I figured I might as well fill you folks in on an upcoming episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Monster Musical.

First, let's get this out of the way: Yes, I watch kid's shows. My life is to complicated for me to hang around waiting for continuity to happen, too full of drama for me to enjoy drama, and too full of other people for me to watch what I want except at odd hours of the day when nobody else wants the television. So yes, kid's shows. MMC is highly episodic, so I can abandon it when someone yells for me without losing much, if anything.

So, about the episode: It's basically MMC-does-a-clean-Rocky-Horror, beginning from the first song. Mickey and Minnie go out for a picnic, take a wrong turn, can't get back to the Clubhouse because of a fallen tree branch, and then (in true horror movie tradition) the Toon Car breaks down, so they start out for the castle to see if they can get help.

Shades of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's old musical, I'm Sorry, the Bridge is Out, You'll Have to Spend the Night! (Better known as the movie, Monster Mash.)

This being a Halloween episode, they find a castle filled with monster counterparts of most of the cast:

Count Mickula: Well, he drinks grape juice, but you didn't think you were going to see blood on this show, did you? Also doesn't turn into a bat to fly, but then he's already a flying mouse at that point...

Doctor von Drakenstein: Mad-scientist counterpart to Professor Ludwig von Drake (or is that redundant). Get ready for lampshaded scare chords every time they mention his laboratory...

Goofy Monster: Fans of Goof Troop have seen this character design before as the Franken-Goof Monster -- Goofy's head shape makes him a natural for this guy. Has a tendency to scare himself.

Ghost Donald and Ghost Daisy: Nothing terribly complicated here, though Donald seems to have trouble remembering he can't carry stuff through walls...

Boo-dles: Yet another Distaff Counterpart to Toodles, this one wears a sheet to look ghostly. Dispenses the Monster Mouseketools for the occasion.

Madame Clarabelle: A gratuitous-French-speaking version, harking back to the Phantom of the Opera (though without a mask).

All told, only two Clubhouse regulars don't get counterparts from "Clubhousylvania". (Yes, they went there.): Minnie and Pete. Those of you who like the big, burly toon will be happy to know that Pete gets another song, as well as a transformation sequence -- he's his own counterpart, appearing as a friendly werewolf. (Keep an eye on the costume damage -- he winds up wearing an approximation of the Big Bad Wolf's outfit from The Three Little Pigs.)

(I know, it could be a spoiler -- but to be honest, they put it in the commercial.)

The episode is currently available on DVD (alongside other episodes such as "Mickey's Pirate Adventure" (featuring Dick Van Dyke), "Mickey's Farm Fun Fair" and the Minnie's Bow-Toons episode, "Tricky Treats"). Or, if you get the right channel, it's airing next week. (I've got it set to record, of course.)

Overall, it looks to be a decent episode -- but then, it's directed by Donovan Cook, who gave us Return to Neverland. Not a bad recommendation, that.