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Will Johnny Depp’s version of the Mad Hatter soon be making appearances at Disney’s theme parks?

Jim Hill’s back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. In this week’s Why For column, he talks about why WDW isn’t going forward with construction of a 5th theme park, why “Song of the South” may soon be available for viewing online and how The Walt Disney Company plans on turning Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” into an evergreen

Published

14 years ago

on

First up, Mark K. writes to ask about WDW’s Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek project:

There was considerable talk several years back about a potential 5th park opening but I have heard no mention of it recently. Did the recession and the decision to remake fantasy land doom this project?

Dear Mark K. –

There are a number of reasons that Disney Parks & Resorts has tabled (for now, anyway) any talk of building a 5th theme park in Central Florida and is concentrating instead of expanding WDW’s existing parks.

Chief among these is … Well, you have to understand that Disney’s Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek was supposed to be WDW’s answer to SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove. In that it was always meant to be a niche park (meaning that only 2000 Guests were going to be allowed in each day) with a high gate fee (Projected admission prices ran from $250 – $300 per person).

Copyright SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. All Rights Reserved

After the economy tanked in the Fall of 2008 … Well, it obviously made no sense for The Walt Disney Company to spend $520 million on the construction of a project that was meant to lure higher end customers to WDW. Especially at a time when that market segment – in direct response to what had just happened on Wall Street – was seriously cutting back on its discretionary
travel.

So rather than pursue new customers, Walt Disney World opted to better service the customers that it already had. Create compelling new reasons for Guests who had already been to this Resort and had extremely fond memories of the place to return.

That’s kind of the driving idea behind the expansion of Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. That the Mouse’s marketing department will then be able to create this series of commercials that will talk about how “ … you’ve never been to a Disney theme park like this before. Where you can literally walk into exact replicas of places that you’ve only seen in Disney’s
animated features and then have one-on-one interactions with your favorite Disney characters.”

Disney Parks & Resorts feels that a transformed Fantasyland (That’s the language that they’re using in-house, by the way. WDW’s Fantasyland isn’t being expanded. It’s being transformed) coupled with a new 3D version of Star Tours will give Mickey’s marketing department plenty to work with when it comes to creating compelling new print ads & TV commercials
that will (hopefully) lure people to plan return trips to Orlando in 2012 and beyond.

Copyright 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

And let’s not forget about Disney’s Art of Animation Resort with its 1,120 suites. Which Parks & Resorts hopes will compel larger family units to make return trips to Disney World.

And speaking of returning … It’s possible (particularly if the economy rebounds and Guest spending really picks up) that The Walt Disney Company will eventually circle back around to the idea of building a niche park in Florida. But – as of right now – that project remains in the deep freeze.

Next up, Jeff S. is looking for a status report on “Song of the South.” He writes:

Jim,

You’ve hinted off and on for years that a Song of the South DVD or Blu-Ray release was on the way.  What is the latest status of this rumor?

Jeff S.

Dear Jeff S.

As of right now, there are no plans to make a DVD or Blu-Ray version of “Song of the South” available for purchase in the United States or Canada. And it’s Bob Iger himself who’s putting on the brakes here.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Long story short: Bob has viewed this movie twice over the past five years. And each time, Iger’s come away from those private screenings with the belief that whatever money the Company would make off of selling this 1946 release in the U.S. just wouldn’t be worth it in the long run. Given that Disney’s reputation with the African-American community would take such a serious hit should
this movie be available for purchase at WalMart, Target, Toys R Us et al that it’s probably better if the Company just leave this title locked away in the vaunted Disney vault.

That said, there are those in Burbank who have allegedly been actively campaigning to make “Song of the South” available through the Company’s still-pending Keychest program. Which — as you may recall — is this Disney-devised system which would allow consumers to have access to movies & TV shows across multiple digital platforms and devices that the Company hopes to launch soon.

The thinking here is that by only making “Song of the South” available through Keychest  … Well, that’s a pretty strong incentive for animation fans & the Disney faithful to embrace this program.

