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Why For? : Epcot’s Space Center, Jim Korkis and Walt Disney World swamp boat rides

This time around, Jim Hill answers your questions about what Epcot's Space pavilion was originally supposed to look like, points out a new comic book you should check out, looks to recruit some European-based reporters for the site, and more. There's a lot here … get comfy.

Published

21 years ago

on

First up, Lee H. sends along a note and a photo, seeking some info about Disney's original plans for Epcot's Space pavilion:

Hey Jim,

First off, let me just say that I love the site. This is despite the fact that you tend to leave me hanging on some of your longer stories (remember Tower Tales?), but I'll let that slide.

The real reason I'm writing is to see if you can help me identify a photo. It was sent to me by an unknown source who is kind enough to drop me cool stuff from time to time. It is supposedly an old concept painting for a Space pavillion at Epcot. I've never seen this before and wondered if you could shed a little light on it for me. The photo is attached, and any info will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance…
Lee

Lee,

Wow. It's been almost 20 years since I last saw this image. Yes, your unnamed source is correct. This is one of the very first paintings that was done for Epcot's long-in-the-planning Space pavilion. Back when the project was still in its blue sky phase.

Of course, the problem with looking at proposed Disney theme park attractions when they're still in their blue sky phase is that you have to be aware that you're looking at the bells-and-whistles version of that ride or show. When the Imagineers aren't afraid to toss in every possible idea that they have for that particular project. With the hope that Disney Company management will eventually allow them to keep a third to a half of what they've actually proposed.

So those enormous fire engine red gantries that you see bookending both sides of Epcot's space complex? They were strictly decorative. The Imagineers just threw the gantries into this Space concept painting because they looked cool. Given their enormous size, these show elements would have been prohibitively expensive to construct. Which is why they were the first thing to get cut as this project moved through WDI's development pipeline.

If I'm remembering correctly, this was the version of Epcot's Space pavilion that would have featured a simulated trip into space aboard a 21st Century version of the space shuttle. As WDW guests would have exited their shuttle, they would have found themselves standing on the deck of an authentic looking recreation of a space station.

If you'd like more information about what this particular version of Epcot's space attraction was supposed to have been like, Lee, then you should go check out a story that I originally wrote for MousePlanet back in October 2000. That article goes into an excruciating amount of detail about what the earlier incarnation of this proposed Future World addition was supposed to have been like.

If I'm remembering correctly, this is one of my MP pieces that eventually ended up being archived at LaughingPlace.com. So — if you really want to read the thing — head over there.

Thanks for sharing that Epcot Space pavilion concept painting with JHM readers, Lee. I know that they probably enjoyed seeing this art as much as I did. But — then again — maybe there are some people who got depressed by catching a glimpse of what might have been.

Speaking of people being depressed … Curious Yellowman wrote in this week to say that he was genuinely bummed out to hear about Jim Korkis' recent departure from JimHillMedia.com:

Dear Jim –

I am just so sorry to hear about Jim Korkis' decision to stop writing for JimHillMedia.com. I was enjoying all of those great stories that he had been doing for your site about comic book history. Now that the Other Jim is gone, do you think that JHM will continue to cover this area of the entertainment industry?

Curious Yellowman

Dear Curious Yellowman:

Well, let's start with the obvious here: There's just no way that we're going to be able to replace Jim Korkis. By that I mean: Jim was a guy who wrote extremely well, whose indepth knowledge of the comic book and the animation field verged on encyclopedic. People like that just don't pop up every day, Curious Yellowman.

So — if you're expecting JimHillMedia.com to be able to maintain that same level of excellent coverage — I'm afraid that isn't going to happen.

But that said, JHM is still going to try and keep an eye on the comic book field. To make you folks aware of various intriguing things that are going on in the industry.

Take, for example, Funnypages Press. Okay. I'd be the first to admit that this operation is a wee bit on the small side. With just three staffers so far. Well, the company may be small. But the guys behind Funnypages Press — Tom Bancroft, Rob Corley and Greg Hardin — are bigtime talents.

You hardcore Disneyana fans out there will undoubtedly recognize Tom Bancroft's name. After all, he's the guy who served as lead animator on Mushu for Walt Disney Pictures' Summer 1998 smash hit, "Mulan."

Well, Bancroft can do a lot more than draw diminutive dragons. He can also crank out a pretty funny comic book. What book am I talking about? "Opposites Forces." A comic that takes all of the clichés that you probably associate with super hero stories and sweetly turns them on their ear.

