General

From “Just Around the Riverbend,” here comes a brand-new Why For column

Jim Hill returns with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. Like why the Imagineers never got to build a “Pocahontas” –themed Friendly Indian Village along the Rivers of America, why “The Snow Queen” just went back into the deep freeze at WDAS and what the future hold for WDW’s DisneyQuest

Published

14 years ago

February 5, 2010

Jim Hill

Pavement Chaser starts things off with a rather succinct query. Which reads:

Was there ever a Pocahontas ride in development?

Pavement Chaser

Dear Pavement Chaser –

Whenever Walt Disney Animation Studios has a new project in development, you can pretty much count on the guys from WDI making a special trip over the Roy E. Disney building. Where they then kick the tires (so to speak) on each & every animated feature. See if this still-in-production movie has theme park potential.

And in the case of “Pocahontas” … Well, yes, the Imagineers did take a long, hard look at this Mike Gabriel / Eric Goldberg film. Only to ultimately be stymied by the artistic ambitions of this particular production.

Long story short: The feeling in-house at WDI was that “Pocahontas” was just too serious for its own good. That – due to their stylization & overly-noble natures – the Native Americans who served as the central characters in this 1995 Walt Disney Pictures release didn’t provideall that much inspiration when it came to creating light-hearted, fun new rides or attractions for the Parks.

Which isn’t to say that the Imagineers didn’t try and find a permanent home for Pocahontas & her pals inside the stateside parks. Among the many ideas that were floated back in the mid-1990s involved a retheming of that Friendly Indian Village that you see whenever you cruise along the Rivers of America at Disneyland Park and/or WDW’s Magic Kingdom.

What the Imagineers wanted to do here was renovate this portion of Frontierland so that the Friendly Indian Village would then more closely resembled the one that audiences saw in “Pocahontas.” So the teepees that havebeen on display here were to have been replaced by yehakins (i.e. those rounded structures made of bark & saplings that the Powahatan Indians of Coastal Plain Virginia typically lived in back in the 1600s).

And as for the formerly anonymous members of the Pinewood tribe (so named because – as the story goes – the Native American figures that originally lined the shores of Disneyland’s Rivers of America back in the 1950s were actually made of pine), they were to have been replaced by full-sized statues of Pocahontas’ Dad, Chief Powhatan; her would-be suitor, the fierce warrior Kocoum; as well as Pocahontas’ childhood friend, Nakoma. These characters from the animated feature were to have been prominently positioned within the Friendly Indian Village.

As for Pocahontas and John Smith … WDI had a couple of ideas as to how these star-crossed lovers could effectively be displayed along the Rivers of America. One suggestion involved a tableau that would have been staged downstream from the Friendly Indian Village which would have shown Pocahontas – with Meeko & Flit by her side – introducing John Smith to Grandmother Willow. Another possible staging idea had statues of this ill-fated couple being placed on opposite sides of the River. So that Pocahontas & John Smithcould (in theory, anyway) see each another but — reflecting the bittersweet ending of the film — forever be destined to be apart.

“So if all this development work was done by the Imagineers, then why wasn’t the Friendly Indian Village ever rethemed around the characters & settings of ‘Pocahontas’ ?,” you ask. Well, at least when it came to Disneyland Park, the continuing popularity of “Fantasmic!” played a deciding role in Parks & Resorts opting not to install this proposed enhancement in Anaheim.

“And why was that?,” you query. Because during the busier times of year, all boat traffic on Disneyland’s Rivers of America has to shut down in the late afternoon so the Cast can then get Tom Sawyer’s Island set for that night’s performances of “Fantasmic!” Which means that … Well, it just didn’t make sense (from a cost effectiveness / Operational point of view) to do a multi-million dollar renovation of this remote corner of Frontierland. When — due to the limited capacity of the Mark Twain riverboat, the Columbia sailing ship as well as the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes (Not to mention the Rivers of America’s newly restricted operating hours) — only a handful of Guests would ever get the chance to see this new “Pocahontas” -themed tableau during daylight hours.

