New CG half-hour special Mickey and the Very Many Christmases, from writers Tom Rogers and Rachel Ruderman (The Chicken Squad), puts a Mouse House holiday twist on a classic comedy movie. It premieres this Sunday Dec. 1 at 7pm on Disney Jr. and begins streaming Monday Dec. 2 on Disney+. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity. Images Credit: Disney.)

Jackson Murphy: Tom, it’s a spin on “Groundhog Day”. I love it. Was that the hook? Was that what you thought in your mind immediately?

Tom Rogers: Yeah, I mean, we have to be honest here. We came to this idea partly formed. There was a writer before us named Kim Duran, longtime Mickey Mouse writer, who had this great idea that Mickey would make this impossible wish that Christmas could last forever… and then discover… be careful what you wish for. And Rachel and I latched onto that and ran with it. So that really was the genesis of it all. We think it’s so much fun and then gives us so many opportunities to kind of go deep and find what the real heart of Christmas is.

JM: You do a lot in these 22 minutes when it comes to this concept, the gang, all the characters and what happens. And Rachel, you really have a lot of fun with how Mickey reacts to the fact that this is happening over and over again.

Rachel Ruderman: (laughs) It’s funny that you brought that up because that was a part that we really… we tried a lot of different ways because this is Mickey Mouse. We all love Mickey Mouse. We love seeing him happy all the time. But there was a point in this movie where anyone who was experiencing Christmas over and over and over again would be frustrated. And so we let Mickey get frustrated, and he’s still lovable. (laughs) Mickey can pull that off, but you also wanted to feel him reach that low. So we think that moment works and it helps you really learn the lesson along with Mickey of how there is too much of a good thing, a little too much Christmas, so hopefully you can see Mickey experience it will help the audience learn that lesson too.

JM: Yeah, we understand the frustration that he’s going through. And at its core, Tom, this special is about memories and sharing those memories with loved ones. And you’re right, you do go deep with that and you do a great job with it.

TR: Thank you. It was something that we worked on a lot at the very beginning, to really sort of figure out what this movie is about. It’s 22 minutes long, but we wanted it to feel like a movie, like a real holiday special. And it was important to have something important to say. And so we landed on the idea that what we think is fun about Christmas is goodies and hot cocoa and cookies and gifts and sledding. But what really makes Christmas special is making memories with your family and friends. And that’s the journey that Mickey goes on. And then we just try to make sure that that theme was woven through everything, from the dialogue to the events to the songs. Every song in some way is a reference to the idea of making memories at Christmas.

JM: Both of you each co-write a song in this, which is fantastic. Rachel, I have photo albums of my trips to Disney World and Disneyland.

RR: Me too! (laughs)

JM: I wanted to ask you what you have of those memories because the photo album is such a core component of this.

RR: It’s funny that you say that. I am someone who kept scrapbooks my whole life, so that really resonated with me that Mickey would too, and be looking at those photos as he goes along. It was important to us to show that when you look to your past pictures and the memories that are in there, every Christmas is a new opportunity to add new moments in there. And as Tom was talking about, it’s not the gifts necessarily. Often it’s sort of the unexpected moments. When Mickey snaps those photos to add new pictures to the album, it’s when someone slips or something doesn’t come out right — a gift gets messed up. Those are the unexpected moments, the moments that might seem negative at first, but they end up being the special moments that you remember forever when you think back on those Christmases and can smile about them later.

TR: My wife and I don’t remember the perfect meals we’ve cooked, but we both remember the time we burned the brisket in the oven. It’s memorable. It’s funny. We laugh about it now. Mickey discovering that those quirks are what make these holidays memorable and special is part of the fun we had in the movie.

JM: And then when that ability is no longer there, it’s like, “Whoa.” It takes a moment and Mickey has to try to figure out, “What do I do to make these moments — these memories happen again and be saved again in that photo album?” It’s good stuff. And Tom, you create a holiday toy village in the town, which is so extravagant and elaborate. I think if it was in real life, and maybe it’ll end up at one of the Disney parks, kids would just be awe-inspired.

