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Seven Dwarfs Mine Train literally puts a new face on the Disney theme park experience

Published

10 years ago

on

When it comes to the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, it's
kind of a tradition that good enough isn't really good enough.

Case in point: "Pirates of the Caribbean."
When Walt Disney first envisioned bringing buccaneers into his first theme park
in the late 1950s, he was thinking more of a walk-through attraction. A place
where Disneyland Guests would first descend from street level in New Orleans
Square and then stroll past this elaborately-themed dungeon which was to be
filled with wax tableaux of history's most notorious pirates. Scenes that —
thanks to theatrical lighting & stereo sound effects — would appear to
come to life each time a new group of tourists walked by.


Concept art for "Rogues Gallery," the walk-thru version of "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

And Walt was fully committed to this early version of
"Pirates." He even went so far as authorize the start of construction
on this attraction. Which is why — for much of the early 1960s — there was
this huge cellar hole sitting empty next to Adventureland. Early Disneyana fans
used to climb up into the Swiss Family Treehouse and then peer down at the
enormous pieces of steel which straddled this construction site. Wondering when
work would continue on this Pirates-themed show (which — at that time — was
known as "Rogues Gallery").

"And why didn't Disney go forward with that version of
'Pirates of the Caribbean'?," you ask. Because
while his Imagineers were working on rides, shows & attractions for the
1964 – 1965 New York World's Fair, Walt came up with a better idea. He saw how
much people enjoyed floating through "it's a small world" and then looking
out at all of those singing Audio-Animatronic children which were positioned
along this ride's trough. Which is why Disney decided to ditch the walk-thru
version of "Rogues Gallery" and instead send Disneyland
visitors off on a boat ride that would first slide down a waterfall and then
take Guests floating past some singing swashbucklers.

And the same exact thing happened with Disneyland's
Haunted Mansion.
Walt had originally wanted small groups of tourists to take part in a walking
tour of this decrepit southern home. Where — as they were led from room to
room by their all-too-human host — these people would then encounter special
effects-filled scenes that the Wizards of WED had worked up which celebrated
the supernatural.


Concept art for the walk-thru version of The Haunted Mansion.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

"And why didn't Walt go ahead with that walk-thru
version of the Haunted Mansion?,"
you query. Because with the development of the Omnimover ride system for
Disneyland's "Adventure Thru Inner Space" attraction, the Imagineers
now had a far more efficient way to move Guests through a detailed show
environment. So even though the exterior of the Haunted
Mansion was already built & standing
in place along the Rivers of America by 1963, Disney's Imagineers still junked
their plans for a walk-thru version of that theme park attraction and opted
instead to go with the Doom Buggy-driven ride that we all know today.

So why did I bring up those two classic theme park
attractions? Because when Tom Staggs — the Chairman of Walt Disney Parks &
Resorts — was looking at the work-in-progress version of the Seven Dwarfs Mine
Train (that new family coaster which officially opened to the general public at
WDW's Magic Kingdom
earlier today) a few years back … Well, Tom liked what he saw. But he also
wondered: Could the Imagineers do a little better with the Audio-Animatronic
Dwarfs that were supposed to be dig-dig-digging in this mine the whole day
through?

I mean, WDI's talented team of sculptors had done a brilliant job of translating
Doc, Happy et al. into full-sized three dimensional figures. Likewise the
Imagineers who were in charge of programming these AA figures had come up with some
stylized life-like movements that Staggs was sure would look charming in the
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train's main show scene. Which showed the Dwarfs at the very
end of their work day just before they began singing "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho,
it's home from work we go … " and then exited that diamond mine.


Concept art for the original version of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train's main show scene
back when this New Fantasyland attraction was supposed to make use of traditional
Audio-Animatronic figures. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

But if Tom had a quibble about this
already-under-construction piece of Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland, it was
with the faces of the Seven Dwarfs. Which — due to the hard plastic shell that
encases the inner workings of all AA figures (not to mention the  soft vinyl skin which is then placed over that
hard plastic shell) — couldn't quite match all of those
squash-and-stretch-filled facial expressions that Disney artists had dreamed up
when they were originally animating "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
back in the mid-1930s.