This – in the end – was one of the main reasons that the Imagineers decided to cede “Pocahontas” over to Disneyland Entertainment. Who – as you’ll recall – managed to put together a very entertaining stage show, “The Spirit of Pocahontas,” which was built around the characters, settings and songs from that 1995 Walt Disney Pictures release. Which – thanks to the huge capacity of the Fantasyland Theatre – was able to entertain thousands of theme park Guests on a daily basis over the 27 month-long run of this show.

Now if you’re grumbling about this being a particular stupid reason for Disneyland executives to have not allowed this “Pocahontas” – themed renovation of the Friendly Indian Village to have gone forward, know this: DLR management actually used this very same argument (i.e. Due to the fact that we have shut down all boat traffic on the Rivers of America in the late afternoon so that we can then get Ton Sawyer’s Island set for that night’s performances of “Fantasmic!,” it just doesn’t make sense – from a business point of view – to spend a large amount of money on enhancements & improvements that only a handful of Guests will ever get to experience during daylight hours) as an excuse to kill Bruce Gordon’s proposed retheming of the entire Rivers of America. Which would have involved replacing decades-old scenes like the Burning Settler’s Cabin & Smuggler’s Cove with brand-new tableaus that paid tribute to heroes from American folklore like Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed and John Henry.

But – again – this has been the unending struggle at Disney. With the Imagineers on one side, proposing all sorts of great ideas for new rides, shows & attractions for the Parks. While on the other side sit the execs who actually manage these theme parks. Who first have to come with the cash necessary to build and/or install these enhancements & improvements. And then find the funds to properly staff & maintain these brand-new rides, shows and attractions on an ongoing basis.

Trust me, folks. It’s a never-ending battle. With “What makes good business sense for Walt Disney (the Company)” constantly butting heads with “What would improve the Guest’s experience at the Parks.” Which is how neat sounding enhancements like this proposed “Pocahontas” –themed renovation of the Friendly Indian Village sometimes don’t make it off the drawing board due to Operational issues.Or simply because the numbers don’t add up the right way. But such is life in Disney’s World.

Next up, Sotiris from Cyprus writes in to say:

Hi Jim,

I’m concerned regarding the fate of Disney’s “The Snow Queen.” Some anonymous posters at the TAG blog reported that “The Snow Queen” which was to be Disney’s next hand-drawn animated movie after the Winnie the Pooh feature, has been officially canceled (again). Also, that there are currently no other 2D projects in development. Do you have any insider’s info on this?

Thanks,

Sotiris

Dear Sotiris –

Yeah, the word coming out of Burbank (this week, anyway) is that “The Snow Queen” has been tabled. At least temporarily.

Though – to be fair – this particular Hans Christian Andersen story has been in and out of development at Walt Disney Animation Studios for decades now. As far back as the late 1930s (when Walt Disney first began talking with Samuel Goldwyn about an ambitious collaboration. Which would have been this bio pic of Denmark’s favorite son which Goldwyn would have handled the live action aspectsof. Whereas Disney Studios was to have provided all of this movie’s animated fairy tale vignettes), veteran artists and storymen have been struggling to get a handle on this frosty female.

More recently, during the Michael Eisner era at the Company, Walt Disney Animation Studios took yet another run at “The Snow Queen.” Seeing if it might be possible to turn this Danish favorite into a full-length animated feature.

James B. Stewart – as he was working on his terrific book, “DisneyWar” (Simon & Schuster, February 2005) — actually sat in on a June 2003 creative meeting where Eisner, then-WDAS head David Stainton and then-VP of Creative Development Pam Coats reviewed the animated projects that Disney Animation then had in its production pipeline. With “The Snow Queen” being the film that most excited Michael (at that time, anyway).

Here’s an excerpt from that portion of “DisneyWar”:

The discussion turned to Christmas 2007. Eisner had just read a script for “Rapunzel.” “Someone told me that a woman with long hair is old fashioned,“ Eisner said.

“That’s why this has to be a Legally Blonde-type comedy,” replied Mary Jane Ruggels, another creative vice president.

