General

Walt Disney Family Museum celebrates Disneyland’s 55th anniversary – Part I

Published

14 years ago

July 23, 2010

Wow, July 16-18 was quite a weekend for Disney fans marking
the 55th anniversary of Disneyland's opening.

In addition to all of the events at the parks in Anaheim and
elsewhere, there were special talks Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Walt
Disney Family Museum in The Presidio of San Francisco. Tough choices, but I met
a couple of people who attended museum events Friday and Sunday, with a quick
plane trip down to Anaheim on Saturday to continue their long-standing
tradition of being at the park on its birthday.

Retired Imagineer and Disney Legend Marty Sklar was
responsible for planting the seeds for the special events at the museum with
its co-founder, Walt Disney's daughter Diane Miller, and members of the
museum's staff, including executive director Richard Benefield.

(L to R) Diane Miller, co-founder of the Walt
Disney Family Museum, Disney Legend Harrison
"Buzz" Price and museum
executive director Richard Benefield. Photo by Joseph
Driste, courtesy of the Walt Disney Family Museum. All rights reserved

Marty, well-steeped in a Disney history he helped create,
served as emcee on Saturday and Sunday. Benefield, with Disney authors and
historians Richard and Katherine Greene as his "co-inquisitors," led
the discussion Friday.

The Greenes authored "Inside the Dream: The Personal Story of Walt Disney," wrote the script for the Walt Disney Family
Foundation funded biopic "Walt Disney, the Man Behind the Myth" and a
subsequent CD-Rom, "Walt Disney: An Intimate History of the Man and his Magic." According to Benefield, the Greenes are currently working on a
"fairly extensive searchable new website for the museum called "About
Walt Disney."

Highlights over the three days included hearing from Diane,
Marty and three other guests who worked directly with Walt: Harrison
"Buzz" Price, Dick Nunis and Jack Lindquist. They shared several
great stories, which I'll get to later in this post and a couple more to come.

(L to R) Imagineers Bruce Vaughn and Craig
Russell. Photo by Joseph Driste,
courtesy of the Walt Disney Family
Museum. All rights reserved

That's not to say the other guests — the Greenes, former
Disneyland President Matt Ouimet and Imagineering greats Tony Baxter, Bruce
Vaughn and Craig Russell — didn't contribute a great deal to the mix. They
were the proverbial plussing that helped make these talks even more special.

The events started Friday evening with a presentation to the
museum's founding members, special guests and a few invited journalists, like
myself, in the museum's 115-seat theater. It featured Diane and Buzz,
Benefield, the Greenes and a couple of great questions and comments from the
audience.

Buzz was his witty, wonderful self … and, at age 89, I
think many of those in attendance realized this might be his last appearance in
front of a crowd. The audience was friendly, forgiving and thoroughly
entertained by his stories. Still, it was a little bittersweet. I remembering
seeing Buzz at an NFFC Convention five years ago when he had the physical
stamina of Jack LaLanne. But, the memories he shared Friday evening were golden
and his sense of humor was as sharp as ever.

A sold-out crowd gathered in the Museum's theater on Friday night. Photo by Joseph Driste,
courtesy of the Walt Disney Family Museum. All rights reserved

The Walt Disney Family Museum is one of the few places
giving fans a chance to see these Disney Legends while they're still with us.

For those who don't know, Buzz was an independent contractor
responsible for studying just about every major project Walt planned. The work
followed Buzz from Stanford Research Institute to Economics Research Associates
to Planning Research Corporation. Buzz's work helped determine the site for
Disneyland; Project X, which would become Walt Disney World and all the
holdings in Florida; California Institute for the Arts and the abandoned
Mineral King ski village and summer recreation resort. Buzz was put in charge
of overseeing CalArts a month before Walt's passing.

Walt also sent him a letter crediting Buzz for coining the
word "Imagineer." Buzz admitted in his book, "Walt's Revolution!: By the Numbers," published in 2004, he doesn't recall coming up with
"Imagineer," but he certainly wasn't going to argue with the boss.

The focus Friday was Disneyland's birth and the back story
of its creation as well as a few memories of Walt and Lillian Disney's
anniversary party held July 13, 1955 at the Golden Horseshoe and the park's
opening on July 17.

Diane and the Greenes confirmed that the idea of an
amusement park was planted in the fertile mind of Walt Disney as a boy
following the family's move from Marceline, Mo., to Kansas City.

