Mickey and the Roadster Racers comes to DVD for a third volume with Mickey and the Roadster Racers: Start Your Engines. Like the last release, Minnie’s Happy Helpers, this one presents the racing half of six episodes but cuts out the Minnie/Daisy-centric second half. I questioned the show’s formula when it first aired and it appears that Disney has discovered that the two drastically different concepts rarely appeal to everyone.
The episodes harvested for Start Your Engines are all curated from episodes 4 plus 6 through 10. The fun begins in “Agent Double-O-Goof” when Goofy gets mistaken for a secret agent for the Queen when she comes to Hot Dog Hills. “It’s Wiki Wiki Time” finds Donald trying to enjoy a Hawaiian vacation, but it gets interrupted by his friends’ contest. “Ye Olde Royal Heist” finds the gang in London where Sir Lord Pete has stolen the queen’s largest jewel, so Mickey and his friends have to help get it back.
The fun continues in “Abra-Ka-Goof!” when Goofy believes he really turned racing legend Gordon Gear into a rabbit during a Great Goofini magic show. Things don’t go so well when Goofy tries to teach Donald Duck how to be calm in “Guru Goofy.” Lastly, when the gang competes in a hot air balloon race, they discover that racing in the sky is much different than racing on the ground in “Going Upppppppppp!”
Start Your Engines features the first half of all of the episodes found on the Minnie’s Happy Helpers release. I personally feel that this split-release style offers a more consistent viewing experience for kids specifically looking for racing adventures or happy helpers fun. However, splitting the difference also creates a shorter runtime for both (Disney Junior releases usually offer nearly 2-hours of content, this is just 75-minutes). If your little ones only care about the racing half of Mickey and the Roadster Racers, then this release is sure to please.
Bonus Features
- Bonus Episode: “Goof Luck Charm” (12:02) – The first half of episode 11 finds Goofy having all the luck while Daisy never seems to win.
There is also a physical bonus, advertised as a “Free Roadster Racers Flag.” This cloth flag features a racing checker boarder with images of Goofy, Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Daisy.
Packaging & Design
Mickey and the Roadster Racers: Start Your Engines comes in a standard black DVD case housed in a foil embossed slipcover. Inserts include the aforementioned racing flag (folded and wrapped in plastic), a code for 75 points through Disney Movie Rewards, and a flier for Disney Movie Club.
This DVD uses Disney’s Fast Play service, which automatically starts the ads and all content without loading a menu first. If you let it run its course, you get to see an ad for Pixar’s Coco (Dante’s Lunch short) before the episodes play. Afterwards, you get additional promos for Disney Movie Rewards and Puppy Dog Pals. The menu features a static image of Mickey behind the wheel while an instrumental version of the theme song plays.
Final Thoughts
Mickey and the Roadster Racers: Start Your Engines is another fun collection of episodes, this time focusing exclusively on racing adventures and leaving the Happy Helpers behind. With a bonus flag, kids who love the show will get a lot of value out of this release.