“Sleeping Beauty was 1938,” Eisner says. “The ending was forced. Like Treasure Planet – it just ended. It wasn’t funny or clever. Are you sure you can save this? Is Ice Queen better?”

“You mean Snow Queen?” Ruggels says.

“I love the Taming of the Shrew idea,” Eisner says. “Take Martha Stewart. She’s tough, smart – a worthy adversary. If she were a doormat of a woman, no one would be after her. Marlo Thomas used to call me about marketing ‘That Girl.’ She said, ‘If I were a man, I’d be president of thenetwork.’ “

Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved

Eisner expresses some reservations about the team assigned to Snow Queen, then adds, “John Lasseter. If we can make a new deal with Pixar …”

Stainton jumps in. “You mean when we make a new deal with Pixar.”

“I said to John, you can have Snow Queen. He loved it. John said, ‘I want to do a princess movie.’ “

Eisner asked for the Snow Queen synopsis.

“The Snow Queen is a terrible bitch,” Ruggels says. “When her suitors try to melt her heart, the Snow Queen freezes them.”

“Each of them should be a phony, but different,” Eisner says of the suitors.

“Then along comes a regular guy,” Ruggels continues.

“This is perfect!,” Eisner exclaims. “I’m afraid to hear more.”

“The regular guy goes up there, he’s not that great, but he’s a good person. He starts to unfreeze her … she melts.”

“It’s great,” Eisner says. “Finally. We’ve had twenty meetings on this.”

“We’ll have a treatment in two weeks,” Ruggels promises.

“Can we have this for 2006?,” Eisner asks.

“No way,” (Pam) Coats says.

Of course, the irony here is … WDAS’ 2003 take on “Snow Queen” – which Eisner seemed so enthusiastic about — eventually went off track as well. This project then wandered from Walt Disney Animation Studios over to Disney Parks & Resorts. Where – in March of 2006 – it was announced that Disney Creative Entertainment would be producing “The Snow Queen” as a musical for the stage. More importantly, that this project (which was to have featured music byAlan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater as well as a book by John Weidman) would have its world premiere in the Summer of 2007 at Tokyo DisneySea as a lavish production for the Broadway Music theatre.

But then … As I understand it, someone at the Studios saw the stage version of “The Snow Queen” as it was being workshopped, liked what they saw and then suggested that – in the long run – it might make better business sense (at least from a licensing point of view) if this project followed the “Beauty and the Beast” route. As in: Start off life as a full-length animated feature, and then get translated to the stage.

So back to WDAS “The Snow Queen” went. Supposedly to be the third in a trio of brand-new Disney fairy tales. Where (it was hoped) “The Frog Princess,” “Rapunzel Unbraided” and “The Snow Queen” would then duplicate the success that WDAS’s last trio of fairy tales (i.e. 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” 1991’s “Beauty & the Beast” and 1992’s “Aladdin”) had had.

But now on the heels of “The Princess and the Frog” not exactly setting the world box office on fire, Walt Disney Animation Studios seems to be having second thoughts about getting back into the animated fairy tale business. Don’t believe me? Then why is it – on Wednesday of this week – that Mouse House managers just registered a bunch of new non-fairy tale-sounding titles for “Rapunzel” ? Among them …

TANGLED-MOVIE.COM
THEHIDDENTOWER-MOVIE.COM
THEHIDDENTOWERMOVIE.COM
THESWITCH-MOVIE.COM
THETHIEFANDTHETOWER-MOVIE.COM
THETHIEFANDTHETOWER.COM
THETHIEFANDTHETOWERMOVIE.COM

And then — just today — The Walt Disney Company registered three additional “Rapunzel” -seque domain names:

THESECRETTOWER-MOVIE.COM
THESECRETTOWER.COM
THESECRETTOWERMOVIE.COM

And as for “The Snow Queen” … Even though Chris Buck (i.e. the co-director of Disney’s “Tarzan” and Sony Animation’s “Surf’s Up”) had been placed in charge of this project late last year … The unfortunate combination of continuing story problems as well as the Studio second-guessing its commitment to producing another trio of animated fairy tales resulted in “The Snow Queen” being put on ice. Again.

