General

Why For Central Florida never actually became Hollywood East

Published

13 years ago

October 13, 2011

Jim Hill

Earlier this week, Steve B. wrote in to ask:

Dear Jim,

When the Disney-MGM Studios theme park opened, it was
promoted as a working studio. Both live
action and animation were being produced there.
There was discussion in the news about the high costs in California
driving production out of that state and into places like Florida.

Today, the working
studio idea is a thing of the past, the animation building no longer features
real animators working on future films, the sound stages are being converted
into rides like Toy Story Midway Mania, and the backlot tour now features
amazing views of tires stacked in a room for use by the car stunt show. In the meantime, cities like Chicago, not
exactly known for right-to-work laws or cheap labor, are seeing an increase in
film production. Why for?

Dear Steve B.,

To be fair, when Universal Studios Florida first opened in
June of 1990, it too was touted as a working studio. Back then, Orlando area
officials were happy to talk up the idea that Central Florida was becoming
Hollywood East. More importantly, that all manner of high profile motion
pictures & television shows would soon begin shooting at Disney-MGM &
USF. Which would then translate into lots of high paying jobs & steady work
for Central Floridians.

Which isn’t what happened.

Don’t get me wrong. A few films were shot on those state-of-the-art
soundstages that the Imagineers had built at Disney-MGM. The plane interior
sequences for “Passenger 57” come immediately to mind. Likewise the Anthony
Hopkins film, “Instinct.” And a handful on non-Disney-owned and/or produced TV program
like “The Adventures of Superboy,” “Thunder in Paradise” and HBO‘s “From the Earth to the Moon” were shot in and around this theme park’s backlot. But
beyond that, it was mostly game shows like “Win, Lose or Draw” and “Let’s Make a
Deal” or Disney Channel series like “MMC” and “Adventures in Wonderland.”

The cast of MMC AKA The Mickey Mouse Club. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

Universal had a similar sort of problem when it came to luring production to USF. I remember that – back when a good portion of Universal
Studios Hollywood‘s New York Street set burned down in November of 1990 – that production
of “Oscar” (which – ironically enough – was a Touchstone Pictures release) was
moved to the New York City-themed section of Universal’s Florida theme park.
And – of course – there were all of those family-friendly sitcoms like “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Kenan and Kel” that were shot at USF’s Nickelodeon Studios
facility. But beyond that, it was mostly music videos and the occasional commercial,

But as to why Orlando didn’t become a major movie & television production
center … There were a number of factors, actually. First of all, the cost savings that you mention (which was
supposed to come from shooting in a right-to-work state like Florida) was often
offset by the enormous additional cost of flying name talent & key creatives in from
LA. Not to mention paying for meals & housing for these folks over the
length of the shoot.

More to the point, many of the filmmakers that were sorely tempted to make movies at Central Florida’s Central Florida production facilities were then put off by the idea of having tourists look in on them as they worked. It didn’t matter that
the Imagineers and/or Universal Creative had made these glassed-in viewing
areas sound-proof. Or – in some cases – had lined these production corridors with
one-way mirrored glass, so that these auteurs wouldn’t even known when they
were being observed. Just the idea that there were people up there, potentially
looking down (figuratively as well as literally) at them working was enough to
make some directors & actors deliberately take a pass on working at
Disney-MGM and/or USF.

Ironically enough, the one real success that came out of
Disney & Universal’s flirtation with establishing full-blown production
facilities in Central Florida was the one place where the people who worked
there knew that they were always being observed.

Max Howard and the artists & animators who made up the Opening Day team at
Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida

I’m talking – of course – about that satellite studio which
Walt Disney Animation Studios staffed and maintained at MGM. Which – thanks to
its giant glass windows — gave WDW visitors the chance to peer down into “The Pit” (that’s
what the artists & animators who actually worked in this exposed studio
floor section of the Animation Tour called it) and see what work was being done at that
time on WDAS’s next short and/or soon-to-be-released feature-length project.

Of course, what’s kind of ironic about this particular turn-of-events
is that the animators who worked in the “Magic of Disney Animation” fish bowl
were never supposed to work on feature-length releases like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” The original plan for the Central Florida facility
is that the artists based here would only be working on special projects like the Roger Rabbit shorts
and Mickey-based featurettes like “The Prince & The Pauper.”