So what's "Opposite Forces" about? It details the adventures of unlikely super heroes Marty Knopf, a schubby web page designer, and Alexis Hilltop, a pretty if somewhat perfectionist corporate lawyer. Marty and Alexis have recently acquired super strength, heat vision, super speed and x-ray vision because … well … it's kind of complicated. And comical.

You see, aliens from Planet Tenalp were determined to snuff out Captain Dynamo, Diamond City's resident super hero. So they trained a death ray on Captain Dynamo. Who has just been splattered with a pot full of hot matzo ball soup. Which Marty had just thrown out the window. And then …

Well, I don't want to spoil the whole story. Let's just say that Marty and Alexis are having quite a bit of trouble adjusting to their new abilities. But they'd better get their act together soon. For there's a brand new super villain in Diamond City. Someone whose bite looks like it would be decidedly worse than his bark.

Filled with beautiful line work as well as some really funny dialogue, "Opposite Forces" (to me, anyway) looks like a comic book series that would be well worth checking out. Though Issue # 1 & 2 of the Funnypages Press publication may be hard to come by — they were published back in 2002 — Issue # 3 of "Opposite Forces" should be hitting store shelves … right about now. So — if you'd like to try and get in on the fun now — drop by your local comic book emporium and pick up a copy today.

Or — if you'd prefer to get a peek at this new comic book series and its intriguing characters before you buy — head on over to the Funnypages Press webpage. Here, you can check out a few sample pages and admire Bancroft's fine line work. Or — better yet — click on "Rob's Weekly Doodle" and view some wickedly funny cartoons that take you behind-the-scenes at Walt Disney Feature Animation-Florida.

These are the sorts of comic book-related stories that we'll be doing here at JimHillMedia.com from now on, Curious Yellowman. Not the great indepth stuff that Jim Korkis used to crank out. But smaller, less ambitious pieces. Stories about new comic books or series that will have (surprise, surprise) some sort of connection to the Walt Disney Company.

My apologies if this is somewhat disappointing news. But, hey, life is full of little disappointments. Speaking of which, DisneyMax recently wrote in to ask:

Hey Jim,

I've got another Why For question for ya. I'm sure you've seen that old hand drawn sketch of Walt Disney World that was drawn by Walt himself. Well, on the sketch on the west side of the property, between Epcot and the Magic Kingdom in what is about the location of the AAA Car Center and Shades of Green, there is a large oval that says "Swamp Ride." What was this? I would assume there has to be a pretty good story behind this because it seems like it would have been a complete departure from the original "theme park" formula. It looks like it would have been a major attraction, OUTSIDE of a "theme park." Was this some well thought out plan? Or was Walt just brainstorming on a napkin?

Thanks,
DisneyMax

Ah yes. The swamp boat ride. To answer your question, DisneyMax: No, this wasn't just some idle doodle on Disney's part. For several years in the 1960s, Walt and his Imagineers did give some semi-serious thought to offering Disney World visitors the opportunity to view Central Florida wildlife up-close from inside an airboat.

The idea behind this particular project was that Disney could take that part of the Lake Buena Vista property that the corporation had agreed to leave pristine & undeveloped and turn it into something that would still make some money for the company. The plan was that Disney World would charge tourists $4 or $5 a head (Please keep in mind that the prices that I'm quoting here are the estimated admission costs for a WDW attraction that would have been up and running late in the early 1970s. Were Disney to open this same sort of attraction today, you'd probably have to throw a zero behind that $4 or $5. Anyway …) for an hour-long trip through the swamp. Where they'd (hopefully) get to see some mule deer, alligators and snowy white egrets in their natural surroundings.

So why didn't this project ultimately go forward? Well, as Walt Disney World's construction costs grew from an estimated $100 million to a budget-busting $400 million, a lot of Walt's dreams got moved to the back burner. That swamp boat ride? It was always something that the Imagineers were going to get back to. But — what with all the pressure Walt Disney Productions was under in the last 1970s to finally go forward with construction of Epcot, and then the building boom of the late 1980s / early 1990s (when the Mouse seemed to be adding a new resort to its Central Florida property every other year) — Walt's swamp boat ride never made it off the drawing board.

