The Disney television lineup is as strong, if not stronger, than Disney's recent movie output. Any parent will attest to the solid programming on Playhouse Disney that has launched numerous successful new franchise. It's hard to think of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as a franchise, unless you count the "clubhouse" concept as connected to the Mickey Mouse Club. Unlike that show's smiling kids, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has made its mark solely on the strength of an animated Mickey and his animated friends. The show uses computer-generated animation and catchy songs to draw in younger viewers, but the content is built around puzzles that hold up well for the pre-Tweens. This collection of shows is a nice release for fans, or first-time viewers.

If you fall into that latter category, know that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse follows a pretty strict format. Much like Little Einsteins announced at the beginning of their show what music or art will be featured, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse reveals early in each episode a set of objects that will be used. These "Mouskatools" seem fairly random without the story in that episode to knit everything together. Especially when objects have whimsical uses that wouldn't be the norm - such as a giant marshmallow being used as a springboard for jumping - the stage is set for kids to imagine and guess and participate in solving puzzles. Each episode features a slightly different combination of characters, but Disney fans new to the series will love how all the major characters, along with some more minor characters, are worked into at least one story. This collection features one episode, "Pete's Beach Blanket Luau," centers around one of my personal favorites that has shown up in numerous productions over the years, Big Pete.

There's a complete lack of tension in the shows, but there's also not a great deal of stimulation to keep older kids interested. This show fits well with kids that are on that stepping stone between young shows and more action-oriented, older-kid fare. There's a nice game included as a special feature, but only four episodes of the main show. With a relatively large catalog of episodes in the vault, it seems stingy for Disney to not include at least five episodes on each DVD. The explanation will go into something about bundling similar episodes around a theme, in this case a beach theme fitting well with Mickey's Big Splash. Fans know the score, and new fans will be made on the strength of this show's animation and creative new content. Watching the old characters is fun, but watching them be reworked and cast in new adventures is proof that The Mouse has never been better.