But when “The Little Mermaid” was released in November of
1989 and then turned into this genuine box office phenomenon, Disney’s future plans
for its feature animation department changed virtually overnight. Then-studio
head Jeffrey Katzenberg suddenly wanted to move WDAS from a one-new-feature-film-every-two-years
production schedule to a much more ambitious plan. One that called for the
Studio’s staff to crank out a brand-new full-length animated feature every single
year.

And in order to pull off what Jeffrey was planning … Well, that
meant that it was “All Hands on Deck” time at Disney-MGM. With the
relatively young crew at Feature Animation Florida (which had only been working
for the Mouse for about six months at this point) suddenly being handed entire
sequences for “Beauty & the Beast” and “The Lion King” to animate. And given
what a great job they did with those assignments, the artists and animators at
WDFAF eventually found themselves working on their very own feature-length project, “Mulan.”

I have to tell you folks that – between May of 1989 and March of 2004 — I
spent many happy hours wandering the corridors of Feature Animation Florida. I
knew dozens of the artists & animators that worked there at that time. And you could not
ask for a nicer, more talented & dedicated group of people. Who would then do flat-out amazing work on Disney hand-drawn movies like “Mulan,” “Lilo & Stitch” and “Brother Bear.”

And when Walt Disney Feature Animation (back in the bad old
days when David Stainton was running the Mouse Factory) began talking about
reinventing itself in 2002 & 2003 so that Mickey’s movies could then better
compete with those that were being produced by Pixar, DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios, I always
kind of hoped that Stainton would leave Feature Animation Florida alone. That –
given the charming, quirky, ambitious, highly successful hand-drawn films that the team at
Disney-MGM were consistently turning out at this point – you don’t fix what ain’t broke. It only made sense to
maintain the status quo in Orlando and then limit Feature Animation’s reinvention to
the crew that was working on the Burbank Lot.

But David … He didn’t see things that way. He wanted all of
Disney’s artists to be in one place. So Stainton not only shut down Feature
Animation Florida, he also pulled the plug on Disney’s Paris-based facility (i.e.
the animation studio that did the bulk of the work on “A Goofy Movie” and “Tarzan“).
He then gutted hand-drawn animation in an attempt to turn Disney Feature
Animation into this CG-only production facility.

And we all remember (with the possible exception of the people
in charge of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group. Who just hired David to be the president
of this studio’s new animation division) how well that went.

Concept art for WDI’s original vision forDisney-MGM’s Muppet Studios “land.” Which — in
addition to MuppetVision 3D — was supposed to have featured a Swedish Chef-themed
restaurant in addition to a “Great Muppet Movie” ride-through attraction. Copyright
Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Anyway … Getting back to Disney-MGM Studios … Excuse me …
Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios Florida: The Imagineers
tried to address the whole
big-name-filmmakers-who-don’t-like-being-looking-at-while-they-work issue in
1990 by proposing building four more soundstages.
Only these new production facilities wouldn’t be located inside of
the studio theme park. They were actually supposed to built on the other
side of World Drive, directly across from Disney-MGM. Which would then
insure that — if they ever wanted to come shoot a movie in Central
Florida — the George Lucases, Steven Spielbergs, Peter Jacksons and
James Camerons of the world could then work in private. Well away from
the prying eyes of WDW Guests.

Of course, by doing something like
this, it would then become much, much harder to sell Disney-MGM Studio theme
park as this working studio where Disney World visitors would then be able
to see really-for-real movies & TV shows being made. Which
is why — about this same time — it was revealed that the Sunset
Boulevard and Muppet Studios expansion projects were in the works. With
the hope that — once all of these new rides, shows and attractions came online at Disney-MGM — the paying customers
wouldn’t even notice that they were seeing precious little work actually being
done at this allegedly working studio.