The last time that I heard anyone at WDI talking seriously about reviving the swamp boat project, DisneyMax, was back in the early 1990s. When the Imagineers were weighing their options when it came to Disney's Animal Kingdom. Given the high cost of the African and Asia enclosures, the team that was designing this new WDW theme park were looking for low-cost lands and attractions to add to DAK. So someone floated the idea of just putting WDW visitors in airboats and sending them out into the swamps to see real Central Florida animals in their natural surroundings.

The only problem was … the large, flat 500 acre parcel that the Imagineers had chosen as DAK's construction site was at least a half mile or so away from the nearest swamp. So — in order to finally bring Walt's doodle to life — WDI would have had to build a brand new Florida swamp right on site. Which would have involved moving tons of sandy soil. Which really would have negated any possible savings that the Imagineers would have theoretically seen by theming an Animal Kingdom exhibit/attraction around Central Florida's own wildlife.

But still good ideas never die at WDI. So who knows, DisneyMax? Maybe a few years further on down the line, as the Imagineers are looking for somewhat affordable attractions to add to Disney World, maybe someone will unearth a copy of that cocktail napkin that Walt supposed scribbled his initial ideas for his Central Florida resort.

Of course — given how admission prices continue to rise at WDW — I would imagine that when Disney World's swamp boat ride finally does open, you can anticipate paying $60 to $80 for the privilege of viewing an alligator from an airboat. Which (you'll have to admit) is a pretty hefty jump from the $4 or $5 that the Mouse was initially thinking of charging WDW visitors.

And — finally — Nick C. wrote in to ask why JHM almost never provides any coverage about what goes on at Disneyland Paris:

Dear Jim,

As a French "Disney addict" (even if I don't like to call myself like that!), I notice that you never give (or rarely) any information or news concerning the Paris resort, especially during those days where we talk a lot about the WDS expansion as the main goal for our new boss!! Many things have been told but nobody really knows the truth when it comes to Disney!! To that end, I contact you in order to know what things have been said about Paris in the Sates and what is really gonna happen in the future!!

I thank you in advance,

Nick C.

Dear Nick C.

You're right. JimHillMedia.com hasn't really done all that good a job when it comes to covering the Disneyland Paris resort. By that I mean: the site (as of right now) only has one European-based reporter, Andrea Monti AKA Mickeyfantasmic. Who actually does a very nice job with his columns. (After all, Andrea has delivered more than a few scoops for JHM.) But — due to his extremely busy schedule — Monti had never been able to deliver as many DLP-based columns as he or we would like.

So — over the next few weeks — JimHillMedia.com will be attempting to ramp up its Disneyland Paris coverage. Christopher W. will soon be heading over to France to cover DLP's first ever Gay Day festivities. And Eric C. is visiting that resort right now, where he'll be assembling information for an in-depth article about WDS's very best attraction, Cinemagique.

JHM is also looking into recruiting a few new writers to help cover the theme parks at Disneyland Paris as well as the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. So if you know anyone out there who might be interested in a gig like that, be sure and let us know, okay?

Why is JHM interested in increasing its DLP coverage. Because we recently learned — thanks to a mole in Celebration, FL. — that WDI is seriously gearing up its efforts to improve the Walt Disney Studios. The Imagineers have even formed a WDS steering committee, which meets once a month to actively look for ways to turn that troubled theme park around.

So — since WDI is now paying closer attention to WDS — I felt that the least that JHM could do is start paying closer attention the Walt Disney Studio theme park as well.

That's pretty much it for this week, folks … oops … almost forgot.

If you're a theme park history buff and live in the New England area, you might want to consider driving down to Wakefield, MA. this coming weekend. Why for? Because — as part of that town's annual Homecoming event — the Friends of Pleasure Island will be presenting a lakeside display of photos and artifacts from that long defunct theme park on Saturday. And on Sunday the group will actually be offering tours of the former site of the park.

Given Pleasure Island's intriguing ties to Disneyland (I.E. construction of both of these theme parks was supervised by C.V. Wood, the man who also built Freedomland as well as Six Flags Over Texas), taking a trip to Wakefield, MA might be a pretty entertaining way for a Disneyana fan to spend an afternoon. So if you'd like to take part in Sunday's tours (which will be presented at 8 and 10 a.m.), just pay a visit to the Friends of Pleasure Island website and then drop a line to Kory Hellmer to let her know that you'd like to sign up for the tour. Ms. Hellmer will then get back to you via e-mail regarding where to meet, etc.

Okay. Now that's really it for this week. Have a great weekend, okay? And — hopefully — I'll see some of you down in Wakefield come Sunday.

jrh

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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