Walt and his younger sister, Ruth, would stand outside the
fence of Fairmont Park, which Richard Greene said must have seemed "like
heaven to Walt." Later, Walt learned to sneak into the park, Diane added.
She also recalled reading an interview with Rudy Ising, one of the artists at
Laugh O Grams studios. According to that interview, Walt told Ising that one
day he'd have an amusement park but that his would be clean. This was years
before Lillian and their daughters Diane and Sharon entered Walt's life.

Walt Disney at Tivoli Gardens. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"It was something dad was always talking about
doing," Diane said. Walt visited various amusement parks all over,
including Oakland's Fairyland, Knott's Berry Farm and New York's Coney Island,
a park Richard Greene said Walt didn't particularly like.

The Greenes recalled Art Linkletter, who escorted Walt on
one of his many trips to Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, telling them that Walt kept
busy jotting down several notes. Walt was "innately curious, always
thinking about how to do something better," Richard Greene said. "He
learned from negative examples, things he wouldn't want to do."

Walt interviewed the children at the various parks about
their experiences, what they liked and what they thought as they rode the
rides.

(L to R) Lillian, Walt, Diane and Sharon Disney on one of their many
family vacations.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"You have to remember that amusement parks were very
different" before the opening of Disneyland, Katherine Greene said.
"They were dirty. You needed to sell beer," which is where Coney
Island made most of its money. Owners of other parks thought is was "a
ridiculous idea to try and keep the bathrooms clean."

But with Walt, the "mantra was if we keep it clean,
people will understand it's to be kept clean," Richard Greene said. If
there' were no cigarette butts on the ground, people would think twice about
tossing theirs to the ground.

Buzz reminded everyone why the census is important. A great
deal of the SRI research in determining where to locate Disneyland involved
studying 1950 census data, which showed measurable growth from Los Angeles
toward Orange County.

Walt points out some concept paintings of his family fun park. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Buzz's working relationship with Walt started in 1953 with a
phone call from Nat Winecoff, a movie industry figure who was trying to help
Walt get an idea of "what this park idea was going to flesh out to
be" and where it should be located.

"Walt wanted this study in a big way and he wanted it
in a hurry," Buzz said.

At their first meeting, Buzz asked Walt "if he had any
bias" about the location.

"No, I don't have any bias. You tell me where it
goes," Walt told Buzz.

Buzz said "The source of my opinions would be
determined by a long and thorough study of the census data … some 40 or 50
major census districts. That would give us direction for what would be the best
choice. We had all of Southern California to consider, about 3,000 square
miles."

Other things such as the freeway construction schedule and a
study of weather data were added into SRI's equation.

"We even did a job of tracking smog, because this was
going to be an outdoor park and we didn't want to choke everybody," Buzz
said, getting a good chuckle — one of several — from the audience.

Eventually SRI narrowed the search to Orange County,
primarily because, according to Buzz, "it was cooler in the summer and
warmer in the winter, with predictable and fairly light rainfall."

Then SRI identified an "amoeba," a generalized
location area that would contain the park somewhere in its many acres. Buzz
used his cane to draw this irregular-shaped amoeba in the air.

Walt stands in front of the still-under-construction Sleeping Beauty
Castle. Image
courtesy of the Los Angeles Examiner Collection. All
rights reserved

SRI came up with four preferred sites and a half-dozen
"almost sites." Buzz and his boss, CV Wood, presented those to Walt
and Roy at SRI's offices in downtown Los Angeles. It was just the four men.
"We talked for maybe two hours. Walt picked the site. Roy picked the site
and we two consultants thought OK. There was complete agreement to move on
Harbor Boulevard site.

The first site was a total of 160 acres from 17 different
owners assembled for a possible housing development. At $6,200 an an acre, it
wasn't the cheapest, but it's the one everyone agreed to go after.

"You always have an alternative ready because no one
assumes you're going to have a clear slide into home plate," Buzz said.
"It wasn't a bad solution. It was a first-class property. The land was
clearly available. We had a good relationship with the city manager of Anaheim.
And, we could afford it — well, not me."

Walt stands before Peter Ellenshaw's early rendering of Disneyland.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

The second site was in Buena Park, the third in Los Alamitos
and the fourth was the Willowick Country Club in Santa Ana.

"I've often thought if Walt had bought all that land,
he would have saved himself a lot of trouble," Buzz said, "but we
would have lost out on a lot of fun."

Of course, Walt was doing everything he could to assemble
the money needed to buy the land and build the park, cutting a deal with ABC
Television and a few others to raise the funds.

