It almost feels like 2004 is the year of the Musketeer. So far we’ve seen the DVD release of “The Fifth Musketeer” from Sony / Columbia Tristar, “La Femme Musketeer” from Lion’s Gate and now Disney has one for the kids. And it doesn’t star just any old Hollywood actors, oh no. Here we have the first feature length teaming up of three Disney Icons. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy star in “The Three Musketeers” as three janitors with big dreams of someday becoming Musketeers. One day their dreams are realized when the captain of the Musketeers, played by the villainous Peg-Leg Pete, decides to ‘deputize’ them in order to ‘protect’ Princess Minnie. Little do they realize they are but pawns in a nefarious plot that just might put Pete on the throne! This new telling of “The Three Musketeers” may not be directly based on the original novel b y Alexandre Dumas, but it still offers up enough adventure and fun that is sure to please audiences of all ages.

The film is colorful and fast paced enough to keep the kids entertained, which is aided by a relatively short running time (approx 68 minutes). But older fans of Disney will revel in all the cameos by favorite characters from the studio’s past, as well as some very funny in-jokes. I also really enjoyed the style of storytelling the studio went for, which includes a narrator in the form of a turtle who is reading the story out of a comic book.

With all the newer animated films coming out nowadays it’s nice to see that Disney opted to create the film using the old style of animation. Though you will still find a bit of computer animation enhancing things here and there, the filmmakers don’t rely on it to carry the entire picture. The animation is bright and the transfer to DVD is as clean and sharp as I have come to expect from any Disney DVD.

What I was surprised to see was so many extra features for a film that had little fanfare and went straight to video. I thought it was kind of cool at first when I saw there was a cast commentary by Mickey, Donald and Goofy, but it ended up being a little disappointing. I expected it to run the entire feature, or at least most of it, but it only ended up being about 5 minutes of the movie. Much more entertaining are the four deleted scenes, complete with commentary on why they were cut by Disney Toon Studios V.P. Brian Snedeker. Even better is the Disney’s Song Selection feature which lets you access the songs in the film so you… I mean… the KIDS can sing along.

There are some other activities as well, including one called “Opera-Toon-Ity”, which allows youngsters to create their own opera out of backdrops, characters and songs. Thos interested in the history of Mickey can check out “The Many Hats of Mickey”, which traces some of the history of the world famous mouse. You can choose from the many hats shown onscreen to see where the hat was worn and what character Mickey was playing at the time. Finally, there is a short documentary, Disney-style that runs a little under ten minutes. It’s very kid friendly and shows some of the storyboards and behind the scenes antics.

Oh, I almost forgot there is also a music video for a song called “3 is the Magic Number” by some boy band. Actually I meant to forget it to save myself from being traumatized. The song is terrible and the singers forgettable. (What was I talking about?)

“The Three Musketeers” is a worthwhile entry into the filmography of Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and one I can easily recommend.

Directed by: Donovan Cook
Starring (the voices of): Wayne Allwine, Tony Anselmo, Bill Farmer, Russi Taylor, Tress MacNeille, Jim Cummings, April Winchell, Rob Paulson
Extras: “Three is a Magic Number” Music Video, Disney’s Song Selection, Get The Scoop - Documentary, Cast Commentary, Opera-Toon-Ity Game, The Many Hats of Mickey, Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 8/17/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website

We'll give The Three Musketeers an A.