‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+’ Builds a New Addition onto a Disney Jr. Favorite

On Monday, Disney Jr. premiered Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, a continuation of the original Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, with the first 10 episodes available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. and select international markets and Disney Jr. On Demand the next day.

The show continues the adventures of the optimistic rodent and his pals, mixing memorable components like the Mousekedoer, Mouseketools and Toodles, and introducing the new handy helping friend Little Helper and Duffy the Disney Bear, who will make surprise appearances. Other “plussed up” elements include the expansion of the Clubhouse with the Laughing Loft, a hilarious hangout zone, and the Wacky Tube, which gets Mickey and pals where they need to go in fun and silly ways. Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy will also each get their own personalized clubhouses, which will be revealed throughout the series.

We had the chance to chat with series exec producer Rob LaDuca and co-producer/story editor Kim Duran to learn about this colorful new preschool show, which carries on the legacy of the famous character first introduced in the 1928 short Steamboat Willie.

 

Animation Magazine: Congrats on the return of this kids’ favorite! Can you tell us a bit about how this new revival began and how you were both recruited to be part of the 2025 edition?

Rob LaDuca: I started on this show 20 years ago and we finished maybe 10 years ago. I’ve always hoped we could do more episodes as there’s more stories to tell. The characters are so great, especially Mickey. We’re having so much fun with this whole new plussed up show.

 

Why do you think the world needs more episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in 2025?

Rob: The show still has the throughline of working together, accepting each other and helping your friends. Those messages will never go away and there’s still good stories to tell.

Kim Duran: These are the best friends that you want to have. They’re the best friends that perhaps you hope your children will have, because they are so supportive of one another and they have a lot of fun together. They go on adventures together. They help one another. Are they perfect in every way? Well, you could just look at Donald and say, probably not. But Donald is a character who makes mistakes and then he learns from it; he’s always striving.

 

 

Where is the animation produced?

Rob: In India. Some of the people working on this one worked on the original series too, which is special.

 

What do you like about the new season’s animation and visual style?

Rob: When the show first came out almost 20 years ago, computer animation for television was a very new thing. The technology has obviously improved over the last 20 years — we plussed up the color and the animation for this version. I think people will find the characters more engaging. It’s a really beautiful show.

 

How is the new show different and similar to the past seasons?

Kim: We kept everything that everybody loved — the Clubhouse, the Mouseketools, Toodles, etc. We really just added to the show that everybody loved. Every character now is going to get their own clubhouse and we have a new little character named Little Helper, who is kind of a preschool version of the handy helpers. We have a new area called the Laughing Loft, which is a hangout space for the gang and the Wacky Tube, which takes them everywhere they need to go in a fun and silly way. Those are some of the fun new pluses that we added to the show, and we’re excited for everybody to see them.

 

 

What is your favorite part of working on the series?

Kim: For me, it’s the characters. They are all best friends, and I feel like I know them so well, too. I’m so familiar with them now that I just love taking them on adventures.

Rob: For me, it’s revisiting the show and making it even better with all the plussed up aspects like the Laughing Loft and Wacky Tube. And Professor von Drake is back creating some great new inventions to help the gang solve their problems.

Kim: And create new problems! [Laughs]

 

Why do you think these characters have lasted for so many decades and animation styles and formats?

Rob: They just work well together. It’s just like a group of friends that you wish you had. They each have their own personalities that are accepted by everyone in the group. It’s a good group of friends to go on an adventure with and they each demonstrate the love they have for each other.

Kim: There’s been something about these characters that audiences around the world has found so charming and endearing for one hundred years now.

 

Do you think Mickey and the gang will ever get their own theatrical features again?

Rob: We would love that! Here’s hoping one day.

 

 

What were some of your favorite animated shows/ movies growing up?

Rob: I was a Disney fan from birth. I read everything about Walt Disney that I could. I loved Popeye, Betty Boop, the Max Fleisher cartoons.

Kim: Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons and The Flintstones were some of my favorites.

 

Best advice for young people who want to work in TV animation?

Rob: Keep drawing, keep animating, study even if you are not in school. Read everything from books to comic books to understand stories and how everything works together to make an animated project.

Kim: If you like to write, then keep writing and create characters. Watch a lot of animated shows because you can learn a lot by studying the craft and the art, and how shows go about things.

 

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Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ airs Mondays at 9 a.m. PT/ET on Disney Jr. The first 10 episodes are available on Disney+ (U.S. and select international markets) and Disney Jr. On Demand today. The series will continue to roll out globally throughout 2025.