But the upside is … There’s a lot of people at WDAS who still believe in this project. And if the right talent comes along and eventually figures out how to solve all of “The Snow Queen” ‘s story problems, this animated feature will get made. Some day.

I mean, let’s remember that Disney artists had been trying to turn “Beauty & the Beast” into a feature-length cartoon for over 40 years. And it wasn’t ‘til Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale mapped out a workable dramatic arc for this fairy tale’s second act (i.e. when the Beast & Belle are stuck together in that castle) that this decades-in-development project finally became a viable motion picture.

So, alright. For right now, anyway, it’s okay for animation fans (not to mention the talented artists & storymen who were already hard at work on this proposed Holiday 2012 release for Walt Disney Pictures) to be sad that “The Snow Queen” has been placed on hold. Again.

But if a project like “Joe Jump” (which – this time last year – was deader-than-dead at WDAS) can be brought back to life and then put into active development, anything’s possible. So let’s wait to see what happens on the heels of “Rapunzel” (Or “The Thief and the Tower,” “Tangled” or whatever it is that Walt Disney Pictures winds up calling its Holiday 2011 release). Ifthat film hits, and then the just-officially-announced-yesterday “Enchanted II” scores at the box office in late 2011 / early 2012 … WDAS may suddenly find itself back in the fairy tale business.

And if that happens, don’t be surprised if “The Snow Queen” suddenly comes out of the deep freeze.

And – finally – Joe N. of LA writes to say:

I thought that DisneyQuest was closing for good a couple of years ago. But it’s still around. What happened?

Dear Joe –

You know, when I was down at Orlando last December covering the NFFC-Disneyana Fan Club’s Disney World Holiday Extravaganza, I had lunch with a longtime Downtown Disney manager. Who – when I brought up the whole “Wasn’t DisneyQuest supposed to close two or three years ago?” issue – just roared with laughter.

“Ah, the good old days,” this WDW vet giggled. “When DisneyQuest and its aging assortment of interactive games were our biggest concern around here. Nowadays — what with Pleasure Island being a ghost town and the Virgin Megastore standing there vacant – that indoor theme park is the least of our worries.”

So long story short, Joe: DisneyQuest dodged a bullet a while back. And while there may have once been a plan to turn this West Side structure into a full-sized ESPN Zone for Disney World … Those days are long gone now.

“So what happens next?,” you ask. “Will any of that $1.5 billion that The Walt Disney Company has reportedly set aside for the development of next generation guest experiences be used to upgrade DisneyQuest? Because the last new game that went into this place – ‘Pirates of theCaribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold’ – dates back to December of 2000.”

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks. But The Walt Disney Company has already spent everything that it’s going to spend on DisneyQuest. Though WDW will continue to maintain & properly staff this indoor interactive theme park, Disney Parks & Resorts has absolutely no plans to do any significant reinvesting in this property.

“These days, it’s all about what the Company can get out of DisneyQuest,” my DTD manager friend explained. “And you’d be surprised how many families still head there on a cold, wet, rainy day. We do a good enough business on those days to warrant keeping the place open indefinitely at this point.”

Mind you, at some point off in the future, this WDW vet did see the Resort revisiting the idea of doing something different with the DisneyQuest building. But as he so eloquently put it over our lunch back in December : “… There are so many other things in and around Downtown Disney that need our immediate attention. So why waste time & energy on something that — while it isn’t exactly hip anymore — still makes money for the Company?”

So there you have it, Joe. DisneyQuest will continue to limp along until the rest of DTD gets fixed. Which could be quite a while from now.

And speaking of fixed … Here’s hoping that Comcast gets its act together in the coming week so that I’m then able to deliver next Friday’s Why For on time.

And remember, folks – if you’d like me to answer your Disney-related questions – please send them along to whyfor@jimhillmedia.com.

Have a great weekend, okay?

General

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

Published

9 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

9 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

9 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