There's a quote by Walt displayed in the museum — I think
it's from around the time of "Snow White," but it's likely just as
apt when it comes to financing Disneyland: "Why should we let a few little
dollars jeopardize our chances. I think this is Old Man Opportunity rapping at
our door. Let's don't allow the jingle of a few pennies drown out his knock, So
slap as big a mortgage on everything we've got and let's go after this thing in
the right manner."

Diane remembered how quickly everything was done and seeing
Disneyland rise up from a "dust bowl" after many of the orange trees
were removed. She fondly recalled her parents' anniversary party thrown July
13, 1955 at the Golden Horseshoe and reminded people she wasn't at Disneyland's
grand opening. By July 17, she was back with her husband Ron, who was stationed
in Monterey, and their first son, Chris. She recalled how her dad really didn't
want his immediate family at the park on opening day because he had enough to
worry about and he didn't want to have to worry about them, too.

But the anniversary party was one of the happiest times in
Walt's life. Diane remembered her dad up in the balcony going "bang, bang,
bang" at Wally Boag and then Walt climbing down to the stage. "He started
out doing vaudeville with his buddy Walt Pfeiffer and he wanted to be part of
the show," Diane said of her father.

The original cast of the Golden Horseshoe performs for Walt (in box on
upper left)
on the night of he & Lillian's 30th anniversary.
Copyright Disney Editions.
All rights reserved

Lilly, Sharon and Diane joined Walt on the stage and then
Edgar Bergen came up and started everyone dancing. George Montgomery, Dinah
Shore's husband, became concerned about who would be driving Walt home. So
Diane turned to her dad and asked if she could have his keys. "Sure,
kid" was Walt's reply.

When the party broke up, Diane remembers her father crawling
into the back seat of the convertible and using a rolled up set of plans as a
trumpet. A few minutes later, Walt curled up and fell asleep, still holding on
to his rolled up plans. In the morning, he was up and out the door, back to
Anaheim to get things ready for July 17th.

"July 17th, I was there. It was a day that will live in
infamy," Buzz said, adding that there were a lot of problems when
Disneyland first opened. He recalled being in a mass of people near the castle
when he heard this string of profanity. He looked over and it was Frank
Sinatra. Buzz simply looked at the crooner and said, "Yes, it certainly is
hot."

Walt Disney reads the opening day dedication plaque before a national
television audience.
"To all who come to this happy place, welcome … "
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

Diane talked about how Walt and Lillian spent a great deal
of time in their small apartment above the fire station at Disneyland.
"And, every evening as you've heard, Dad did get tears in his eyes when
they lowered the flag on Main Street."

After this Benefield opened up the floor to questions. Among
the highlights:

Confirmation from Buzz that Walt had considered a second
gate in Anaheim called "California Living," which would have added
retail, restaurants and entertainment venues not unlike Downtown Disney.

Disneyland's parking lot. Which Walt once considered as the possible construction site of
a "California Living" -themed second gate. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

Diane asked Buzz if the project hadn't been scuttled because
of land considerations. "Not really," the addition required no major
changes to the existing structure or layout of Disneyland, Buzz said. Walt
simply got busy with other projects and "California Living" went
away.

"One of the most incredible things about Walt was his
bulldog determination to do what he wanted to do," Buzz said later,
recalling the way Walt "went after the park after we made the brave
choice."

Walt sent Buzz, Winecoff, Bill Cottrell and Dick Irvine to
the annual amusement park convention and trade show in November 1953 at the
Sherman Hotel in Chicago. They met with high-powered people in the industry and
detailed Walt's plans for Disneyland, the decor, landscaping and cleanliness.
The reaction was unanimous. They said Walt's plan was doomed to fail. Buzz
shared their reactions with Walt and he simply said, "They don't get
it."

Tomorrowland under construction. Among the forward-looking exhibits
that Guests were able to visit back in 1955 was Crane's Bathroom of
Tomorrow. Copyright Disney Enterprises, inc. All rights reserved

Nunis, who was in the audience, recalled a walk-through with
Walt as the park was under construction when Walt saw pay toilets and asked why
they were were there and was told that pay toilets will be kept cleaner. Walt,
a bit irritated, said "All of our restrooms will be clean, now take those
damn coin boxes off."

Finally, a woman asked Diane if she was going to write a
book about her father's life. And, in my favorite quote of the evening, she
said, "This is my book, this museum." It's a place that echoes with
the voice of her father telling his story in his own words.

In Part II, I'll look at Saturday's event, which featured
Marty as moderator, Imagineer Tony Baxter, and former presidents of Disneyland
Matt Ouimet and Jack Lindquist (who Marty called "the best marketer ever
in our industry.")

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

10 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

10 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

10 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015