Honking My Way Through Trombone Champ: Unflattened's Disney DLC

I just came home from my family's annual vacation, a week in Florida's Walt Disney World Resort, where we ate Mickey-shaped pancakes, rode magical mountain roller coasters, watched fireworks at 1am, and rubbed shoulders with anthropomorphic ducks, dogs, and mice.

After such a fun-filled trip, returning to the real world has been a drag. So it was a nice little surprise to come home and find that Trombone Champ: Unflattened's Disney Movie Magic Volume 1 DLC pack had tooted its way onto Meta Quest, SteamVR, and PlayStation VR2 while I was away.

I've spent the last few days honking my way through the paid music pack, unlocking its collectibles, and fighting back the post-vacation blues via the immersive power of VR.

To catch you up, Trombone Champ: Unflattened is the VR port of Trombone Champ, a flat screen musical rhythm game with a decidedly comedic tone that made a huge splash when it debuted in 2022. The game's silly presentation and the naturally oddball charm of playing a trombone to well-known tunes really struck a chord (to use a mixed musical metaphor).

The Flat2VR Studios-made VR port was similarly well-received when it debuted in 2024, and has benefited from several DLC music packs since then. The Disney Movie Magic Volume 1 DLC is the latest, and it brings seven beloved Disney songs, two Disney-themed concert environments, and a smattering of Disney-esque cosmetics to the game.

Launching into the DLC we find six songs available from the start. Each has three achievements, and by collecting a certain number of cumulative achievements, you can unlock the "Final Boss," which is a medley mashup of all the songs included in the pack.

The songs can be played in any Trombone Champ: Unflattened environment, but Disney freaks will likely want to dive right into the new ones: there's one that's reminiscent of Andy's room from Pixar's Toy Story, and another undersea area which references Ariel's grotto from the 1989 film The Little Mermaid.

The full track list follows:

• "A Whole New World" from Aladdin
• "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid
• "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story
• "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast
• "Circle of Life" from The Lion King
• "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid

It's a solid playlist of Disney classics, and anyone who grew up watching these films will instantly recognize the tunes. And the DLC is populated with plenty of little Easter eggs to keep Disney fans smiling. My youngest daughter's favorite characters are the little green aliens from Toy Story, and seeing their rocket ship sitting in the corner of the Toy Story environment was a sweet treat.

But don't let the cute presentation and warm nostalgia fool you. While some of the included songs are relatively easy to play, others are diabolically tricky. "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast is fast-paced, with rapid pitch changes that really challenge your coordination, especially on everything but the easiest difficulty mode. Similarly, "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid is a real hand-eye workout.

That said, mastering the songs is extremely rewarding, as confetti bursts from the ceiling and a roar of appreciative applause rolls from the crowd. As in the base game, the mechanics and gameplay loop are simply solid.

When we reviewed Trombone Champ: Unflattened we described it as being "more like a brand-new game than a flatscreen port, [that builds] upon the existing foundations well to deliver ridiculously silly fun." This DLC naturally carries on with everything great about the base game, just with a Disney-esque skin that fans of the film studios' works will appreciate.

For me, Trombone Champ: Unflattened's latest DLC is a real pleasure. It's been a blast playing along to some of the most memorable tunes from some of my kids' (and, admittedly, my own) favorite animated films. And watching my two daughters honk their way (off-key) through some of these great songs has filled my house with joy, even if my family and I are no longer partying in "the most magical place on Earth."