What’s more, given the stricter-than-strict access control that Mickey would theoretically have through Keychest … Well, Disney could then make it so that the only way  you’d ever be able to see “Song of the South” is by first sitting through a 20 – 30 minute-long documentary that puts this motion picture in historical perspective. Where, whether you want to hear about this aspect of the film’s production or not, you’d be reminded of America’s cultural & racial climate during the mid-1940s. With the idea here being that the viewer comes away with the concept that Walt Disney Studios doesn’t make these sorts of movies anymore. That there’s a far more
enlightened management team in place at the Mouse House these days.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

That sort of historical & cultural reference (more importantly, that sort of restrictive access) would certainly go a long way toward addressing Bob Iger’s concerns about “Song of th South.” So will this actually happen? Given that Disney still needs to sort out its concerns about Keychest’s encryption issues (Not to mention the number of homes in the U.S. that still don’t have access to the Internet or Broadband. I’m told that Mouse House execs would like to see a far higher percentage of the population wired into the Web before they then will feel comfortable about actually turning the key on Keychest) … Well, it could be a while yet before you’re then able to view a perfectly legal copy of Disney’s “Song of the South” (not that illegal dub of the Japanese DVD which is currently available on YouTube) on your laptop or iPhone.

Finally, Jack S. writes to say:

So Alice in Wonderland 
(has) obviously made a huge sum of money over (the past three months). But what’s next for this Tim Burton film? It’s not like Disney to just not do anything to something that’s this big. although,  I doubt they would ever make a sequel, and they already have a lot of Walt Disney’s Alice in the parks.

Dear Jack S.

It’s interesting that you bring this up now. For – on Wednesday of this week – Andy Mooney (i.e. the Chairman of Disney Consumer Products) as part of that virtual press briefing he gave to hype DCP’s participation in next week’s Licensing International Expo did talk a bit about Disney’s future plans for its Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.”

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Given that Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (since it was initially released to theaters back in October of 1993) has become an evergreen (i.e. a property that the Company can now count to move a certain amount of merchandise, sell a predictable number of DVDs & movie tickets each Fall, etc.) … Well, Disney’s now hoping that it can turn Tim Burton’s “Alice
in Wonderland” into an evergreen as well.

“And how might they do that?,” you ask. Well, given that Easter (in the U.S., anyway) is a holiday that’s already strongly associated with fashion, hats
and rabbits, there are those at Disney who’d like to try and position Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” as a property that reappears every Spring.

The tentative thinking (at least according to the Company insiders that I’ve spoken with earlier this week) is that Disney will start this effort slowly. Test the waters, if you will, by putting “Alice” back in theaters for an extremely limited run (or – more likely – as a special midnight show) in the late winter / early spring of 2011. This brief return to theaters
(which would mostly likely be only in big urban centers & college towns) would then be supported by a smallish selection of new Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” –themed merchandise.

Should next year’s test prove to be successful, Disney would then try and build on that success. Slowly expand the reach of Tim Burton’s version of “Alice in Wonderland”  in 2012 and beyond.

Copyright 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Now as for a sequel … To be honest, even though this Walt Disney Pictures release has already earned over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, what I’ve been hearing from folks at the Studio isn’t so much that execs there would like Tim to direct an “Alice in Wonderland” sequel. But – rather – that they’d like him to get started ASAP on that “Maleficent” movie.
Which Mouse House management believes has big box office potential as well.

Mind you, there’s also been a big push lately for Disney to put another “Alice” – like project into production. The current front runner is “The Great and Powerful.” Which is a prequel of sorts to “The Wizard of Oz.” In that it’s an origin story for the Wizard and shows how this Kansas humbug wound up as the Big Cheese in the Emerald City.