Mind you, a constant source
of frustration for the Imagineers was that Disney’s own movie divisions
— Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures — were reluctant to come on down to Central Florida and then shoot a film at the
Company’s studio theme park. Though — to be fair — the executives who
worked for these three divisions at the Studio would then argue that
they had a responsibility to Disney’s shareholders and the Company’s
board of directors to be fiscally responsible. And after weighing the
cross-promotional possibilities of shooting something like “Honey, I
Sent the Kids to the Moon” or “Honey, I Turned the Kids Invisible”
(Believe it or not, these were actually premises that were seriously considered for the proposed third & fourth installments of the “Honey” series.
Disney even went so far as to register these titles with the MPAA [i.e. The Motion Picture Association of America] — along
with “Honey, I Switched Brains with the Dog” — before they eventually opted
to go the direct-to-video route with 1997’s “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves“) at Disney-MGM versus the cost savings that would be had by shooting
this very same movie up in Toronto or Vancouver, the projected cost savings would almost
invariably win out.

So in spite of the tens of millions of dollars
that had been poured into building all these state-of-the-state soundstages in and
around Orlando, Central Florida’s dream of becoming Hollywood East
slowly faded away. These days, while you’ll occasionally see a TV game
show like “Wheel of Fortune” being shot at Walt
Disney World and the “IMPACT Wrestling“
show is still being produced at Universal
Studios Florida, most of the time these buildings stand empty. Which is
why — for years now — USF has staged some of the mazes that it builds
annually for “Halloween Horror Nights” inside of these soundstages.

The “IMPACT Wrestling” set on a Universal Studios Florida soundstage

Which now brings us to the problem that the Imagineers have
been struggling with for the better part of a decade. In that Disney’s movie-themed theme park was originally built around all of these soundstages & production facilities that were meant to support a working studio. And given that many of these buildings were deliberately designed so that the Guests could then peek in on the work that was being done … Since there haven’t been any movies or TV shows of note being shot at the studio theme park in years, how do you now reinvent Disney’s
Hollywood Studios to reflect that reality?

WDI has learned the hard way (i.e. the congestion problems
that continually plaque Pixar Place. Especially right in front of “Toy Story
Mania,” where – thanks to the extremely narrow street that cuts through this
part of the studio theme park – WDW visitors pushing strollers and/or Guests riding
on ECVs find this section of DHS extremely difficult to travel through) that it’s
sometimes a mistake to try and repurpose a pre-existing structure at the
Studios like a soundstage.

On the other hand, when you consider the expense involved
with first ripping out something of size (like one or more of Disney-MGM’s
original soundstages) so that you then have enough room to build a proper show
building – complete with a FastPass-friendly queue, a load/unload area that’s
both wheelchair & ECV accessible plus, of course, the inevitable post-show
gift shop … That’s an awful lot of money to have to tack onto the already-hefty
cost of building a NextGen ride, show or attraction for one of the stateside
theme parks.

Which is why the Imagineers have usually opted to retrofit (EX:
gutting DHS’s old “Superstar Television” theater to make way for the “American
Idol Experience“) rather than tear things down. But with primo pieces of real
estate at Disney’s Hollywood Studios now being occupied by facilities that aren’t
being used as they were originally intended, one wonders how long it’s going to
be before WDI finally do officially let go of Central Florida’s Hollywood East
dream and starts knocking down buildings in order to bump out the borders of
this WDW theme park.

And speaking of Walt Disney World … I just wanted to give
you folks up that the latest installment of the “Unofficial Guide’s Disney Dish
with Jim Hill” podcast series is now available for downloading from iTunes. And
this time around, Len Testa and I tour the Magic Kingdom Resorts. So if you’d
like to learn about what the Imagineers were considering as possible
replacements for Discovery Island or – better yet – take an audio tour of the
Grand One (i.e. the yacht that Guests staying at the Grand Floridian Resort
& Spa can rent for an evening for an extra-special viewing experience when
it comes to the Magic Kingdom‘s nightly fireworks), you should definitely give
this show a listen.

Anyway … That’s it for this week’s Why For. If you have a
Disney-related question that you’d like to see answered in a future column –
you need to send those queries along to whyfor@jimhillmedia.com.

Also, could you please do my ex — Shelly Valladolid — a favor and go vote for her teacher? Thanks.

Your thoughts?

The article was updated / corrected on October 14, 2011 to fold in additional information

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