So Staggs wondered: Was there a way to make the Audio-Animatronic
versions of the Seven Dwarfs actually look more like these character did back
in that 1937 Walt Disney Pictures release? And as it turned out, there was.

Ever since the late 1990s, WDI has been experimenting with miniature projection
systems which could then be placed inside of the faces of Audio-Animatronic
figures that are used in the Disney theme parks. The Imagineers had previously
used this technology with some success in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
and The Haunted Mansion. But recent advances in the miniaturization of
projection systems as well as LED lighting had now made this
projected-from-within-face idea worth revisiting.


The Imagineers fine tune the Sneezy AA figure onsite
in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train's main show scene.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

And as soon as the Imagineers showed Staggs some prototypes that they'd been
working on, Tom immediately said "That's it. That's what we should be
doing with the Dwarfs in the Mine Train's big show scene." So even though
New Fantasyland's centerpiece attraction had already been under construction
for a year or more at this point, the Imagineers immediately shifted gears and began
dreaming up ways to install Dwarf AA figures with projected-from-within-faces
in this new family coaster.

And because they wanted the Dwarfs to look just as they did
in Disney's first full-length animated feature … Well, that's why the
Imagineers reached out to Dave Bossert. Who's a Producer, Creative Director and
Head of Special Projects at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Now Dave is one of the Mouse House's master magicians. If
you watched "Disney Night" last month on ABC's "Dancing with the
Stars" and then marveled at how Drew Carey danced with the Genie from
"Aladdin" …Well, it's Bossert's Special Projects team that did
that. Likewise when Tom Hanks interacted with an animated Tinker Bell in
"Saving Mr. Banks," it was Bossert's talented group of animators
& special effects artists who conjured up pixie dust that looked perfect
for that particular period in Walt Disney Company history.


Imagineers finish dressing the set around Grumpy's scene in The Seven Dwarfs Mine
Train. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

So when it came to designing projected-from-within-faces for
the Dwarf AA figures that would then be featured in the big show scene for New
Fantasyland's family coaster, Dave and his team watched that 1937 film over
& over. Looking for the specific ways that each of the Seven Dwarfs moved
their eyes, eyebrows and mouths.

"A lot of this stuff was counter-intuitive. Take — for example — Sleepy.
One of the ways that Disney's animators back in the 1930s indicated that this
dwarf was actually asleep was by periodically having Sleepy open one eye,"
Bossert explained during a recent phone interview. "Which is why we made
sure that the face on the Sleepy AA figure periodically opens one
eye. Just so this character looks & acts just as Sleepy did in the original
film.


Doc acknowledges passengers in their oar cars as they begin climbing up the Seven
Dwarfs Mine Train's second load hill. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved

"Nearly every piece of animation that you see in Seven Dwarfs
Mine Train — whether it's the Dwarfs who dance on the ceiling on the spinning
barrel room in this attraction's queue — is new. However, the silhouette animation of the Dwarfs at the final hill was a lift from the film and was our tip of the hat to the original property," Bossert
stated. "I'm just lucky enough to work with a team that's made up of
Disney' very best artists and animators. And these people are so talented, they
can replicate the precise look & performance of characters that were first
animated nearly 80 years ago."


Which is why — as WDW Guests have been getting off the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
during this New Fantasyland attraction's soft opening phase — what have they
been talking about? Not this family coaster's extremely smooth ride or how its
oar cars full of passengers swing out to the side as they zoom along its 2000
foot-long track. No, what's got Central Florida tourists
marveling is how great the Dwarfs look in the Mine Train's big show scene.
Which is why these AA figures are now considered to be the gold standard when
it comes to replicating Disney characters in a dark ride environment.

And that only happened because — when it comes to Walt Disney Parks
& Resorts — good enough just ain't good enough.

* This story originally appeared on Jim Hill's blog on HuffingtonPost.com 

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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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

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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