As of this week, Disney’s trying to persuade Timur Bekmambetov to come direct “The Great and Powerful.” Which – given that Robert Downey Jr. is said to be interested in playing the Wizard – could wind up being one of Disney’s big releases for 2012. Which already looks to be a
pretty competitive year for the Mouse, what with all of the high profile sequels (i.e. “Batman 3,” “Men in Black 3,” “Star Trek 2”) that the other studios will be sending out into theaters then.

Getting back to Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” now … Given how hugely popular this Walt Disney Pictures release has been, would it surprise you to hear that people have actually been dropping by Guest Relations at the theme parks, asking if there’s somewhere where they can go within the Park to meet with the Johnny Depp version of the Mad Hatter?

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Which I know – at first glance, anyway – may seem a weird request. But then again, let’s remember that there’s a face character version of Depp’s other Disney persona (i.e. Captain Jack Sparrow) meeting & greeting with the public at WDW’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. So it just
stands to reason that – if Johnny’s Jack Sparrow is available for autographs & pictures – shouldn’t Johnny’s Mad Hatter be available too?

So there are now reportedly conversations underway about what should be done to address this Guest request. What makes this particularly difficult is that … Well, Disney’s animated version of “Alice in Wonderland” from 1951 already has a strong presence in the Parks. More importantly, the walk-around face character version of the Mad Hatter from that film is quite popular with Guests.

So what’s the best way to handle this situation? From what I’ve been hearing, at least when it comes to Florida, the current thinking is that the version of the Mad Hatter that’s associated with Disney’s 1951 animated version will continue to appear at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot (at the U.K. pavilion) and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (at 1900 Park Fare)
while a Johnny Depp version of the Mad Hatter could possibly start making appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Mind you, nothing’s written in stone here. Plans could (and most likely will) change. More to the point, I have absolutely no idea how they’d handle the 1951 animated version of the Mad Hatter versus Tim Burton’s version of the Mad Hatter situation at the Disneyland Resort. Perhaps they could make the animated version a Disneyland Park exclusive while the Johnny Depp version would only make appearances at the Disney California Adventure Park.

Copyright 2010 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

If I hear anything, I’ll let you folks know. In the meantime, if you’d like to have one of your own Disney-related questions answered as part of a future Why For column, please send them along to whyfor@jimhillmedia.com.

That’s it for this week. Look for lots of great content here on JHM next week as I travel out to Las Vegas to cover the 2010 Licensing International Expo and then continue on to Anaheim to attend the world premiere of Disney’s World of Color.

Oh — and if you live out in the LA area and would like to help out an extremely worthy cause, don’t forget the Animation Guild‘s reception and silent auction for Pres-Aid. which is being held tonight at 1105 N. North Hollywood Way in Burbank from 6 – 10 p.m. If you drop by there, you’ll not only get to see some amazing animation art, you’ll also learn about how you can become a bone marrow donor and/or donate blood & platelets directly for Pres Romanillos. Who’s this really great guy who could use our love, support and cash right about now.

Speaking of which: If you can’t be there in person tonight, you can still help out Pres-Aid by donating directly to the Talbert Family Foundation. You can learn more about that charitable fund by clicking here.

That’s it for now, folks. Have a great weekend, okay?

Related Topics:

Jim Hill is an entertainment writer who has specialized in covering The Walt Disney Company for nearly 40 years now. Over that time, he has interviewed hundreds of animators, actors, and Imagineers -- many of whom have shared behind-the-scenes stories with Mr. Hill about how the Mouse House really works. In addition to the 4000+ articles Jim has written for the Web, he also co-hosts a trio of popular podcasts: “Disney Dish with Len Testa,” “Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor” and “Marvel US Disney with Aaron Adams.” Mr. Hill makes his home in Southern New Hampshire with his lovely wife Nancy and two obnoxious cats, Ginger & Betty.

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 23, 2015

By

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


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. 

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 10, 2015

By

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?

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General

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

Published

9 years ago

on

June 9, 2015

By

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights
reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc.
All rights reserved

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.' "


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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.


Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved

"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?


Copyright Lucasfilm / Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"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

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