TR: Thank you. I grew up in Dallas, Texas, and there was a model train village that was set up in the local mall by a guy who was a train hobbyist, and we would go and visit it every Christmas. I absolutely loved it. It’s one of my best memories of Christmas. Our art director, Jessica Bulinski, also grew up with model trains and loving model train villages, and she in fact (she’s also so a Disneyphile) has an entire collection of little figurines and things, and all those were sort of her inspiration for creating it. We had the idea of it and wrote it in the script, but she really made it come to life. We’re really excited about how that village looks, and I too would love to see it in reality. So, from your lips to God’s ear.

JM: Rachel, an interesting new character in the Disney universe here, with Twinkles. Twinkles comes into play, and her perspective and her advice and her presence — she is a pivotal supporting player in this.

RR: Twinkles is our magical elf that introduces the magic of this movie. And we wanted her to fit in with the known look of a Mickey character. She’s a winter fox. There’s no humans in this world. Everyone is anb humanistic animal. Our designers and Jessica Bulinski did an amazing job creating her. And then we have the voice actress, Hiromi Dames. She came in with a whole bunch of different takes of different ways we could go, because we were creating a new character. And she is a woman of many voices. So we played around a lot in the voice booth, trying out the lines in a couple different ways. And then we pretty quickly landed on her very fun, mischievous voice that we hope everyone enjoys in the movie.

JM: So many kids are going to love watching this. And Tom, I follow you on Instagram, and what is amazing about what you post all the time is how many Zooms you do with schools and with children. about what you do in animation. I think it’s so important and it’s wonderful that you’ve been doing this for a long time.

TR: Thank you. I love talking to kids. I also wrote a book for kids that I talk to them about as well, but what really gets their attention is when I talk to them about writing for Disney. There’s a magic to Disney that we feel. That’s why we love writing for the company and kids get that too. It’s great to be able to meet new kids and hook them with storytelling and get their imaginations kicked into gear. And hopefully then they’ll be the ones telling the next Mickey Christmas special 15 years from now.

JM: I grew up with “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”, which came out in 1983, and it had already been about 20 years old when I first watched it. But there’s a lot of power to that special. And Rachel, what does it mean to you now that you are creating this new Mickey animated special for the next generation?

RR: It means so much. I’ve actually been writing for Disney for over a decade. But this is the first time I got to write a half-hour Mickey special. And he’s the man. (laughs) He’s the mouse. It means a lot. It’s a huge honor to be trusted with this incredible character and this incredible gang of friends, and I hope I get the opportunity to do it again.

JM: This special is going to warm the hearts of so many. I wonder for the both of you, is there any day of the year that you would want to try to repeat at least just once?

TR: Vacation.

JM: Preferably to a Disney park, right?

TR: Sure! Absolutely. I think that is the one thing that probably wouldn’t go stale from repeating every single day.

JM: Because there’s something new to do or to go see. Rachel, what about you?

RR: I think Tom has not learned the lesson of the movie. (laughs) I mean, yeah, I think a day at Epcot. Any day you say, “Do you want to just instantly be transported to Epcot?”, I would go there. So the idea of getting to do that over and over again and getting to explore each and every nook and cranny of it would be pretty darn fun.

JM: For many years, my family had on the front lawn a giant Mickey inflatable in a Santa outfit. A highlight of the neighborhood. I wonder for both of you how many Disney themed decorations you are putting up in your house or outside your house this holiday season?

TR: Our tree… you probably hang one whole side of the tree with Disney ornaments. I’ve been writing for Disney for a long time as well. I’ve written Winnie the Pooh stories and worked on “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas”. We’ve got the fab five all as Christmas ornaments. We’ve got Christmas Santa hat versions of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet and Tigger and all the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood. And more than enough to load up this tree.

RR: I also have my share of Disney decorations, but I have a new one to add this year because in the movie there’s a magical coin that’s featured in the movie. My husband has a 3D printer as a toy. So I got him to 3D print some versions of it, and I gave it out to the crew. I’ve tied a ribbon around it, and we’ll be adding it to the tree this year as an ornament. That has some very special memories attached to it.