The legend of Left Reindeer and more Disney World Christmas lore
Who is Left Reindeer? Is Goofy besties with Woody and Jessie? Let’s dive into the lore of “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration,” a holiday show at Walt Disney World Resort.
During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park, partygoers can watch “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration,” a stage show performed in front of Cinderella Castle.
In the show, Mickey and pals text their friends and invite them to a holiday celebration, and one by one, various characters arrive to the party.
Donald invites José and Panchito, his fellow Three Caballeros bandmates. Minnie invites some friends from Fantasyland. These make sense. But other invitees’ attendance have a bit more subtext if we dig deeper (all in good fun, of course).
Clarabelle Cow and Left Reindeer
One of the show’s unnamed vocalists invites Clarabelle Cow, the classic Disney character who’s apparently a celebrity superstar in this show’s universe. The “diva of dairy,” as she’s introduced, arrives in a disco ball sleigh to sing “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey into a bedazzled microphone as an entourage of reindeer background dancers behind her.
One reindeer is noticeably more energetic than his companions. While others stick to the choreography, this reindeer breaks it down as if his life depends on it. He’s positioned to Clarabelle’s left from the audience’s viewpoint.
In the category of “I did not have that on my Magic Kingdom bingo card,” Left Reindeer presumably references the infamous “left shark” from Katy Perry’s 2015 Super Bowl halftime show, who similarly stood out by free-styling his own moves.
It’s unclear if Left Reindeer’s dancing started as an individual cast member’s artistic license, but nonetheless, the schtick seems to now be part of the show’s formal choreography. In 2017, Left Reindeer even held his own meet & greet, holding a sign bearing the word “Left.”
Another detail in this number: Pay attention to Goofy throughout the song. He’s going gaga for Clarabelle’s performance. While Clarabelle traditionally paired with Horace Horsecollar in vintage Mickey Mouse cartoons of the 1930s, she and Goofy were romantically involved in 2004’s “Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers,” and it seems Goofy’s heart is still aflutter.
Woody and Jessie, Goofy’s BFFs
Goofy’s guests to the party are Woody and Jessie from “Toy Story,” who prance onstage to the tune of country music. In the show’s early years, Bullseye joined them, too.
So … Goofy is friends with sentient cowboy and cowgirl dolls from a child’s bedroom? When and how did this come to be? Not only that, but the toys have cell phones? Goofy, Woody, and Jessie have a text thread together? We need a Disney+ miniseries explaining everything, stat.
“Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration” Full Show
Full video of “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration,” recorded in the night of the show’s debut (Nov. 7, 2016), is on our Attractions Magazine YouTube channel:
Read more unhinged lore behind your favorite attractions, including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, in our previous story:
