release such as DVD.

It features the Mouseketeers of the time, none of which have names that pop out at me as other more famous Mouseketeers (Annette! Britney!) do.

The concept of this is mainly to promote the Magic Kingdom, the theme park in Florida. The crew are set to do a live show there but man, do they find problems.

A fun bonus? For whatever reason, the Disney+ version features many of the commercials thait aired with the special.

I’m going to tackle this one as I do many of the TV specials that they label as “movies” – play-by-play!

Review:

Tonight! A Mousekeeter special from Walt Disney World! Also singing! All dancing! Whatever the Pooh Polka is! Tonight, on the Wonderful World of Disney!

Commercials!! We get a classic Shake and Bake commercial about dry chicken. Gaines Burgers dog food! The dogs love it.

And here we go with the special. We start with Cinderella Castle, of course, then join overly joyful Mouseketeers singing and whistling and not at all social distancing on a monorail. It is very clearly the 1970s with their outfits.

The monorail pulls into the Contemporary Resort, letting the kids out for some… we’ll loosely call it dialogue and acting.

Two of the kids specify they’re heading straight for River Country, which is not a thing in 2020 unless you go find videos of Adam the Woo exploring it on YouTube. River Country was a water park at Disney World with a natural look. Well, as natural as Disney could make things look in 1977. The kids have a song about swinging and having fun there and how it could, quote, “help your soul.

“We’ve found our way to an arcade, which at the time was skee-ball and pinball. Their adult in charge hands out passes to them, giving them places to go. Mr. Brown – said adult – meets a magazine reporter trying to get the gossip scoop on these preteens because, I assume, she is a creep.

Commercials! The Custom Van from Tonka! A cat using a phone to request the Meow Mix jingle! The Canon G3 camera with its professional lens design!

We’re back at the hotel, with Mr. Brown dismayed at the yelling he is getting on the phone due to his Mouseketeers arguing in front of creeper reporter. We move onto a restaurant at the resort as Mr. Brown plans a way to smooth this over. Creeper reporter has followed because, well, she’s a creeper. He gives her access to interview three of the Mouseketeer girls.

We go across the Seven Seas Lagoon to find the reporter taking the three girls around a gift shop. Two of them find a much older man in what we’ll call 1970s sports fashion, asking him if they think dresses would look good on them. It’s as creepy as it sounds.

We’re at the park now! The boys are being boys on the Tomorrowland Speedway, the slowest race you’ll ever experience. Mr. Brown is very into it, despite it clearly being on a track. Creeper reporter has joined in the park experience as well.

Now we’re back away from the park, as a Mouseketeer talks via phone at a pool I absolutely do not realize. Another Mouseketeer is sick, while a third plays tennis.

Back to the park! We’re all over the place. We’re missing two Mouseketeers. The two missing boys are in the Space Mountain queue arguing and get stuck in the same ride vehicle. Man, I miss Space Mountain but my back and neck don’t. We see several people riding, which is something you definitely wouldn’t inside of that dark ride.

The missing kids find the others and Mr. Brown is proud of them. Back to their schedule. Tomorrow, it’s an overnight campout at Fort Wilderness. Creeper reporter wants to take Mr. Brown on her favorite ride, the Sky Ride over the park that also no longer exists. Mr. Brown properly displays comedic fear.

Commercials!! The two-in-one microwave oven from Litton! Coke drinkers painting a tug boat for some reason!

And we’re back again. The crew have filled a van and are headed to Fort Wilderness, banjo music and all. Fort Wilderness is Disney World’s campground resort where you can camp or pile into a cabin. These kids? They’re camping. Of course. Creeper reporter is just part of the crew now. I think she and Mr. Brown are a “thing.”

The kids do all kinds of camp-building things as they sing “Whistle While You Work,” because of course they do.

Now we’re on some boats, seeing stars and such with Mr. Brown and Colleen – creeper reporter – flirting. Just go back to the room already. Meanwhile, the kids have been left alone at a campfire where they are singing a slow, happy song about turning over a new leaf. Or maybe about “Animal Crossing: New Leaf.”

They head to sleep, only to find their tents ripped away as they were tied to somebody’s RV. The kids are extra mean to Nina, the one who did it, calling her dumb. Not cool.

Commercials while Nina cries! Pillsbury Plus cake mix! The plus is pudding! The Shell Answer Man!

Here’s a few scenes from an upcoming show. In three weeks! Run, Cougar, Run! “Run, Cougar, Run!” is not on Disney+.

We’re back and Nina has run away. The gang is in a hotel room talking about how mean they were and how it’s their fault. Nina, meanwhile, is slowly and sadly walking around the Magic Kingdom with a stuffed Winnie the Pooh. She finds a fountain, sits crying, and dreams off on a time being read to about the Pooh Polka.

All the kids and the walk-around Disney World Pooh character appear in her dream sequence, doing lots of dancing to the Pooh Polka.

Back into the real world, Nina is on a sky bucket going one ay and other kids are going the other way. Nina takes off on a boat by herself, so other kids chase after her. Where is the supervision here?

Nina leads these kids all over on a boat chase, eventually finding a way to a sign advertising the Mouseketeers’ performance at Cinderella Castle. Creeper Colleen finds her, talking her out of her sadness. The kids, with Nina, sing some songs in in super bright costumes on the Cinderella Castle stage.

We’ll be right back with scenes from the next program!

Commercials! The Reach toothbrush! The new V8 Diesel pickup from Chevy!

Next week… gorgeous girls! Hey, that’s what the announcer said. “The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin,” next week on the Wonderful World of Disney! I’m 99% sure that one is on Disney+.

Credits! And then a commercial with a beaver for U.S. Bonds. Why not?

Extras:

None.

Should you watch it?

Yes, watch it. It’s cheesy. Man, is it cheesy. But it is a fascinating time capsule into 1977, between the Disney shots and the commercials. I love that the commercials were left in.